diff --git a/packages/api/core/src/api/start.ts b/packages/api/core/src/api/start.ts
index 491bb06ad4..31357787f3 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/src/api/start.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/src/api/start.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import rebuild from '../util/rebuild';
 import resolveDir from '../util/resolve-dir';
 import getForgeConfig from '../util/forge-config';
 import { runHook } from '../util/hook';
-import { getElectronVersion } from '../util/electron-version';
+import { getElectronModulePath, getElectronVersion } from '../util/electron-version';
 
 export { StartOptions };
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ export default async ({
 
     if (!electronExecPath) {
       // eslint-disable-next-line import/no-dynamic-require, global-require
-      electronExecPath = require(path.resolve(dir, 'node_modules/electron'));
+      electronExecPath = require((await getElectronModulePath(dir, packageJSON)) || path.resolve(dir, 'node_modules/electron'));
     }
 
     const spawnOpts = {
diff --git a/packages/api/core/src/util/electron-version.ts b/packages/api/core/src/util/electron-version.ts
index d933e88091..46202ee1f0 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/src/util/electron-version.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/src/util/electron-version.ts
@@ -46,23 +46,55 @@ export class PackageNotFoundError extends Error {
   }
 }
 
-export async function getElectronVersion(dir: string, packageJSON: any): Promise<string> {
+function getElectronModuleName(packageJSON: any): string {
   if (!packageJSON.devDependencies) {
     throw new Error('package.json for app does not have any devDependencies'.red);
   }
+
   const packageName = electronPackageNames.find((pkg) => packageJSON.devDependencies[pkg]);
   if (packageName === undefined) {
     throw new Error('Could not find any Electron packages in devDependencies');
   }
 
+  return packageName;
+}
+
+async function getElectronPackageJSONPath(
+  dir: string,
+  packageName: string,
+): Promise<string | undefined> {
+  const nodeModulesPath = await determineNodeModulesPath(dir);
+  if (!nodeModulesPath) {
+    throw new PackageNotFoundError(packageName, dir);
+  }
+  const electronPackageJSONPath = path.join(nodeModulesPath, packageName, 'package.json');
+  if (await fs.pathExists(electronPackageJSONPath)) {
+    return electronPackageJSONPath;
+  }
+
+  return undefined;
+}
+
+export async function getElectronModulePath(
+  dir: string,
+  packageJSON: any,
+): Promise<string | undefined> {
+  const moduleName = await getElectronModuleName(packageJSON);
+  const packageJSONPath = await getElectronPackageJSONPath(dir, moduleName);
+  if (packageJSONPath) {
+    return path.dirname(packageJSONPath);
+  }
+
+  return undefined;
+}
+
+export async function getElectronVersion(dir: string, packageJSON: any): Promise<string> {
+  const packageName = getElectronModuleName(packageJSON);
+
   let version = packageJSON.devDependencies[packageName];
   if (!semver.valid(version)) { // It's not an exact version, find it in the actual module
-    const nodeModulesPath = await determineNodeModulesPath(dir);
-    if (!nodeModulesPath) {
-      throw new PackageNotFoundError(packageName, dir);
-    }
-    const electronPackageJSONPath = path.join(nodeModulesPath, packageName, 'package.json');
-    if (await fs.pathExists(electronPackageJSONPath)) {
+    const electronPackageJSONPath = await getElectronPackageJSONPath(dir, packageName);
+    if (electronPackageJSONPath) {
       const electronPackageJSON = await fs.readJson(electronPackageJSONPath);
       // eslint-disable-next-line prefer-destructuring
       version = electronPackageJSON.version;
diff --git a/packages/api/core/test/fast/electron-version_spec.ts b/packages/api/core/test/fast/electron-version_spec.ts
index b667840a2f..138abde897 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/test/fast/electron-version_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/test/fast/electron-version_spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { expect } from 'chai';
+import fs from 'fs-extra';
+import os from 'os';
 import path from 'path';
-import { getElectronVersion, updateElectronDependency } from '../../src/util/electron-version';
+import { getElectronModulePath, getElectronVersion, updateElectronDependency } from '../../src/util/electron-version';
 import { devDeps, exactDevDeps } from '../../src/api/init-scripts/init-npm';
 import { hasYarn } from '../../src/util/yarn-or-npm';
 
@@ -86,3 +88,42 @@ describe('getElectronVersion', () => {
     }
   });
 });
+
+describe('getElectronModulePath', () => {
+  let tempDir: string;
+  before(async () => {
+    tempDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'electron-forge-test-'));
+  });
+
+  it('fails without devDependencies', () => expect(getElectronModulePath('', {})).to.eventually.be.rejectedWith('does not have any devDependencies'));
+
+  it('fails without electron devDependencies', () => expect(getElectronModulePath('', { devDependencies: {} })).to.eventually.be.rejectedWith('Electron packages in devDependencies'));
+
+  it('fails with no electron installed', async () => {
+    const fixtureDir = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', 'fixture', 'dummy_app');
+    await fs.copy(fixtureDir, tempDir);
+    return expect(getElectronModulePath(tempDir, { devDependencies: { electron: '^4.0.2' } })).to.eventually.be.rejectedWith('Cannot find the package');
+  });
+
+  it('works with electron', () => {
+    const fixtureDir = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', 'fixture', 'non-exact');
+    return expect(getElectronModulePath(fixtureDir, { devDependencies: { electron: '^4.0.2' } })).to.eventually.equal(path.join(fixtureDir, 'node_modules', 'electron'));
+  });
+
+  it('works with yarn workspaces', async () => {
+    const workspaceDir = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', 'fixture', 'yarn-workspace');
+    const fixtureDir = path.join(workspaceDir, 'packages', 'subpackage');
+    const packageJSON = {
+      devDependencies: { electron: '^4.0.4' },
+    };
+    if (hasYarn()) {
+      expect(await getElectronModulePath(fixtureDir, packageJSON)).to.be.equal(path.join(workspaceDir, 'node_modules', 'electron'));
+    } else {
+      expect(getElectronModulePath(fixtureDir, packageJSON)).to.eventually.be.rejectedWith('Cannot find the package');
+    }
+  });
+
+  after(async () => {
+    await fs.remove(tempDir);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/api/core/test/fast/start_spec.ts b/packages/api/core/test/fast/start_spec.ts
index 52044a389a..89c4050089 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/test/fast/start_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/test/fast/start_spec.ts
@@ -19,15 +19,20 @@ describe('start', () => {
     spawnStub = sinon.stub();
     shouldOverride = false;
     packageJSON = require('../fixture/dummy_app/package.json');
+    const electronPath = path.resolve(__dirname, 'node_modules/electron');
 
     start = proxyquire.noCallThru().load('../../src/api/start', {
+      '../util/electron-version': {
+        getElectronModulePath: () => Promise.resolve(electronPath),
+        getElectronVersion: () => Promise.resolve('1.0.0'),
+      },
       '../util/forge-config': async () => ({
         pluginInterface: {
           overrideStartLogic: async () => shouldOverride,
           triggerHook: async () => false,
         },
       }),
-      [path.resolve(__dirname, 'node_modules/electron')]: 'fake_electron_path',
+      [electronPath]: 'fake_electron_path',
       '../util/resolve-dir': async (dir: string) => resolveStub(dir),
       '../util/read-package-json': {
         readMutatedPackageJson: () => Promise.resolve(packageJSON),