diff --git a/frontend/src/app/app.component.ts b/frontend/src/app/app.component.ts
index 00c23b9e..d914c927 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/app.component.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/app.component.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ export class AppComponent implements OnInit {
 
   modifyHeader(event) {
     if (event instanceof NavigationEnd) {
-      if (event.url?.startsWith('/auth')) {
+      if (event.url?.startsWith('/auth') || event.url?.startsWith('/desktop')) {
         this.showHeader = false;
       } else {
         // console.log("NU")
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/desktop-callback/desktop-callback.component.html b/frontend/src/app/pages/desktop-callback/desktop-callback.component.html
index 2b98cb57..b6e49612 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/desktop-callback/desktop-callback.component.html
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/desktop-callback/desktop-callback.component.html
@@ -1 +1,5 @@
-<p>desktop-callback works!</p>
+<div class="row">
+  <div class="col-12">
+    <app-loading-spinner [loadingTitle]="'Please wait, completing connection...'"></app-loading-spinner>
+  </div>
+</div>
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/desktop-callback/desktop-callback.component.ts b/frontend/src/app/pages/desktop-callback/desktop-callback.component.ts
index 76501e12..91967ca1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/desktop-callback/desktop-callback.component.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/desktop-callback/desktop-callback.component.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
+import {ActivatedRoute} from '@angular/router';
 
 @Component({
   selector: 'app-desktop-callback',
@@ -8,14 +9,14 @@ import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
 export class DesktopCallbackComponent implements OnInit {
 
   //This component is used to redirect the user to the desktop app after they have authenticated with a source
-  constructor() { }
+  constructor(private activatedRoute : ActivatedRoute) { }
 
   ngOnInit(): void {
-    wails.Event.Emit({
-      name: "wails:fasten-lighthouse:success",
-      data:
-
-    )
+    this.activatedRoute.queryParams.subscribe(values => {
+      wails.Events.Emit({
+        name: "wails:fasten-lighthouse:response",
+        data: values,
+      })
+    })
   }
-
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/medical-sources/medical-sources.component.ts b/frontend/src/app/pages/medical-sources/medical-sources.component.ts
index a9534f90..f5850894 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/medical-sources/medical-sources.component.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/medical-sources/medical-sources.component.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import {LighthouseSourceMetadata} from '../../models/lighthouse/lighthouse-sourc
 import {Source} from '../../models/fasten/source';
 import {MetadataSource} from '../../models/fasten/metadata-source';
 import {NgbModal} from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap';
-import {ActivatedRoute} from '@angular/router';
+import {ActivatedRoute, Router, UrlSerializer} from '@angular/router';
 import {environment} from '../../../environments/environment';
 import {BehaviorSubject, forkJoin, Observable, of, Subject} from 'rxjs';
 import {
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import {debounceTime, distinctUntilChanged, pairwise, startWith} from 'rxjs/oper
 import {MedicalSourcesFilter, MedicalSourcesFilterService} from '../../services/medical-sources-filter.service';
 import {FormControl, FormGroup} from '@angular/forms';
 import * as _ from 'lodash';
-// If you dont import this angular will import the wrong "Location"
+import {Location} from '@angular/common';
 
 export const sourceConnectWindowTimeout = 24*5000 //wait 2 minutes (5 * 24 = 120)
 
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@ export class MedicalSourcesComponent implements OnInit {
     private activatedRoute: ActivatedRoute,
     private filterService: MedicalSourcesFilterService,
     private modalService: NgbModal,
+    private router: Router,
+    private urlSerializer: UrlSerializer,
+    private location: Location,
   ) {
     this.filterService.filterChanges.subscribe((filterInfo) => {
 
@@ -284,8 +287,31 @@ export class MedicalSourcesComponent implements OnInit {
         let authorizationUrl = await this.lighthouseApi.generateSourceAuthorizeUrl(sourceType, sourceMetadata)
 
         console.log('authorize url:', authorizationUrl.toString());
-        // redirect to lighthouse with uri's
-        this.lighthouseApi.redirectWithOriginAndDestination(authorizationUrl.toString(), sourceType, sourceMetadata.redirect_uri)
+        // redirect to lighthouse with uri's (or open a new window in desktop mode)
+        this.lighthouseApi.redirectWithOriginAndDestination(authorizationUrl.toString(), sourceType, sourceMetadata.redirect_uri).subscribe((codeData) => {
+          //Note: this code will only run in Desktop mode (with popups)
+          //in non-desktop environments, the user is redirected in the same window, and this code is never executed.
+
+          //always close the modal
+          this.modalService.dismissAll()
+
+          if(!codeData){
+            //if we redirected completely, no callback data will be present.
+            return
+          }
+
+          //User was shown a popup, which was closed, and data was returned using events
+          //redirect to callback page with code
+
+          let urlTree = this.router.createUrlTree(
+            ['/sources/callback/' + sourceType],
+            { queryParams: codeData, }
+          );
+
+          let absUrl = this.location.prepareExternalUrl(this.urlSerializer.serialize(urlTree))
+          console.log(absUrl);
+          window.location.replace(absUrl)
+        })
       });
   }
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/services/lighthouse.service.ts b/frontend/src/app/services/lighthouse.service.ts
index d4c90a72..3565a546 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/services/lighthouse.service.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/services/lighthouse.service.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import {Inject, Injectable} from '@angular/core';
 import {HttpClient} from '@angular/common/http';
-import {Observable, of, throwError, fromEvent } from 'rxjs';
+import {Observable, of, throwError, bindCallback} from 'rxjs';
 import {environment} from '../../environments/environment';
 import {concatMap, delay, retryWhen, timeout, first, map, filter, catchError, tap} from 'rxjs/operators';
 import {ResponseWrapper} from '../models/response-wrapper';
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ export class LighthouseService {
    * dest_url -  https://patient360la.anthem.com/.../connect/authorize?redirect_uri=https://lighthouse.fastenhealth.com/callback/anthem
    * redirect_url - lighthouse.fastenhealth.com/sandbox/redirect/anthem?origin_url=...&dest_url=...
    */
-  redirectWithOriginAndDestination(destUrl: string, sourceType: string, callbackUri: string): void {
+  redirectWithOriginAndDestination(destUrl: string, sourceType: string, callbackUri: string): Observable<any> {
     const originUrlParts = new URL(window.location.href)
 
