Z-Siqi/Clash-for-Windows_Chinese: a Simplified Chinese localization of Clash for Windows

What the Chinese localization actually replaces

Clash for Windows is an Electron desktop client for the Clash proxy core. Its interface strings live inside app.asar, the archive Electron loads at startup. This project does not rebuild the client. It edits the archive. The README lists the changes: renderer.js, main.js, and other content inside app.asar, with the per-file details kept under the app/ directory of the repository. It also states that app.asar\dist\electron\static\* files are replaced, and that a third-party link, https://github.com/Z-Siqi/Clash-for-Windows_Chinese-Attached, is inserted into the client. That last point matters more than the translation itself. A localized build that also injects a link is a different artifact from a localized build that only translates strings, and the README does not explain what the attached repository is for. Anyone evaluating this should read that repository before installing, not after.

The audience is narrow and clear: Windows users who want Clash for Windows in Simplified Chinese and are willing to run an unofficial binary to get it. The README states the project does not provide any help or support for mainland China, and reproduces a six-point disclaimer covering lawful use, content transmission, network stability and lack of technical support. Those are the project's own terms, not a legal assessment. Because the modification list is published under app/ rather than as a diff against a pinned upstream commit, a reader cannot reconstruct the exact change set from the README alone; the per-file notes in that directory are the only record, and they are not versioned against a specific upstream tag.

How the patch is built and packaged

The repository layout shows three working directories: CFW/, app/ and chinese_file/. The chinese_file/ directory holds the translation material. According to the README, the historical method was manual replacement in Notepad++ using a comparison table at chinese_file/Clash_Sinicization_Comparison_Table, later automated with Replace Pioneer's Batch Runner against tables at chinese_file/Auto/main-chinese and chinese_file/Auto/renderer-chinese. There is also a specific fix documented for moment's locale file: in app.asar\node_modules\moment\locale\zh-cn.js, the character "后" is changed to "前". That is a date-ordering correction in the relative-time strings, and it is the kind of detail that shows the localization was done by reading the rendered UI rather than by machine translation.

Packaging has moved on. The README marks the old simple packer (简易封包工具_3.2.0.1.exe) as obsolete and names Inno Setup Compiler as the installer packer. For archives, 7-zip is marked deprecated in favor of NanaZip. The Optimize line of releases, whose source the README points to under app/, is the current output; the README notes the modification list may not apply to Optimize builds. The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-06-17. The translation tables are the interesting artifact here: they are plain text key-value files, so a contributor can see what a string was translated from and to without unpacking an asar. That is a lower barrier to contribution than a binary patch would be, and it is why the repository can accept pull requests against the next release. The cost is that the tables and the shipped binary can drift, and nothing in the README states that the published app.asar is regenerated from the tables in the same commit.

Installing the Clash for Windows Chinese build

There are two distribution shapes, and the README warns about one of them. The installer, named Clash.for.Windows.Setup.*.*.*.exe, hijacks the update mechanism: after installation the app's built-in updater can fetch later localized or software updates directly. The archive, named Clash.for.Windows-*.*.*-win.7z, must not be extracted with "extract to current folder", because every file in the package would land in whatever directory you are standing in. Extract it into its own folder instead.

Start by installing a 7z-capable extractor if you do not have one. The README points to NanaZip, 7-Zip or WinRAR for this.

# Not a shell command: the README names these tools for opening .7z archives
# NanaZip (Windows 11 compatible), 7-Zip, or WinRAR

Then pick a release. The README states support starts at version 0.15.3 and runs to the current latest compatible release, and the releases page carries the localized builds, for example 0.20.39.3 from 2025-06-20.

# Download the installer or the .7z archive from the releases page
# Installer: Clash.for.Windows.Setup.*.*.*.exe
# Archive:   Clash.for.Windows-*.*.*-win.7z

If you take the installer, run it and the localized client starts. If you take the archive, extract to a dedicated directory and launch the executable inside it. What you should see is the Clash for Windows interface with Simplified Chinese labels. If you see English, you have launched an unmodified copy or extracted over an existing installation.

The two routes fail differently. An installer that hijacks the updater can pull a build you did not choose, which is convenient until you want to pin a version. The archive route leaves you in control of which build runs, but it also means you own the upgrade cycle and you will not be notified when a newer localized build appears. The README does not describe a portable mode or a way to keep two versions side by side, so testing a new release against your existing profiles means backing up the configuration directory yourself first.

The manual app.asar route and its constraints

The README keeps the patch path documented, though it marks parts of it as superseded. The idea is to replace the app.asar of a matching original Clash for Windows installation with the localized one, either by swapping the file directly or by extracting app.7z, taking the app.asar inside it, and overwriting the original. The README describes the 7z route as saving bandwidth. The version match is not optional: app.asar is tied to the client version it was built from, so a patch built for one release applied to another is an untested combination. The README does not document rollback, so if you take this route, keep a copy of the original app.asar before you overwrite anything.

There is a practical consequence that the README states plainly rather than hides: this is an unofficial, modified build, and bug reports should go to the original Clash for Windows project only after switching back to the unmodified client. In other words, the maintainers of the upstream project should not be asked to debug a binary this repository produced. That is a reasonable boundary and worth respecting. It also tells you something about the intended workflow: the patched app.asar is meant to be a swap-in, swap-out layer over an installation you already trust, not a replacement for the upstream project. If you treat it as the latter, you lose the ability to tell whether a bug is in the client or in the localization, and the README gives no procedure for making that distinction.

