Desktop Applications - New Expensify

New Expensify provides native desktop applications for macOS, Windows, and Linux, offering the same features as the web version with additional desktop integration.

Overview

The desktop applications are built using Electron, wrapping the web application with native desktop features.

The desktop apps provide the same functionality as the web version at new.expensify.com with added desktop integration features.

Supported Platforms

macOS

macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or laterIntel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2) support

Windows

Windows 10 or later64-bit architecture

Linux

Ubuntu 18.04+, Debian 10+, Fedora 32+AppImage, .deb, and .rpm packages

Desktop Features

Native Integration

Quick access to New Expensify from system tray
Show/hide main window
Notification badges for unread messages
Quick actions menu

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global and app-specific keyboard shortcuts:

Action	macOS	Windows/Linux
New Expense	`Cmd + N`	`Ctrl + N`
Search	`Cmd + K`	`Ctrl + K`
Settings	`Cmd + ,`	`Ctrl + ,`
Toggle Sidebar	`Cmd + B`	`Ctrl + B`
Reload	`Cmd + R`	`Ctrl + R`
Quit	`Cmd + Q`	`Ctrl + Q`

View all keyboard shortcuts by pressing Cmd + / (macOS) or Ctrl + / (Windows/Linux).

Native Menus

Platform-native menu bars with:

File operations
Edit commands (copy, paste, undo)
View options
Window management
Help and documentation

File System Access

Direct file system access for receipt uploads
Drag-and-drop file support
Native file picker dialogs
Download manager integration

Auto-Update

Desktop apps automatically check for and install updates:

Background update checks
Automatic download of new versions
Update notifications
Seamless update installation

Updates are typically released alongside web updates and installed on next app restart.

Offline Support

Full offline functionality identical to mobile apps:

Create and edit expenses offline
View cached data
Automatic sync when online
Queue-based request handling

See Offline Mode for details on offline architecture.

Multi-Window Support

Open multiple workspaces in separate windows
Picture-in-picture mode for chats
Window state persistence
Cross-window navigation

Native Notifications

Operating system-native notifications:

Desktop notification center integration
Action buttons in notifications
Sound and badge support
Do Not Disturb mode respect

Development

Building Desktop Apps

The desktop applications are built from the web bundle:

# Build web assets
npm run build

# The desktop app wraps the web build
# Electron configuration in desktop/ directory

Architecture

Desktop App Architecture:

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│      Electron Main Process      │
│  (Native APIs, System Access)   │
└───────────┬─────────────────────┘
            │
            │ IPC Communication
            │
┌───────────▼─────────────────────┐
│    Electron Renderer Process    │
│     (React Web Application)     │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

Electron vs Web

Key differences from web version:

Feature	Web	Desktop
Auto-updates	Browser managed	Built-in updater
Notifications	Browser notifications	Native OS notifications
File access	Limited by browser	Full file system access
Shortcuts	Browser shortcuts only	Global + app shortcuts
Offline	Service Worker	Full offline support
System tray	No	Yes

Platform-Specific Features

macOS

Touch Bar Support

MacBook Pro Touch Bar integration:

Quick actions
Navigation controls
Search shortcuts

Dock Integration

Badge counts for unread items
Dock menu with quick actions
Bounce notifications

Menu Bar Integration

Windows

Taskbar Integration

Jump list with recent items
Progress indicators
Thumbnail previews

Action Center

Windows notification integration
Toast notifications
Notification settings

Start Menu

Linux

Desktop Entry

.desktop file integration
Application menu support
MIME type associations

System Tray

StatusNotifierItem support
App indicators
System tray icon

Package Formats

AppImage (universal)
.deb (Debian/Ubuntu)
.rpm (Fedora/RHEL)
Snap (optional)

Distribution

Download Locations

Official Website

Download for all platforms

GitHub Releases

Direct download links

Installation

macOS
Windows
Linux

Download .dmg file
Open the disk image
Drag app to Applications folder
Launch from Applications

Note: First launch may require right-click > Open if from unidentified developer

Download .exe installer
Run the installer
Follow installation wizard
Launch from Start menu

Note: Windows Defender SmartScreen may show warning on first run

AppImage (Universal):

chmod +x NewExpensify-*.AppImage
./NewExpensify-*.AppImage

Debian/Ubuntu (.deb):

sudo dpkg -i newexpensify_*.deb
sudo apt-get install -f  # Fix dependencies

Fedora/RHEL (.rpm):

sudo rpm -i newexpensify-*.rpm

Configuration

Settings Location

Desktop app settings are stored in:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/NewExpensify/
Windows: %APPDATA%\NewExpensify\
Linux: ~/.config/NewExpensify/

Data Storage

Local data is stored using the same Onyx storage as mobile:

SQLite database for structured data
Local cache for images and attachments
Persistent offline queue

Custom URLs

The desktop app can be configured to use custom API endpoints for development:

// In Electron main process
const apiUrl = process.env.EXPENSIFY_API_URL || 'https://www.expensify.com';

Debugging

Developer Tools

Open Chrome DevTools in desktop app:

macOS: Cmd + Option + I
Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + I

Console Logs

View application logs:

macOS: ~/Library/Logs/NewExpensify/
Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\NewExpensify\logs\
Linux: ~/.config/NewExpensify/logs/

Debug Mode

Run in debug mode:

# macOS/Linux
DEBUG=* /Applications/NewExpensify.app/Contents/MacOS/NewExpensify

# Windows
set DEBUG=*
NewExpensify.exe

Security

Code Signing

Desktop apps are signed with platform certificates:

macOS: Apple Developer ID Application
Windows: Authenticode certificate
Linux: GPG signature (AppImage)

Permissions

Required system permissions:

Camera: For receipt scanning (optional)
Microphone: For video calls (optional)
File System: For receipt uploads
Notifications: For desktop notifications

Auto-Update Security

Updates are verified before installation:

Signature verification
HTTPS-only update checks
Integrity hash validation

Troubleshooting

App won't launch

macOS:

Check Security & Privacy settings
Try: Right-click > Open
Verify app isn’t quarantined: xattr -cr /Applications/NewExpensify.app

Windows:

Run as administrator
Check Windows Defender settings
Verify .NET Framework is installed

Linux:

Check executable permissions
Install missing dependencies: ldd NewExpensify

App crashes on startup

Delete app data:
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/NewExpensify/
- Windows: %APPDATA%\NewExpensify\
- Linux: ~/.config/NewExpensify/
Check logs for errors
Reinstall the application

Updates not installing

Check internet connection
Disable antivirus temporarily
Run app as administrator (Windows)
Clear update cache:
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/NewExpensify/pending-updates/
- Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\NewExpensify\pending-updates\

Notifications not working

macOS: System Preferences > Notifications > NewExpensifyWindows: Settings > System > Notifications > NewExpensifyLinux: Check notification daemon is running:

ps aux | grep notification

Comparison: Desktop vs Web vs Mobile

Feature	Desktop	Web	Mobile
Offline Mode	✓ Full	✓ Service Worker	✓ Full
Auto-Updates	✓ Built-in	✓ Automatic	✓ Store/APK
Keyboard Shortcuts	✓ Global	✓ Limited	✗
Receipt Scanning	✓ Upload	✓ Upload	✓ Camera
System Tray	✓	✗	✗
Push Notifications	✓ Native	✓ Browser	✓ Native
File System	✓ Full	✗ Limited	✗ Limited
Multi-Window	✓	✓ Tabs	✗

Performance

Resource Usage

Typical resource consumption:

Memory: 150-300 MB
CPU: < 5% idle, 10-20% active
Disk: ~200 MB installed

Optimization Tips

Close Unused Windows

Each window consumes additional memory

Clear Cache Periodically

Settings > Clear Cache to free disk space

Disable Unnecessary Features

Turn off animations if performance is slow

Keep Updated

Latest versions include performance improvements

Next Steps

Offline Mode

Learn about offline functionality

Keyboard Shortcuts

Master productivity shortcuts

iOS App

Mobile experience on iOS

Android App

Mobile experience on Android

Platforms

Mobile Features

​Overview

​Supported Platforms

macOS

Windows

Linux

​Desktop Features

​Native Integration

​System Tray / Menu Bar

​Keyboard Shortcuts

​Native Menus

​File System Access

​Auto-Update

​Offline Support

​Multi-Window Support

​Native Notifications

​Development

​Building Desktop Apps

​Architecture

​Electron vs Web

​Platform-Specific Features

​macOS

​Windows

​Linux

​Distribution

​Download Locations

Official Website

GitHub Releases

​Installation

​Configuration

​Settings Location

​Data Storage

​Custom URLs

​Debugging

​Developer Tools

​Console Logs

​Debug Mode

​Security

​Code Signing

​Permissions

​Auto-Update Security

​Troubleshooting

​Comparison: Desktop vs Web vs Mobile

​Performance

​Resource Usage

​Optimization Tips

​Next Steps

Offline Mode

Keyboard Shortcuts

iOS App

Android App

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Supported Platforms

Desktop Features

Native Integration

System Tray / Menu Bar

Keyboard Shortcuts

Native Menus

File System Access

Auto-Update

Offline Support

Multi-Window Support

Native Notifications

Development

Building Desktop Apps

Architecture

Electron vs Web

Platform-Specific Features

macOS

Windows

Linux

Distribution

Download Locations

Installation

Configuration

Settings Location

Data Storage

Custom URLs

Debugging

Developer Tools

Console Logs

Debug Mode

Security

Code Signing

Permissions

Auto-Update Security

Troubleshooting

Comparison: Desktop vs Web vs Mobile

Performance

Resource Usage

Optimization Tips

Next Steps