📝 UserVoice Submission re Proton Mail Desktop app for Mac
Title:
Proton Mail Desktop App: Contacts Side Panel Toggle is too inconspicuous & difficult to use
Description:
Hello Proton Team,
I'm writing to report a significant usability issue in the Mac Proton Mail desktop app (version 1.13.3) where the Contacts side panel is effectively invisible to most users.
The Problem
In the desktop app, there is no visible icon or button to access contacts. Apparently the only way to reveal the side panel is via a small, arrow at the bottom-right corner of the interface—essentially hidden in plain sight.
Compare this to the web version (mail.proton.me), which displays a prominent right-side toolbar with clearly labeled icons for Contacts, Calendar, etc.—immediately discoverable.
Why This Matters
Usability Principle
Violation
Visibility
Core functionality (contacts) should be immediately visible
Affordance
No visual cue indicates what the tiny arrow does
Platform Parity
Desktop app lags significantly behind web UI consistency
Discoverability
Without external help/tutorials, ~80% of users would never find this
Accessibility
Cognitive load increased unnecessarily—hiding essential features defeats productivity purpose
What I Had To Do
I spent considerable time searching for contacts functionality:
• Checked View menu - at a minimum there should be an entry for “Contacts” in this menu.
• Scanned all corners/interfaces
• Tested keyboard shortcuts (Cmd-Shift-C didn’t work)
• Compared behavior across platform versions
Only then did I locate the hidden toggle—a frustrating experience for anything that should be routine.
Suggested Improvements
Priority Level: High (Core Feature Discovery)

✓ Add visible Contacts icon to right-hand toolbar (match web app layout)
✓ Label the sidebar toggle clearly if kept minimal
✓ Provide tooltip/hint on first launch explaining how to show panels
✓ Ensure feature parity between web and desktop app interfaces
ADD Contacts entry to “View” menu.

Impact Statement
This affects daily workflow:
• Composing emails → Cannot quickly select recipients
• Managing events → Cannot reference contacts while scheduling
• General productivity → Creates unnecessary friction vs. competitors
For a product marketed as privacy-focused AND productivity-enhancing, hiding fundamental navigation controls undermines both value propositions.

Device info:
• macOS version: 26.5.2
• Proton Mail Desktop app: v1.13.3
Thank you for listening—and for continuing to build tools that respect user privacy. I'd love to see this resolved in an upcoming update.
Best regards,
A frustrated but hopeful user 😅