How to Use Signal on Your Laptop or PC

Signal lets you access your account on a Windows, macOS, or Linux laptop or PC with a few easy steps.

Advertisement
By Jagmeet Singh | Updated: 14 February 2021 12:30 IST
Highlights
  • Signal claims to offer private messaging on your computer
  • You need to have Signal app on your phone for syncing
  • Signal Desktop app is required on your computer for accessing account

Signal comes with a dedicated desktop app that can be installed on your laptop or PC

Photo Credit: Signal

Wondering how to use Signal on your laptop or PC? If you have a Signal account, the popular messaging app will let you sync your account between your phone and your laptop or PC with a few easy steps. Signal is becoming increasingly popular as an instant messaging alternative to WhatsApp. It lets you send and receive text messages as well as make and receive voice and video calls. It has also grabbed attention for its enhanced security that comes from the open-source Signal Protocol. Signal also offers privacy features such as disappearing messages, screen security, and registration lock.

All these features make Signal complete against the likes of WhatsApp and Telegram. Signal, in fact, claims that all messaging that you access on your laptop or PC is private.

Like for WhatsApp, you must have the Signal app on your phone (either Android or iPhone). But using Signal on a laptop or PC is slightly different than using WhatsApp Web. Signal does not have a Web client and is limited to a desktop app. This means that you can't access your messages on Signal using a Web browser. You will need to download and install its native app on your laptop or PC. Signal's desktop app is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. It requires at least 64-bit Windows 7, macOS 10.10, or 64-bit Linux distributions supporting APT, such as Ubuntu or Debian. Here are the steps you will need to follow to start using Signal on your laptop or PC.

Advertisement

How to use Signal on your laptop or PC

You can follow the steps below to start using Signal on your laptop or PC. As mentioned earlier, it could be a Windows machine or a MacBook or Linux computer.

  1. Download Signal Desktop from its site.
  2. Install the downloaded Signal Desktop on your machine. You can follow prompts from the install file to download the app on your Windows laptop or PC. If it's running on macOS, you will need to move Signal to your Applications folder. Linux users need to follow on-screen instructions to configure the Signal repository and install its package.
  3. Once installed, link Signal Desktop with your phone by scanning the QR code available on your laptop or PC screen. For scanning the QR code, you need to go to Signal Settings > tap on Linked Devices and then tap the plus (+) sign on your Android phone or Link New Device on iPhone.
  4. You can now choose a name for your Linked Device on your phone.
  5. Hit the Finish button.

Once the above steps are taken, your Signal account will be synced between your phone and your laptop or PC. You'll start getting messages on the Signal desktop app. You will also be able to send messages through Signal — without bringing out your phone.


What will be the most exciting tech launch of 2021? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Signal Desktop, Signal
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. OnePlus 15 Launched With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC at This Price
  2. Moto X70 Air Launch Teased for India: Price, Specifications Expected
  3. MIT's tabletop method lets scientists see inside atoms for the first time
  4. OnePlus Ace 6 Launches in China; May Debut Globally as OnePlus 15R
  5. OnePlus 15 Will Offer These 10 Upgrades Over Its Predecessor
  6. Vivo S50 Series Tipped to Feature a Periscope Telephoto Lens
  1. Mushrooms Could Power Future Eco-Friendly Computers, Study Suggests
  2. MIT Physicists Discover a Way to See Inside Atoms Using Tabletop Molecular Technique
  3. Saturn’s Icy Moon Enceladus Organic Molecules May Have Been Fromed by Cosmic Rays, Scientists Find
  4. Researchers Use AI to Predict Storm Surges Faster and More Accurately
  5. Accused Now Streaming On OTT: Know Where to Watch This Tamil Drama Movie Online
  6. Microsoft Faces Lawsuit in Australia Over Allegedly Misleading Users on Copilot Pricing
  7. Madras High Court Recognises Crypto as Property: What This Means for Indian Investors
  8. Google Introduces Vibe Coding to Its AI Studio, Lets Users Create AI Apps With Text Prompts
  9. Vivo X300 Series Tipped to Launch in India With Zeiss Telephoto Extender Kits
  10. Moto X70 Air India Launch Seemingly Teased: Here Are Some Confirmed Specifications, Price Range
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.