     if(environment.environment_desktop){
@@ -171,23 +171,15 @@ export class LighthouseService {
     if(environment.environment_desktop && environment.popup_source_auth){
       //@ts-ignore
 
-      OpenExternalLink(redirectUrlParts.toString(), environment.environment_desktop)
-      // let openedWindow = window.runtime.BrowserOpenURL(redirectUrlParts.toString());
+      OpenExternalLink(redirectUrlParts.toString(), environment.environment_desktop, sourceType)
 
-      wails.Event.Once("wails:fasten-lighthouse:success", (code: string) => {
-        console.log("GOT CODE FROM DESKTOP", code)
-
-      })
-
-      this.waitForDesktopCodeOrTimeout(null, sourceType).subscribe(async (codeData) => {
-        //TODO: redirect to the callback url with the code.
-        console.log("DONE WAITING FOR CODE")
-      })
+      return this.waitForDesktopCodeOrTimeout(sourceType)
 
       //now wait for response from the opened window
     } else {
       //redirect to the url in the same window
       window.location.href = redirectUrlParts.toString();
+      return of(null) //should never happen
     }
 
   }
@@ -260,26 +252,32 @@ export class LighthouseService {
     return parts.join(separator);
   }
 
-  private waitForDesktopCodeOrTimeout(openedWindow: Window, sourceType: string): Observable<any> {
-    console.log(`waiting for postMessage notification from ${sourceType} window`)
+  private waitForDesktopCodeOrTimeout(sourceType: string): Observable<any> {
+    console.log(`waiting for wails Event notification from window`)
+
+    if(typeof wails == "undefined"){
+      return throwError("wails is not defined, this is likely because you're running in a browser.")
+    }
+
+    let fromWailsEvent = bindCallback(wails.Events.Once)
 
     //new code to listen to post message
-    return fromEvent(window, 'message')
+    return fromWailsEvent('wails:fasten-lighthouse:response')
       .pipe(
         //throw an error if we wait more than 2 minutes (this will close the window)
         timeout(sourceConnectDesktopTimeout),
         //make sure we're only listening to events from the "opened" window.
-        filter((event: MessageEvent) => event.source == openedWindow),
+        filter((eventPayload: any ) => eventPayload.sender == sourceType),
         //after filtering, we should only have one event to handle.
         first(),
         map((event) => {
-          console.log(`received postMessage notification from ${sourceType} window & sending acknowledgment`, event)
+          console.log(`received wails event notification from ${sourceType} window & sending acknowledgment`, event)
           // @ts-ignore
-          event.source.postMessage(JSON.stringify({close:true}), event.origin);
+          return event.data
         }),
         catchError((err) => {
           console.warn(`timed out waiting for notification from ${sourceType} (${sourceConnectDesktopTimeout/1000}s), closing window`)
-          openedWindow.self.close()
+          wails.Application.GetWindowByName(sourceType).Window.Close()
           return throwError(err)
         })
   )
diff --git a/frontend/src/environments/environment.desktop_prod.ts b/frontend/src/environments/environment.desktop_prod.ts
index 2c27c05e..3a16b67c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/environments/environment.desktop_prod.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/environments/environment.desktop_prod.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ export const environment = {
   environment_cloud: false,
   environment_desktop: true,
   environment_name: "desktop_prod",
-  popup_source_auth: false,
+  popup_source_auth: true,
 
   lighthouse_api_endpoint_base: 'https://lighthouse.fastenhealth.com/v1',
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/utils/external_link.ts b/frontend/src/lib/utils/external_link.ts
index f1a23198..168ac708 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/utils/external_link.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/utils/external_link.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-export function OpenExternalLink(url: string, desktopMode: boolean){
+export function OpenExternalLink(url: string, desktopMode: boolean, windowId?: string){
   //check if url starts with https, and if not, prepend it (external links are never relative)
   if(!url.startsWith("https://") && !url.startsWith("http://")){
     url = "https://" + url;
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ export function OpenExternalLink(url: string, desktopMode: boolean){
 
   //check if wails exists and is defined
   if(typeof wails !== "undefined" && desktopMode){
-    wails.CallByName("pkg.AppService.BrowserOpenURL", url)
+    wails.CallByName("pkg.AppService.BrowserOpenURL", url, windowId || 'external')
   } else{
     window.open(url, "_blank");
   }
diff --git a/frontend/src/polyfills.ts b/frontend/src/polyfills.ts
index 054eaa50..28528659 100644
--- a/frontend/src/polyfills.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/polyfills.ts
@@ -66,7 +66,10 @@ declare global {
   // let wails: any
 
   let wails: {
-    Event: {
+    Application: {
+      GetWindowByName: (sourceType: string) => any
+    }
+    Events: {
       Emit: (event: any) => void
       Once: (eventName, callback) => void
       On: (eventName, callback) => void