Signal
Signal is a private messaging app for macOS that lets you send encrypted chats, voice notes, photos, videos, and calls from your desktop.
What is Signal?
Signal is a desktop messaging app for private communication on macOS. It helps users continue personal and group conversations from a computer while linking with the Signal app on iPhone or Android. You can send text messages, photos, videos, files, voice messages, and stickers, and you can also place voice and video calls where supported. The app is designed for people who want a dedicated desktop chat experience with strong privacy protections and synchronized access to their conversations across devices. Signal Desktop is commonly used for everyday messaging, family chats, community groups, and work conversations that do not require a broader team workspace platform. It is published by Signal Messenger, LLC.
Key features
- Send one-to-one and group messages from your Mac
- Share photos, videos, documents, and other files in chats
- Place voice and video calls from the desktop app
- Use linked-device syncing with your phone-based Signal account
- Transfer recent message history from mobile when linking a desktop
- Search conversations and use keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation
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Safety overview
Status: Safe
Signal is legitimate communication software, and its network access, notifications, local message storage, and linked-device behavior are consistent with a private messaging app. On Mac, removing the app or its local data can clear desktop message history stored on that computer, so export or confirm what you need before uninstalling. As with any messaging app, review notification visibility and local device access if you use the Mac in a shared environment.
Recommendation: Keep Signal if you use it for personal or group messaging on your Mac. Remove it only if you no longer use Signal on this computer or want to clear its local desktop data, knowing that doing so can remove conversation history stored locally on the Mac.
Common paths
/Applications/Signal.app~/Applications/Signal.app
Cache paths
~/Library/Caches/org.whispersystems.signal-desktop~/Library/Caches/org.whispersystems.signal-desktop.ShipIt
Support paths
~/Library/Application Support/Signal
Preference paths
~/Library/Preferences/org.whispersystems.signal-desktop.plist
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