diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
index 4eb9b3c..9a24c4f 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/main.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,23 @@ const __dirnameSafe = path.dirname(__filenameSafe);
 const DEV_URL = 'http://localhost:1420';
 const WINDOW_STATE_FILE = 'window-state.json';
 
+// App branding. productName in package.json drives the packaged exe name
+// (Netralax.exe) and electron-builder installer title. setName + the
+// AppUserModelId below cover the live process: window title fallback,
+// Windows taskbar grouping, notification source attribution.
+app.setName('Netralax');
+if (process.platform === 'win32') {
+  app.setAppUserModelId('cloud.netralax.desktop');
+}
+
+// Pin userData to %APPDATA%\ChatApp regardless of productName so existing
+// installs keep their profile, sounds, secrets, SQLite. Electron's default
+// is %APPDATA%\<productName>, which after the Netralax rename would point
+// at an empty fresh dir — same painful migration as the Tauri → Electron
+// cut. Anchored to `appData` (the platform-AppData root) so productName
+// changes can't drag it.
+app.setPath('userData', path.join(app.getPath('appData'), 'ChatApp'));
+
 // Run dev side-by-side with the installed packaged build by isolating the
 // renderer profile / secret-store / SQLite / IndexedDB / localStorage in
 // a separate userData dir. Without this both share `%APPDATA%\ChatApp`,
@@ -74,7 +91,7 @@ async function createWindow(): Promise<BrowserWindow> {
   const state = await loadState(WINDOW_STATE_FILE);
 
   const win = new BrowserWindow({
-    title: app.isPackaged ? 'ChatApp' : 'ChatApp (Dev)',
+    title: app.isPackaged ? 'Netralax' : 'Netralax (Dev)',
     width: state.width,
     height: state.height,
     ...(state.x !== undefined ? { x: state.x } : {}),
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/modules/tray.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/modules/tray.ts
index 476165e..27beb58 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/modules/tray.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/modules/tray.ts
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ function buildOverlay(): NativeImage {
 export function register(mainWindow: BrowserWindow): void {
   const icon = loadTrayIcon();
   trayRef = new Tray(icon.isEmpty() ? nativeImage.createEmpty() : icon);
-  trayRef.setToolTip('ChatApp');
+  trayRef.setToolTip('Netralax');
 
   const menu = Menu.buildFromTemplate([
     {
@@ -83,20 +83,31 @@ export function register(mainWindow: BrowserWindow): void {
     else mainWindow.show();
   });
 
-  ipcMain.handle(CHANNELS.TRAY_UNREAD, async (_evt, count: number): Promise<void> => {
-    const n = Math.max(0, Math.floor(Number(count) || 0));
-    if (trayRef && !trayRef.isDestroyed()) {
-      trayRef.setToolTip(n > 0 ? `ChatApp — ${n} unread` : 'ChatApp');
-    }
-    if (mainWindow.isDestroyed()) return;
-    if (process.platform === 'win32') {
-      if (n > 0) {
-        mainWindow.setOverlayIcon(buildOverlay(), `${n} unread`);
-      } else {
-        mainWindow.setOverlayIcon(null, '');
+  ipcMain.handle(
+    CHANNELS.TRAY_UNREAD,
+    async (_evt, count: number, badgeDataUrl?: string | null): Promise<void> => {
+      const n = Math.max(0, Math.floor(Number(count) || 0));
+      if (trayRef && !trayRef.isDestroyed()) {
+        trayRef.setToolTip(n > 0 ? `Netralax — ${n} ungelesen` : 'Netralax');
       }
-    }
-  });
+      if (mainWindow.isDestroyed()) return;
+      if (process.platform !== 'win32') return;
+      if (n <= 0) {
+        mainWindow.setOverlayIcon(null, '');
+        return;
+      }
+      // Discord-style: prefer the renderer-painted badge (red circle with
+      // the actual unread number). Fall back to the static red dot only if
+      // the renderer didn't supply one or decoding failed — keeps the
+      // visual indicator alive even when the canvas pipeline is unavailable.
+      let overlay: NativeImage | null = null;
+      if (typeof badgeDataUrl === 'string' && badgeDataUrl.startsWith('data:image/')) {
+        const decoded = nativeImage.createFromDataURL(badgeDataUrl);
+        if (!decoded.isEmpty()) overlay = decoded;
+      }
+      mainWindow.setOverlayIcon(overlay ?? buildOverlay(), `${n} ungelesen`);
+    },
+  );
 
   app.on('before-quit', () => {
     try {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/preload-types.d.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/preload-types.d.ts
index 94edadd..6af34cd 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/preload-types.d.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/preload-types.d.ts
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ export interface ElectronAPI {
   notify: (args: NotifyArgs) => Promise<void>;
   getNotificationPermission: () => Promise<'granted' | 'denied' | 'default'>;
 
-  setTrayUnread: (count: number) => Promise<void>;
+  setTrayUnread: (count: number, badgeDataUrl?: string | null) => Promise<void>;
 
   secureStoreOpen: (args: SecureStoreOpenArgs) => Promise<SecureStoreHandle>;
   secureStoreGet: (handle: string, key: string) => Promise<string | null>;
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/preload.ts b/apps/desktop/electron/preload.ts
index 1d17a94..17ed4b6 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/preload.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/preload.ts
@@ -94,7 +94,12 @@ const api = {
     ipcRenderer.invoke(CHANNELS.NOTIFY_PERMISSION),
 
