Frequently asked questions

No. IsolaDesk is an independent Mac app, not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta. Each workspace shows the regular WhatsApp Web, so you need a WhatsApp account on a phone for every number you add, and WhatsApp’s own terms still apply.

Up to 50 workspaces, one per number. Each one is linked from its own phone, exactly like WhatsApp Web. The first 5 are kept in the background by default, so their notifications arrive even before you open them; you can switch this on or off for each workspace.

Yes, with WhatsApp installed on a phone. IsolaDesk links each account the same way WhatsApp Web does: you scan a QR code from WhatsApp › Settings › Linked devices on that phone. Your phone stays the main device for the number.

No. IsolaDesk doesn’t automate anything and never sends messages for you. It displays WhatsApp Web, one account per workspace, and you read and reply yourself. You remain responsible for using WhatsApp in line with its terms.

Yes. IsolaDesk works for personal and professional numbers alike, including accounts from the WhatsApp Business app, which link from the phone in the same way. Each subscription covers one Mac, so a team takes one per Mac. IsolaDesk displays the regular WhatsApp Web: it adds no bulk messaging, chatbot or shared inbox.

Yes. Give each workspace a name, a color and an icon (two letters or an emoji), and drag them into the order you like in the sidebar. The first nine have keyboard shortcuts, ⌘1 to ⌘9, and ⌘0 shows the Overview. You can also export the list (names, icons, colors, settings and order only, never your chats or logins) and import it on another Mac.

WhatsApp decides how its service may be used, and its terms apply to every account you add. Like any linked device, a workspace can be logged out by WhatsApp at any time. IsolaDesk only displays WhatsApp Web and never automates anything, but we can’t control or guarantee how WhatsApp treats an account.

macOS 12 Monterey or later, on a Mac with Apple Silicon or an Intel processor, an internet connection, and a WhatsApp account on a phone for each number you add.

Yes. Every new version is included while your subscription is active, with no paid upgrades. IsolaDesk lets you know when an update is available: download it and replace the app in your Applications folder.

Never. Each workspace talks directly to WhatsApp, and your chats, contacts and media stay between your Mac and WhatsApp. There’s no IsolaDesk account. Our license server only receives what your license needs: your license key, a pseudonymous device ID, your Mac’s name and the app version.

Only on your Mac. Each workspace keeps its WhatsApp Web session in its own folder inside ~/Library/Application Support/IsolaDesk, and your license key and app passcode are kept in the macOS Keychain. See how IsolaDesk handles your data.

No. The lock hides your workspaces behind Touch ID or a passcode, and, from version 3.2, hides message previews in notifications while IsolaDesk is locked. It doesn’t encrypt files: to protect what’s stored on your disk, turn on FileVault in macOS and use a separate macOS user account for each person.

No. Neither the app nor this website uses analytics, advertising or tracking cookies. The website only remembers, in your own browser, that you picked a language or closed the language suggestion bar.

After 14 days, IsolaDesk shows a lock screen until you activate a license. Nothing is charged: the trial never turns into a paid subscription by itself. When you’re ready, subscribe and enter your key in IsolaDesk › License…

Yes: $9.99/year, taxes included. Where available, Stripe shows and charges the amount converted into your local currency at checkout, before you confirm the payment.

On Stripe’s secure checkout page, by card or with the other payment methods available in your country. Stripe keeps your payment method for the yearly renewal; we never see your card number.

Your license key (it looks like ISOLA-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) appears on the confirmation page right after payment, with a copy button, and it is also emailed to you. Renewals keep the same key. Lost it? Have it sent again with the lost key form.

Your subscription renews automatically every year on the anniversary of your purchase. About 45 days before each renewal, Stripe emails you a reminder with a link to manage or cancel it, and you get a receipt for every payment.

Anytime, online: open the customer portal, enter the email you used at checkout, follow the link you receive and choose Cancel subscription. IsolaDesk keeps working until the end of the year you’ve paid for, and you won’t be charged again. Step-by-step guide and other options: Cancel your subscription.

IsolaDesk shows a “Your subscription has ended” screen with a Subscribe Again button. Your workspaces stay on your Mac, so you pick up where you left off. Changed your mind before the end of the paid year? Reactivate your subscription in the customer portal.

Stripe emails you and retries automatically for about two weeks. Meanwhile IsolaDesk keeps working and shows a payment banner with a button to update your card on Stripe’s secure page. If every attempt fails, the subscription is canceled automatically and we email you to confirm it has ended.

Yes. Receipts and invoices for every payment are in the customer portal, and you can enter your company’s tax ID at checkout. Need something else on it? Email support@isoladesk.app from the address used at checkout.

Yes. Within 14 days of your first payment, email support@isoladesk.app and we refund you in full, no questions asked. Forgot to cancel before a renewal? Ask within 14 days of the renewal charge: if you haven’t used IsolaDesk since, we refund it too. A full refund cancels the subscription and deactivates the license. Details in our Refund Policy.

A subscription covers one Mac at a time. To switch Macs, open IsolaDesk › License… on the old one, click Deactivate this Mac, then activate the same key on the new one. Old Mac lost or broken? Email us and we’ll free it. Need IsolaDesk on several Macs at once? Take one subscription per Mac.

Your key is still activated on another Mac. Deactivate it there (IsolaDesk › License… › Deactivate this Mac), then activate it again on this one. No access to the other Mac? Email support@isoladesk.app with your key and we’ll free it.

WhatsApp Web needs one, and so does activating your license. After that, your license is checked offline at every launch and renewed in the background when you’re online: connect at least once every six weeks or so.

Copy and paste the key from your email rather than typing it: it looks like ISOLA-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. Activation needs an internet connection. If IsolaDesk says the subscription has ended, subscribe again to receive a new key. If it says the key was revoked, the payment was usually refunded or disputed: write to us if that’s a mistake.

That’s expected for now: IsolaDesk isn’t notarized by Apple yet. You only need to allow it once, from System Settings › Privacy & Security › Open Anyway on macOS 13 or later, or System Preferences › Security & Privacy › General › Open Anyway on macOS 12. See the step-by-step guide.

WhatsApp sometimes logs out linked devices, for example when the phone has been offline for about 14 days or when the device was removed in WhatsApp › Linked devices. Open the workspace and scan the new QR code with that account’s phone.

Apple Silicon for Macs with an M1 chip or later, Intel for Macs with an Intel processor. Check in Apple menu › About This Mac. The Intel version also runs on Apple Silicon through Rosetta, but the Apple Silicon version is faster and uses less battery.

First check that notifications are on for that workspace: in Workspace › Workspace Settings…, turn on Show notifications (a crossed-out bell in the sidebar marks a muted workspace). Notifications arrive for open workspaces and for those kept in the background: right-click the workspace in the sidebar and turn on Keep in Background for Notifications. Also check that Show message notifications is on in IsolaDesk › Settings… › Notifications, and allow IsolaDesk in macOS System Settings › Notifications.

Unlock with Touch ID if it’s set up, then choose a new passcode in IsolaDesk › Settings… › Privacy. Without Touch ID, choose Forgot your passcode? on the lock screen (IsolaDesk 3.2 or later): IsolaDesk first logs every workspace out of WhatsApp on this Mac and deletes their local data, then removes the passcode. Your chats stay on your phones; you’ll scan each QR code again. On an earlier version, write to us.

Subscribed? First choose IsolaDesk › License… › Deactivate this Mac to free your license. Quit IsolaDesk and drag it to the Trash, then delete the folder ~/Library/Application Support/IsolaDesk to remove your workspaces and their sessions. On each phone, you can also remove the IsolaDesk device in WhatsApp › Linked devices.