Signal

ApplicationSignal Messenger LLC

Also called signal desktop, signal messenger

Signal Messenger LLCProductivity

A messenger focused on end-to-end encrypted chats. On Windows the process is Signal.exe.

What you need to know

Signal is Signal.exe. It is not WhatsApp.

Signal Desktop links to the phone app. WhatsApp Desktop is a different vendor. Telegram cloud chat is a third model.

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

Feex says

If Signal.exe is here, I treat it as Signal Desktop. I do not unlink WhatsApp to fix it, and I do not expect Telegram-style cloud history without the phone link.

What is Signal?

Signal Desktop is an Electron-style Windows client that must link to Signal on a phone. The executable is Signal.exe.

If you have never used it

If someone said use Signal, this is the encrypted messenger, not WhatsApp. You still start from a phone number. The Windows app links to the phone. Download it from signal.org/download. The process is Signal.exe. WhatsApp is a different company and a different protocol.

What is it used for?

End-to-end encrypted chats

That is the product focus Signal documents. WhatsApp is a different messenger with a different vendor.

Linked desktop window

The PC is a linked device. It is not a standalone cloud account like Telegram.

Disappearing messages

Optional timers Signal ships. They are not a Windows file-shredder.

Who is it for?

People whose contacts already moved to Signal
Users who want the Signal protocol desktop client
Anyone who was told Signal when they still had only WhatsApp

Current status

Signal (2014) is a current chat from Signal Messenger LLC. The vendor still points Windows users at https://signal.org/download/.

How old is it?

Signal Messenger grew out of Open Whisper Systems work and launched the current brand in the mid-2010s (desktop widely used from 2014 onward). It is newer than WhatsApp and not a 2020s AI chat app.

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
Signal.exe	Main Windows executable

Startup components

Signal can start with Windows from its own setting so the linked session stays ready.

File locations

Common Signal locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Programs\signal-desktop\

File formats

JPGMP4AAC

Common problems

Desktop refuses to start until the phone is linked

Signal Desktop is a linked device. That is expected, not a broken Windows install.

People reinstall WhatsApp to fix Signal

Wrong product. Uninstalling WhatsApp does not relink Signal.exe.

Getting unstuck

Install from signal.org/download

A Signal pro exe from a search ad is junk.

Relink from the phone if the desktop session expired

Signal support documents linking. Deleting AppData while running can drop the local store.

Quit Signal.exe from the tray

Closing the window can leave the Electron host in the tray.

Alternatives

WhatsApp if that is where the group already is. Telegram if you want cloud chats. Wire if you were pointed at a business-leaning encrypted messenger.

Official help and downloads

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

Official contacts
Download	signal.org/download/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	support.signal.org/ Vendor support
Official site	signal.org/ Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

A modest CPU is enough. Calls want a headset more than a gaming GPU.

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.

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

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