Official character DLC

Hatsune Miku DLC for Desktop Mate

Hatsune Miku was the first paid character DLC infiniteloop released for Desktop Mate, and she is still the entry point most people search for. This page covers what the official DLC actually is, which Miku-family versions exist, and how it differs from the community models listed elsewhere on this site.

Independent fan resource. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by infiniteloop Co., Ltd., Valve/Steam, or any character rights holder.

Desktop Mate character standing on a Windows desktop beside open windows.
Official Desktop Mate product screenshotSteam listing
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Steam App ID 3359730

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USD 14.99 list price

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Released 8 January 2025

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Official, not a community mod

Publisher-delivered

The DLC is sold and installed by Steam under the same publisher as the base app. There is no separate installer, patcher, or account to create.

Not the same as a Miku mod

Community character replacements that reference Miku are third-party files with their own authors and permissions. They are not this DLC and cannot unlock it.

Works with the free base app

Desktop Mate itself stays free. The DLC adds a character to an app you already have installed rather than replacing it.

What the Hatsune Miku DLC actually is

Desktop Mate is a free desktop-mascot application published by infiniteloop on Steam under App ID 3301060. The base app is free to install; the characters that appear on your desktop are sold separately as DLC. Hatsune Miku, listed on Steam as App ID 3359730, was the first of those paid characters and went on sale on 8 January 2025, one day after the base app launched.

The list price is USD 14.99. Steam discounts it periodically, and at the time of checking it was showing a 20% reduction to USD 11.99, so it is worth looking at the store page rather than assuming a fixed price.

Because it is Steam DLC, it behaves like any other Steam purchase: it is tied to the account that bought it, it installs and updates through the Steam client, and it appears in the character list inside Desktop Mate once the base app has been launched at least once. There is no key to redeem, no separate download, and no third-party site involved at any point.

Which Miku-family DLC exists

“Hatsune Miku DLC” is not a single product. infiniteloop has shipped several Miku variants, each sold separately, each with its own 3D model and motion set. Buying one does not include the others. At the time of checking, the Miku and Crypton-family DLC on the store included:

  • Hatsune Miku DLC — the original, App ID 3359730, USD 14.99.
  • Hatsune Miku MAGICAL MIRAI 2025 Ver. — the 2025 concert-themed model, USD 14.99.
  • Hatsune Miku MAGICAL MIRAI 2026 Ver. — App ID 4791020, a “Sonare of the Lake” themed model with its own motions and summer effects, USD 14.99.
  • SNOW MIKU 2026 Ver. and SNOW MIKU JR Tower Ver. — two separate winter models released together on 5 February 2026.
  • Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len, and Megurine Luka — other Crypton characters, USD 14.99 each.

The store listed roughly forty character DLC entries in total at the time of checking, so the Miku family is one branch of a much larger catalog. If a specific outfit or concert version matters to you, check the individual store page: the preview images are the only reliable way to tell the variants apart.

Desktop Mate character interacting with a real desktop window.
Official product screenshot: DLC characters use the same window-interaction behaviour as the base app.

Official DLC versus a community Miku model

This is the distinction that causes the most confusion, and it is worth being precise about, because the two things are not interchangeable.

Official DLC is made and supported by the publisher, delivered by Steam, updated with the app, and guaranteed to work with the current build. It costs money.

A community character model is a file made by a third party, usually distributed through Nexus Mods or a personal repository, loaded through a modding tool rather than the app's own character list. It is free, but it depends on a loader that the publisher does not support, it can stop working after any Desktop Mate update, and the underlying character is often someone else's intellectual property regardless of who packaged the file.

Several community models on this site reference Vocaloid characters — a Miku-costume import, a Miku-the-Hedgehog crossover, a Yowane Haku replacement. None of them are the official DLC, none of them unlock it, and installing one does not add the DLC's motions or behaviours. They are listed here as community projects with their sources visible, which is a different thing entirely.

How to buy and use it

  1. Install the free base app from the Desktop Mate Steam listing and confirm the developer reads infiniteloop and the App ID is 3301060.
  2. Launch the base app once before buying anything. If the unmodified app does not run on your machine, DLC will not fix that.
  3. Open the DLC section of the store page, or go directly to the DLC's own store page, and check the preview images for the exact version you want.
  4. Purchase through Steam. The DLC downloads automatically; there is nothing to install by hand.
  5. Restart Desktop Mate. The new character appears in the app's own character selection.

System requirements come from the base app rather than the DLC. On Windows that is Windows 10 version 21H1 or later, 64-bit, with 8 GB of RAM as the published minimum. On macOS it is Monterey 12 or later on Apple silicon — Intel Macs are not listed as supported, and no DLC changes that.

Showing Miku alongside another character

Owning several character DLCs does not, by default, put several characters on screen at once. infiniteloop opened a beta for that on 28 January 2026 called Multi-Character Mode (β), released alongside the Kagamine Rin and Len DLC. During the beta a maximum of two characters can be shown at the same time.

You opt in through the Steam client rather than through a mod. The full procedure, its limitations, and why the file-duplication trick circulating online is a bad idea are covered on the running two characters at once page.

Why no free unlocker is legitimate

Search results for this DLC attract a predictable set of scam pages: “Desktop Mate all DLC unlocked”, “free Miku DLC download”, repacked archives, and installers that ask you to disable Windows Security first. None of these are official, and there is no publisher-sanctioned route to the DLC other than buying it on Steam.

Beyond the obvious legal problem, the practical risk is the part people underestimate. A repacked Desktop Mate installation replaces files that Steam expects to control, which breaks updates, breaks the DLC you legitimately own, and leaves you running an executable of unknown provenance with desktop-level access. Any page that tells you to turn off your antivirus to complete an installation is telling you what its file does.

This site links only to the Steam listing for official content and to original author releases for community projects. It does not host, mirror, or link to unlock bundles.

Hatsune Miku DLC for Desktop Mate FAQ

How much is the Hatsune Miku DLC for Desktop Mate?

The list price is USD 14.99. Steam discounts it periodically, and it was showing a 20% reduction to USD 11.99 at the time of checking, so confirm the current price on the store page.

Is Desktop Mate itself free?

Yes. The base application is free to install from Steam under App ID 3301060. Character DLC is what costs money.

Do I need the base app before buying the DLC?

Yes. The DLC adds a character to Desktop Mate; it is not a standalone program and will not run on its own.

Does buying one Miku DLC include the MAGICAL MIRAI or SNOW MIKU versions?

No. Each variant is a separate purchase with its own 3D model and motions.

Can a community mod give me the official Miku DLC for free?

No. Community models are separate third-party files loaded through an unsupported modding tool. They do not contain or unlock publisher DLC.

Does the DLC work on an Intel Mac?

No. The base app lists Apple silicon on macOS Monterey 12 or later; Intel Macs are not listed as supported, and DLC does not change the base app's requirements.

Sources and verification

Checked against the sources above on 2026-09-01. Desktop Mate, its DLC line-up, and community tooling all change; recheck the originals before acting on anything time-sensitive here.

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