Install WhatsApp on Mac with Nativefier

WhatsApp has an official Mac app, but it can be heavy on resources and sometimes lacks flexibility. An alternative is to wrap WhatsApp Web into a standalone desktop app using Nativefier.

What is Nativefier?

Nativefier is a command-line tool that creates a desktop application from any web page using Electron. It gives you a lightweight, standalone window without the overhead of a full browser.

Prerequisites

You need Node.js and npm installed. If you don’t have them, install via Homebrew:

brew install node

Install Nativefier

npm install -g nativefier

Create the WhatsApp App

Run the following command:

nativefier --name "WhatsApp" "https://web.whatsapp.com" --single-instance

This will generate a folder in your current directory containing the .app bundle.

Useful options

• --icon icon.png - Use a custom icon (download a WhatsApp icon in .png format first)
• --single-instance - Prevents opening multiple instances
• --internal-urls ".*whatsapp.*" - Keeps all WhatsApp-related navigation inside the app
• --darwin-dark-mode-support - Enables dark mode support on macOS

A more complete example:

nativefier \
  --name "WhatsApp" \
  --single-instance \
  --internal-urls ".*whatsapp.*" \
  --darwin-dark-mode-support \
  "https://web.whatsapp.com"

Move the App to Applications

mv WhatsApp-darwin-*/WhatsApp.app /Applications/

You can now launch WhatsApp from Spotlight or your Applications folder. On first launch, scan the QR code with your phone to link the session, just like you would in the browser.

Notes

• Nativefier is archived - The project is no longer actively maintained but still works. An actively maintained alternative is Pake.
• The app stores its session data locally, so you won’t need to re-scan the QR code every time.
• To update the app, simply re-run the nativefier command and replace the old .app bundle.