Portable Windows Desktop Client (.NET 9 / WPF) featuring Multi-Account & Multi-Platform tab management (WhatsApp Web & Telegram Web), Instant Background Preloading, Built-In Message Translation, Native Toast Notifications & Popups, and Zero Installation.
| Multi-Account Interface (Dark Mode) | Instant Message Translation |
|---|---|
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| Native Windows Toast Notifications | Dark & Light Themes |
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winget install hidaba.HidaChatGet the latest ready-to-use portable release for Windows (ZIP archive):
- ⬇️ Download Latest Portable Release (GitHub Releases)
- 📂 Extract the ZIP file anywhere (Local Drive or USB Flash Drive) and launch
HidaChat.exe.
⚠️ Important Portability Note: Do not run HidaChat simultaneously from multiple computers accessing the same shared network folder. HidaChat is designed to be used by one PC at a time to prevent WebView2 profile lock conflicts.
| Feature | HidaChat | Official WhatsApp Desktop | Official Telegram Desktop | Altus (amanharwara/altus) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installation Required | ❌ No (100% Portable) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Moveable Data / Portable | ✅ Yes (ZIP / USB) | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Multi-Platform in One App | ✅ Yes (WhatsApp & Telegram) | ❌ WhatsApp only | ❌ Telegram only | ❌ WhatsApp only |
| Multi-Account Tabs | ✅ Yes (Isolated Profiles) | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | |
| Instant Tab Preloading | ✅ Yes (Zero Reload Lag) | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Integrated Translation | ✅ Yes (Hover + Page) | ❌ No | ❌ No | |
| Native Windows Toast & Popup | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Engine Footprint | WebView2 (Native Win) | Electron | Native C++ / Qt | Electron |
| Open Source | ✅ Yes (Apache-2.0) | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
- Simultaneous Accounts: Manage up to 3 separate accounts (WhatsApp Web and Telegram Web) in distinct horizontal tabs.
- Isolated WebView2 Profiles: Each tab maintains its own independent cache, cookies, local storage, and login session under
data/webview/. - Instant Preloading: Accounts are preloaded in the background on startup (prioritizing the active account), allowing zero-delay, instant switching between tabs without page reloads.
- Quick Platform Selector: Click the
+button in the tab bar or in Settings to instantly add a WhatsApp or Telegram tab with dedicated brand icons (WhatsApp green, Telegram cyan). - Background Notifications: Even while chatting on Telegram, WhatsApp keeps receiving real-time WebSocket messages and triggers native Windows toasts and overlay popups, and vice versa.
- Hover Button: Hover over any incoming or outgoing message to display an instant translation button.
- Full-Page Translation: Translate entire chat threads with a single click.
- Multi-Platform Support: Fully compatible with both WhatsApp Web and Telegram Web K message DOM layouts.
- Automatic Dark/Light Mode: Seamless synchronization with Windows system theme or manual override (with custom CSS and dark mode injection for both WhatsApp and Telegram).
- Taskbar-Aware Maximize: Custom borderless window respecting the Windows taskbar across all monitors, with fluid drag-to-restore and interactive corner resize.
- Windows Toast & Overlay Popups: Interactive toast and corner popups routing clicks straight to the originating account tab.
- System Tray: Minimize to notification tray with unread message badge count.
- Automated OTA Updates: Background check and direct updates via GitHub Releases.
- OS: Windows 10 (version 20H1 / build 19041 or higher) or Windows 11
- Runtime: Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime (pre-installed on Windows 11)
- Framework: .NET 9.0 Runtime
To compile and run the project locally:
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/hidaba/HidaChat.git
cd HidaChat
# Restore dependencies and build
dotnet restore
dotnet build -c ReleaseAlternatively, open HidaChat.sln in Visual Studio 2022 (.NET 9 SDK installed) and press F5.
- Add Accounts: Launch
HidaChat.exe. Click the+button on the top tab bar to choose between WhatsApp or Telegram. - Log In:
- WhatsApp: Scan the displayed QR code using the WhatsApp mobile app (Linked Devices).
- Telegram: Scan the QR code with your Telegram mobile app or log in with your phone number / SMS code.
- Rename Tabs: Right-click on any tab header and select Rename to customize the label.
- Translate Messages: Hover over any chat bubble to show the translation button 🌐.
| Icon | Function |
|---|---|
| ⚙️ | Open Settings (Theme, Language, Account Management, Beta channel) |
| 🔄 | Reload active account webview |
| ⓘ | About HidaChat (Version, license, portable path) |
| ✕ / — | Minimize to system tray or taskbar |
Check out CHANGELOG.md to see release history and recent updates.
- Contributing: Please review CONTRIBUTING.md before submitting pull requests.
- Security: For security concerns or vulnerability reporting, see SECURITY.md.
- Code of Conduct: This project adheres to the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct.
Distributed under the Apache 2.0 License. See LICENSE.txt for details.