Where this localization is the wrong choice

The clearest limitation is the update model. The installer hijacks the in-app updater, which means update delivery depends on this repository continuing to publish compatible builds. The README lists releases at roughly yearly or half-yearly intervals in recent history, and the last push was on 2026-06-17. There is no documented mechanism for verifying that a downloaded artifact corresponds to the published source. The repository does not carry a licence file, so the terms under which the modified binaries are distributed are not stated anywhere in the documentation. If you need a licence you can point at, this repository does not give you one.

Other cases where it is the wrong tool: you are on macOS or Linux, since the artifacts are Windows installers and 7z archives; you need a client whose interface language you can change without replacing binaries; or you need upstream support for a proxy problem. In the last case, the README itself tells you to switch back to the original first, which means this build is not the right surface for diagnosing connection issues. The disclaimer also states the software does not guarantee network stability, accuracy, timeliness or security, and disclaims responsibility for connectivity problems caused by congestion, firewall restrictions, DNS pollution or carrier interference.

There is a subtler failure mode worth naming. Because the localization edits main.js as well as renderer.js, a broken change is not confined to a mislabeled button. The main process handles window lifecycle and the updater, so a defect there can affect startup rather than only display. The README does not describe a smoke test or a QA pass for releases, and it does not list which upstream versions were tested against each localized build beyond the 0.15.3 to latest-compatible range. On a machine you depend on, that argues for testing a new release in a separate Windows user profile or a virtual machine before replacing a working installation.

Alternatives and what changes if you switch

Clash Verge and Clash for Windows Meta both appear in what people search for alongside this project. The difference in approach is structural. Clash for Windows Meta targets a newer core and its own client line, so the interface and the proxy engine move together rather than one being patched into the other's archive. Clash Verge is a separate client with its own codebase and its own release process. Neither of them requires you to replace app.asar inside a third-party Electron bundle to change the language, and neither injects an extra repository link into the client.

If your actual requirement is a Chinese interface rather than Clash for Windows specifically, the honest comparison is not "which localization is better" but "do I need this client at all". Choosing a client whose maintainers ship the interface you want removes the patch step and the version-matching constraint entirely. The counter-argument is real too: if you already have Clash for Windows configurations, profiles and workflows, switching clients means re-importing profiles and re-testing rules, and this repository's installer route keeps the in-app update path working. That is the trade: continuity of setup against a modified, unsupported binary.

One more distinction matters for anyone comparing on features. This project changes presentation, not proxy behavior. The README's modification list is about strings, the moment locale file and static assets; it does not describe changes to the Clash core, to rule parsing or to the proxy protocols. So a comparison against Clash for Windows Meta is not a comparison of two localizations of the same engine. Meta is a different engine line, and the choice between them is a choice about the core, while the choice between this project and upstream Clash for Windows is a choice about the interface language only.

Maintenance, upgrades and licence position

Upgrade cost is low if you use the installer, because the README states the built-in updater continues to work for localized updates. It is higher if you use the archive or the manual app.asar route, because each upgrade means a fresh download, a version match against the supported range, and in the manual case another file replacement with no documented rollback. The supported range is documented as 0.15.3 through the current latest compatible release, which is a wide window, but the README does not state how long a given release stays compatible with newer upstream versions.

On licensing, no licence identifier is given and the repository has no licence file at the top level. Clash for Windows itself carries its own disclaimer, and this project states that its localized version is subject to clauses 1 through 6 of that disclaimer. That is a statement about scope, not a grant of rights. If you need to redistribute these binaries or bundle them into something else, nothing here tells you whether you may, and the absence of a licence file is the fact to act on: ask the maintainer before assuming anything.

The contribution model is worth noting for anyone planning to depend on this long term. The README invites pull requests to add maintenance work to the next release and to become a co-maintainer, and it links a "Need Help" issue label. That suggests the project is looking for hands rather than running on a fixed team. For a downstream user, the practical reading is that release cadence depends on volunteer availability, and the interval between the 2024-07-12 and 2025-05-23 releases is a data point about how that has gone in the past.

What to verify before you install

Check the release you intend to use against the supported version list, and confirm the file name matches the installer or archive pattern the README describes. Read the attached repository that the README says is linked from inside the client, since that link is inserted by the modification and is not part of upstream Clash for Windows. Decide in advance whether you are using the installer route or the archive route, because they have different upgrade behaviour and only the installer keeps the in-app updater working. If you use the manual app.asar replacement, copy the original file somewhere safe first, because the README documents no way back. Finally, note the project's own position: it states it provides no technical support, and it asks that upstream bug reports be filed only after restoring the original client.

The verification step that the documentation cannot help with is integrity. The README does not publish checksums, does not describe a build pipeline that a third party could reproduce, and does not state which upstream release each localized build was cut from beyond the version number in the file name. If your threat model includes supply-chain risk, that gap is the deciding factor, and it is not something a reader can close from the documentation alone.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt this only if you already run Clash for Windows on Windows and specifically need a Simplified Chinese interface, and if you accept that the binary you install is a modified, unofficial build. Do not adopt it if you need upstream support, a verifiable build, macOS or Linux, or a project that answers security questions about its own artifacts. Before installing, verify three things: that the release you pick matches the supported version range starting at 0.15.3, that the checksum of the downloaded file matches what the release page publishes, and that you can restore the original app.asar from your own copy of Clash for Windows if you want to go back. The README states the project provides no technical support, so the fallback path is the upstream release archive, not this repository.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. README
3. Releases
4. Z-Siqi/Clash-for-Windows_Chinese on GitHub