Is Clash for Windows still usable? Development status and alternatives
The original author wiped the GitHub repository in November 2023, and Clash for Windows has had no new releases since. An installed copy does not stop working — the bundled core keeps running and subscriptions keep updating — but nothing gets fixed and no new protocols get added.
When it is fine to stay
- You only use Shadowsocks, VMess or Trojan, and your provider is not forcing an upgrade;
- Your config already works and you do not need Hysteria2, TUIC or other newer transports;
- You can live with occasionally repairing the TUN adapter by hand after a major Windows update.
When you should move
When a subscription contains a protocol the core does not recognise, the Profiles page throws a parse error. That is not your YAML being wrong — the core is simply too old. Plenty of providers now ship hysteria2 nodes by default, and the old core skips those entries entirely, which looks like "the subscription downloaded but half the nodes are missing".
Picking a replacement
- Clash Verge Rev: closest to the CFW interface, runs the Mihomo core, and your config file transfers almost as-is — the cheapest migration;
- Mihomo Party: stronger override and scripting support, better if your rule set is complex;
- FlClash: cross-platform, so phone and desktop behave the same way.
Before migrating, back up your subscription URLs and any hand-edited config.yaml from %USERPROFILE%\.config\clash. Most replacements accept the same subscription URL directly, so proxy groups and rules carry over untouched — only CFW-specific Mixin and Parsers blocks need translating by hand.