   // Tray -------------------------------------------------------------------
-  setTrayUnread: (count: number): Promise<void> => ipcRenderer.invoke(CHANNELS.TRAY_UNREAD, count),
+  // `badgeDataUrl` (optional): renderer-painted PNG (data:image/png;base64)
+  // that main applies as the Windows taskbar overlay icon. We render in the
+  // renderer because main has no Canvas2D; passing a finished image avoids
+  // bundling a native canvas backend just for a 32×32 badge.
+  setTrayUnread: (count: number, badgeDataUrl?: string | null): Promise<void> =>
+    ipcRenderer.invoke(CHANNELS.TRAY_UNREAD, count, badgeDataUrl ?? null),
 
   // Secure store -----------------------------------------------------------
   secureStoreOpen: (args: SecureStoreOpenArgs): Promise<SecureStoreHandle> =>
diff --git a/apps/desktop/package.json b/apps/desktop/package.json
index 5d1e9f0..d21ac23 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/package.json
+++ b/apps/desktop/package.json
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
   },
   "build": {
     "appId": "com.meinname.chatapp",
-    "productName": "ChatApp",
+    "productName": "Netralax",
     "directories": {
       "output": "release",
       "buildResources": "resources"
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/lib/trayBadge.ts b/apps/desktop/src/lib/trayBadge.ts
index 04ef031..7f06888 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/lib/trayBadge.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/lib/trayBadge.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,63 @@
 import { isTauriRuntime } from './globalShortcut';
 
 // Pushes the current aggregate unread count to main, which updates the
-// Tray tooltip and (on Windows) the taskbar overlay icon. No-op
-// outside the Electron runtime (e.g. browser dev preview) so no guards
-// needed at call-sites.
+// Tray tooltip and (on Windows) the taskbar overlay icon. We render the
+// badge here in the renderer because main has no Canvas2D — painting a
+// red bubble with the count, encoding to PNG, and handing the buffer
+// to main keeps the implementation free of a native canvas dependency.
+//
+// No-op outside the Electron runtime (e.g. browser dev preview) so no
+// guards needed at call-sites.
 export async function updateTrayUnread(count: number): Promise<void> {
   if (!isTauriRuntime()) return;
+  const n = Math.max(0, Math.floor(count));
+  const badgeDataUrl = n > 0 ? renderBadgePng(n) : null;
   try {
-    await window.electronAPI.setTrayUnread(Math.max(0, Math.floor(count)));
+    await window.electronAPI.setTrayUnread(n, badgeDataUrl);
   } catch (err: unknown) {
     console.warn('updateTrayUnread failed', err);
   }
 }
+
+// Discord-style red bubble with white count.
+//
+// Source is rendered at 64×64 so Windows' high-quality downsample to the
+// 16×16 taskbar overlay slot retains crisp edges (4× supersampling).
+// Earlier 32×32 + 2px white ring blurred badly: the ring became a half
+// pixel at the target size, and the bigger font fell into AA mush. Now
+// no outer ring (Discord doesn't use one either) and a full-bleed circle.
+function renderBadgePng(count: number): string | null {
+  if (typeof document === 'undefined') return null;
+  const size = 64;
+  const canvas = document.createElement('canvas');
+  canvas.width = size;
+  canvas.height = size;
+  const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
+  if (!ctx) return null;
+  ctx.imageSmoothingEnabled = true;
+  ctx.imageSmoothingQuality = 'high';
+
+  // Solid red bubble, full bleed.
+  const center = size / 2;
+  ctx.beginPath();
+  ctx.arc(center, center, center, 0, Math.PI * 2);
+  ctx.fillStyle = '#ef4444';
+  ctx.fill();
+
+  // Count label — Discord parity: cap at 99 with a "+" once we cross it.
+  // Sizes are tuned per glyph count so each variant fills the bubble
+  // without clipping when Windows downsamples to 16×16.
+  const label = count > 99 ? '99+' : String(count);
+  const fontPx = label.length >= 3 ? 30 : label.length === 2 ? 40 : 48;
+  ctx.fillStyle = '#fff';
+  // Segoe UI is the Windows system font; explicit weight 800 keeps the
+  // glyph chunky after downsampling. Fallbacks cover macOS/Linux.
+  ctx.font = `800 ${fontPx}px "Segoe UI", system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif`;
+  ctx.textAlign = 'center';
+  ctx.textBaseline = 'middle';
+  // +2 vertical nudge: most system fonts render numerals visually high
+  // relative to the baseline mid-point; the offset re-centres them.
+  ctx.fillText(label, center, center + 2);
+
+  return canvas.toDataURL('image/png');
+}
diff --git a/scripts/release.mjs b/scripts/release.mjs
index 02343ac..1cdc46a 100644
--- a/scripts/release.mjs
+++ b/scripts/release.mjs
@@ -89,7 +89,12 @@ execSync('pnpm --filter @chat-app/desktop run build:win', {
 // --- Locate artifacts -----------------------------------------------------
 
 const releaseDir = join(ROOT, 'apps/desktop/release');
-const exeName = `ChatApp Setup ${versionArg}.exe`;
+// productName lives in the electron-builder block of the desktop package.
+// Read it back from disk (post-bump) so installer filenames stay in sync
+// after a rebrand (e.g. ChatApp → Netralax) without manual script edits.
+const pkgJson = JSON.parse(readFileSync(pkgJsonPath, 'utf8'));
+const productName = pkgJson?.build?.productName ?? 'ChatApp';
+const exeName = `${productName} Setup ${versionArg}.exe`;
 const blockmapName = `${exeName}.blockmap`;
 const latestYml = 'latest.yml';