October 24, 2025

Hivenet desktop apps are being rebuilt from the ground up

We’re replacing outdated frameworks with a faster, safer foundation built for a private and sustainable distributed cloud.

We’ve officially discontinued the legacy Hivenet desktop apps for Windows and macOS. That means that the old Hivenet desktop apps for Windows and macOS will no longer be supported. You can still use them if they’re already installed, but they won’t receive updates or security fixes.

This decision wasn’t made lightly. Hivenet closes one chapter so that we can build the next properly.

Why this is happening

The legacy apps were based on early versions of our sync engine and desktop frameworks. Those systems did their job when Hivenet was smaller, but they can’t support our constant growth and what we’re building now.

The distributed cloud is evolving fast: we are getting more devices, more workloads, and that means we need to adhere to higher standards for privacy and sustainability. Keeping those old frameworks alive would slow us down and limit what users could do next.

Our new desktop apps are being rebuilt natively to:

  • Handle large datasets and distributed workloads more efficiently.
  • Keep encryption local and predictable.
  • Integrate directly with system-level APIs for better file handling.
  • Reduce idle resource use and energy consumption.

That means fewer sync failures, lighter CPU usage, and stronger privacy guarantees; all built on a cleaner foundation.

What this means for you

  • The legacy apps still open and work, but they’re no longer supported or maintained.
  • You can safely keep using them, but we recommend switching to mobile or signing up for the macOS closed beta of the new desktop app.
  • Your files and data remain safe in your Hivenet account.
  • Windows users will be able to join the beta later this year.

If you need to recover files from an old desktop app, get in touch with our support team.

The road ahead

We’re building a distributed cloud that stays true to its principles — private, sovereign, and sustainable. To do that well, we need modern, efficient apps that grow with the network rather than hold it back.

The new desktop apps will be part of that vision. They will be faster, cleaner, more secure, and designed for a future where the cloud runs on real devices, not data centers.

Join the macOS beta waitlist to be part of it early:
Request access →

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