We’re excited to announce — Slima Desktop is live.
Starting this week, you can download a native desktop app and write outside the browser. Mac, Windows, Linux — all three.
Why a desktop app
PWA was already pretty good — wasn’t it?
In practice, PWA has a few long-term writer pain points:
- Browser tabs pollute focus — Slima open next to 20 other tabs
- PWA can’t enter the system menu — no native ⌘Q, ⌘W, ⌘N
- Updates rely on browser cache — stale cache means stale build
- Offline support is incomplete — Service Worker has limits
The desktop app fixes all four.
Download
| Platform | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | .dmg |
Universal (Apple Silicon + Intel) |
| Windows | .exe |
Installer (with auto-update) |
| Linux | .AppImage |
No install required |
Highlights
Auto-update
When you launch the app, it checks for new versions in the background. When a download completes, you get a quiet prompt: “New version downloaded. Restart to apply.” No interruption to your writing.
Native menus
Full system menu bar:
- File → New Book / Open / Recent Books / Save / Export
- Edit → Undo / Redo / Cut / Copy / Paste / Find
- View → Zen Mode / Typewriter / Insights / Beta Reader
- Window → Split Pane / New Window
- Help → Documentation / Send Feedback
Native keyboard shortcuts wired in: ⌘N, ⌘O, ⌘S, ⌘W, ⌘Q — all work as expected.
macOS Gatekeeper
The first desktop release isn’t fully Apple-signed yet (it’s on the roadmap). On first launch, macOS will warn “unidentified developer.”
One-time bypass:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Slima.app
Or System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. After the first launch, it stops asking.
Multiple windows
The desktop app supports multiple Slima windows simultaneously — write novel A in one window, draft essay B in another, no interference.
Account + cloud sync
Sign in with the same Google account. Desktop, browser, PWA, mobile all share the same manuscript.
Write half a chapter on desktop, pick it up on your phone — your progress is always in sync.
Logo refresh
While we were at it, we refreshed the Slime logo — sharper lines, more expressive face. Updated everywhere:
- favicon
- PWA icon
- Desktop app icon
Next week
Make the desktop app do things the browser can’t — AI Agent UI (an automated writing assistant) is desktop-exclusive at launch.