Google Chat

ApplicationGoogle LLC

Also called google chat desktop, hangouts chat, workspace chat

Google LLCProductivity

Google Workspace chat. Classic Hangouts is a different retired product. The desktop helper can show as chat.exe.

What you need to know

Google Chat is Workspace chat. It is not Slack and not classic Hangouts.

chat.google.com is the product. An optional desktop helper may show as chat.exe. Slack is slack.exe. Classic Hangouts is retired.

What is it?: Chat
Still current?: Yes, see Current status
Official download?: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If chat.exe is here, I treat it as Google Chat, not Slack and not classic Hangouts. The site at chat.google.com is enough for many people.

What is Google Chat?

Google Chat is Google's Workspace messaging. The site is the real product. chat.exe is an optional Windows helper or installed web app.

If you have never used it

If work said we use Google Chat, this is Workspace chat, not Slack and not classic Hangouts. You can use it at chat.google.com. A desktop helper is optional. Classic Hangouts is a retired product. Slack is a different vendor.

What is it used for?

Spaces and DMs in Workspace

Work chat next to Gmail and Meet. Slack channels are a different graph.

Meet links from a space

Video hops to Google Meet. That load is Meet, not Chat history.

Classic Hangouts leftovers

Old Hangouts threads are not this product. Google documents the Hangouts retirement separately.

Who is it for?

People on a Google Workspace tenant
Users who still say Hangouts when they mean Chat
Anyone comparing it with Slack by the logo

Current status

Google Chat (2017) is a current chat from Google LLC. The vendor still points Windows users at https://chat.google.com/.

How old is it?

Google Chat grew out of Hangouts Chat in 2017 and became the Workspace chat product. Classic Hangouts is retired. It is newer than Slack and not Gmail Chat from 2006 as a standalone story.

Versions

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

Current Windows build

System requirements

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

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

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
chat.exe	Main Windows executable

Startup components

An installed Chat web app can reopen at sign-in. You can use only the site and skip that.

File locations

Common Google Chat locations
Typical install	An optional installed web app or helper, plus the browser profile

File formats

files in spaces

Common problems

Admin disabled Chat in the tenant

The site will bounce. That is a Workspace admin choice, not a broken Windows install.

People open classic Hangouts bookmarks

Those URLs are stale. Chat is the current product.

Getting unstuck

Start at chat.google.com in a supported browser

A Google Chat exe from a download mill is junk. Google documents the web app.

Check you are in the work account, not a personal leftover Hangouts

support.google.com/chat names Chat. Hangouts help is the retired line.

Quit chat.exe if you only needed the site

The optional helper is not required to read a space.

Alternatives

Slack if the org already lives there. Google Meet for the video half. Classic Hangouts is not a supported fallback.

Official help and downloads

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

Official contacts
Download	chat.google.com/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	support.google.com/chat Vendor support
Official site	chat.google.com/ Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

The site follows the browser. The optional helper is light next to a Meet call.

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.

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

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