Clash for Windows End of Life: How to Migrate to Clash Verge Rev and Clash Plus

Current Status: Clash for Windows Is No Longer Maintained

In November 2023, the author of Clash for Windows (CFW) deleted the GitHub repository and every release page, putting the project in permanent end-of-life status with the last public version frozen at 0.20.39. Around the same time, the closed-source Clash Premium core bundled with CFW and the upstream open-source Clash core were both archived, freezing the entire technology stack with no further official updates to come.

End of life doesn't mean it stops working overnight. An already-installed 0.20.39 build will still launch and still import subscriptions, but three problems keep getting worse over time. First, the core no longer receives security fixes, leaving your proxy process running on increasingly outdated code. Second, newer protocols added to mihomo (formerly Clash Meta) — Hysteria2, TUIC v5, VLESS Reality, and others — simply don't exist in the old core, so nodes using them either disappear from the list or fail to parse outright. Third, as Windows and macOS keep shipping system updates, there will be no compatibility patches to keep up.

Comparing Alternatives: Verge Rev, Clash Plus, FlClash

The mainstream replacements today are all built on the mihomo core (formerly Clash Meta, maintained by a community team, open-source and free), whose protocol support and rule syntax are a superset of Clash Premium — your existing subscription links work without any changes. The main differences between these clients come down to the GUI, platform coverage, and how configs are managed:

Clash Verge Rev is the community-maintained continuation of the now-discontinued Clash Verge. Subscription management, the system proxy toggle, and TUN mode are all in nearly the same places as in CFW — CFW's Mixin feature maps directly to Verge Rev's "Global Merge Config" — making it the easiest, lowest-friction pick for Windows desktop users moving on from CFW.

Clash Plus covers iOS, Android, and desktop, making it a good fit if you want to keep the same subscriptions and routing rules in sync between your phone and computer. The iOS version installs directly from the App Store, and desktop and mobile share the same configuration approach.

FlClash is built with Flutter, giving it one consistent UI across four platforms — Android and desktop feel identical to use, and the config directory structure is straightforward. It's a good fit if you use multiple devices but don't want to learn two different clients.

For a detailed side-by-side comparison, see the client comparison page; installers for every platform are on the downloads page.

Before You Migrate: Back Up Configs and Uninstall CFW Properly

Before migrating, do two things: back up your entire CFW config directory, and separately save your subscription links. CFW's config directory is located at:

Windows: C:\Users\<username>\.config\clash
macOS:    ~/.config/clash

The profiles subdirectory inside stores a cached YAML file for each subscription, and the same directory holds the settings file tracking ports and toggle states — just copy the whole directory to back it up. It's also worth saving your subscription URLs separately: open the "Profiles" page in CFW, where each subscription card shows its original URL, and copy each one into a notes app or password manager.

You'll also want to jot down four settings: the Mixed Port (default 7890), the External Controller address (default 127.0.0.1:9090), whether "Allow LAN" is enabled, and your system proxy bypass list. Restoring these exact same values in your new client means you won't have to touch anything on other devices on your LAN or browser extensions that point to port 7890.

Importing Subscriptions: Field Differences in the mihomo Core

Add a new subscription in your new client, paste in the URL, and run an update — once the node list shows up, you're most of the way through the migration. In Clash Verge Rev, that's Subscriptions → New → paste link → Save, then click Update; Clash Plus and FlClash use the same menu names. Subscription links are issued by your provider, so switching clients never requires contacting them for a new link.

The YAML your provider sends is parsed by the client's core, and mihomo behaves differently from CFW's Premium core on a handful of fields:

• mixed-port, port, socks-port: Behave identically on both cores — keep the default of 7890 and there's no need to change proxy settings on any of your other devices.
• rule-providers / proxy-providers: mihomo supports a more complete spec with stricter format checks. A small number of subscriptions using outdated syntax will get flagged as malformed — running a subscription update usually pulls a fixed version from the provider.
• script section: Premium's script.shortcuts feature doesn't exist in mihomo. Subscriptions relying on it need to switch to rule-set syntax instead, though this is rare these days.
• tun section: CFW treats TUN as a standalone toggle, while mihomo uses a dedicated tun config block with fields like enable, stack, and auto-route.
• New protocols: hysteria2, tuic, and vless + reality nodes only parse correctly on mihomo — this is one of the direct benefits of migrating.

mixed-port: 7890
allow-lan: false
external-controller: 127.0.0.1:9090
tun:
  enable: true
  stack: mixed
  auto-route: true
  auto-detect-interface: true

CFW's Mixin (YAML merge) maps to the Merge handling inside Verge Rev's "Global Merge Config": if you used Mixin to pin a port or override DNS settings, just paste the same YAML block into the Merge config — the syntax is identical. See the config field reference for field-by-field details.

Adjusting Your Workflow: System Proxy, TUN Mode, and LAN Sharing

System Proxy Toggle

Verge Rev's system proxy toggle is available both on the main window and in the tray menu, and works the same way as CFW: enabling it points the system's HTTP/HTTPS proxy at 127.0.0.1:7890. Browsers and most desktop apps pick this up instantly, with no system restart needed.

TUN Mode and the Service Component

CFW's single TUN toggle is split into two steps in Verge Rev: first install the service mode from the settings page (Windows will prompt once for admin permission), then the TUN toggle becomes usable. TUN mode creates a virtual network adapter at the system network stack level, so command-line tools and game clients that ignore the system proxy get routed through it too — the end result matches how TUN worked under CFW.

LAN Sharing and UWP Restrictions

LAN sharing corresponds to the allow-lan toggle: once enabled, a phone on the same Wi-Fi network can set the proxy server to your computer's LAN IP on port 7890 and share its connection. Windows Store (UWP) apps are subject to the system loopback restriction and can't reach the local proxy by default — this needs a separate fix, covered on the FAQ page. Precise definitions for terms like Mixed Port, TUN, and External Controller are collected on the glossary page — worth checking if you run into a setting you don't recognize during migration.

Post-Migration Checklist

1. Subscription update succeeds, the node list is complete, and latency tests return values.
2. With the system proxy on, an IP-lookup site in your browser shows your traffic exiting through the new address.
3. Under TUN mode, running curl and similar commands from the command line also routes through the proxy.
4. Port 7890 doesn't conflict with any other app, and devices on your LAN can share the proxy without issues.
5. Keep the CFW backup directory around for at least one subscription cycle before deleting it, once you're confident the new client is stable.

Once all five checks pass, CFW can officially be retired. Future core and client updates will all revolve around the mihomo ecosystem, so your subscriptions, rules, and port habits won't need to change again. For a step-by-step walkthrough of installation and first-time setup, see the setup guide.