GitHub Desktop

ApplicationGitHub

Also called github desktop app, gh desktop

GitHubProductivity

GitHub's official Git GUI for Windows. The process is GitHubDesktop.exe. You can still use git.exe without this app.

What you need to know

GitHub Desktop is a GUI. git.exe still works without it.

GitHubDesktop.exe is GitHub's official Windows GUI. Git for Windows is git.exe plus Git Bash. Uninstalling Desktop does not remove Git. Installing Desktop does not replace git-scm.com.

What is it?: GitHub's official Git GUI
Do I need it for git?: No. git.exe works alone
Same as gh.exe?: No. That is GitHub CLI

Feex says

If GitHub Desktop will not push, I would check the GitHub sign-in inside this app. I would not uninstall Git for Windows first. The GUI is optional. git.exe is the engine.

What is GitHub Desktop?

GitHub Desktop is GitHub's GUI for cloning, committing, and opening pull requests. It talks to Git under the hood. It is not git.exe and not gh.exe.

If you have never used it

If someone said install GitHub Desktop, this is GitHub's click-to-clone window, not git.exe. Download it from desktop.github.com. You can already use Git for Windows without this GUI. Sourcetree and Fork are other Git windows. gh.exe is the GitHub CLI, not this Electron app.

What is it used for?

Clone and commit with a mouse

The history and diff window. git status in Git Bash is the same job without this GUI.

GitHub.com accounts

Sign-in and pull requests against GitHub. Bitbucket-first shops often pick Sourcetree instead.

Open in your editor

Desktop can hand a repo to VS Code or another editor. That editor is still a different process.

Who is it for?

People who want GitHub without living in a terminal
Students whose class installed this instead of Git Bash
Anyone who mixed it up with git.exe because both say Git

Current status

GitHub Desktop (2015) is a current git gui from GitHub. The vendor still points Windows users at https://desktop.github.com/.

How old is it?

GitHub shipped this Electron desktop app in 2015 after the older GitHub for Windows / C# client. It is newer than Git (2005) and older than GitHub CLI (2020). The current product is still named GitHub Desktop.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

GitHub Desktop

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per GitHub Desktop docs
RAM	Electron baseline plus the repo you open

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
GitHubDesktop.exe	GitHub Desktop window

Startup components

GitHub Desktop can reopen the last repo. That is session restore, not a Windows service named GitHub.

File locations

Common GitHub Desktop locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\GitHubDesktop\

File formats

GIT

Common problems

People think this is Git

where.exe git should still find Program Files\Git if you installed Git for Windows. Desktop is GitHubDesktop.exe.

Auth works here, CLI fails

Desktop stores GitHub credentials for its own Git calls. git push in a random terminal may still need Git Credential Manager.

Getting unstuck

Confirm you opened GitHub Desktop, not git-bash.exe

The window title and GitHubDesktop.exe path are this product. Program Files\Git is the VCS port.

Install from desktop.github.com

A GitHub Desktop pro listing is junk. GitHub hosts the real installer.

Use File > Options > Git to see which Git it calls

Desktop can use a bundled Git or a system Git. That setting does not install Sourcetree.

Alternatives

Git for Windows if you only need the command. GitHub CLI for pull requests in a terminal. Sourcetree if the remote is Bitbucket.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	desktop.github.com/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	docs.github.com/desktop Vendor support
Official site	desktop.github.com/ Start here, not a random exe host
GitHub Docs: Desktop	docs.github.com/en/desktop Clone, commit, and account help

Related hardware

The GUI is an Electron app. Large repos want RAM and an SSD. A GPU does not speed commits.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

GitHub Desktop official site · Vendor product page
GitHub Desktop help · Vendor support
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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