Slack

ApplicationSlack Technologies, LLC

Also called slack desktop, slack app

Slack Technologies, LLCProductivity

A workplace chat client. The Windows desktop app is slack.exe and uses Electron.

What you need to know

Slack is a chat client. Teams is a different vendor and a different exe.

Slack's Windows app is Electron. Extra slack.exe rows are helpers. The browser tab is an alternative if you do not want a resident tray.

What is it?: Workplace chat
Heavy?: Many workspaces can be
Same as Teams?: No

Feex says

If you only need Slack twice a week, I would use the site and skip the desktop tray. The process list is honest about how chat apps live now.

What is Slack?

Slack is the Slack desktop application from Slack Technologies, now part of Salesforce. It is not Discord and it is not Teams.

If you have never used it

If your job said "we use Slack", it is workplace chat in channels. You can use it in a browser. The Windows app is for notifications and huddles. Download it from slack.com/downloads/windows. You join a workspace with a work email. It is not Discord servers and not Microsoft Teams.

What is it used for?

Channels and DMs

The message list. This is why slack.exe stays resident during the workday.

Huddles

Light voice next to a channel. Heavier than text, lighter than a full Zoom meeting.

Workspace apps

Bots and shortcuts the admin enabled. Those are Slack apps, not Windows services.

Who is it for?

People whose company lives in Slack workspaces
Users who want notifications outside the browser
Anyone comparing RAM with Teams by product, not by "chat app" as a blob

Current status

Actively developed. This article is the Windows desktop client, not Slack Enterprise Grid admin.

How old is it?

Slack launched in 2013 out of a failed game studio. Salesforce acquired it in 2021. The desktop client is still Electron. It is not IRC, not HipChat, and not the 2010s Campfire product those teams left.

Versions

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

Desktop stable

System requirements

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

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
RAM	Slack asks for a current 64-bit Windows PC. Extra workspaces want more RAM
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per Slack

Resource profile

CPU demand: Huddles and video
RAM demand: Workspace count
Network demand: Always-on messaging

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
slack.exe	Electron main and helpers

Startup components

Slack can launch at logon into the tray. That is a Slack preference.

File locations

Common Slack locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\slack\

File formats

files you drop in channels

Common problems

Cache growth

Slack documents a cache reset. Do not delete AppData while the app is running.

Two chat clients

Slack plus Teams is an org problem. Ending one exe does not migrate the other workspace.

Getting unstuck

Reset the cache from Slack help, not a folder delete while running

Slack documents a cache reset. Killing AppData mid-sync corrupts the local index.

Use the website if you only need it twice a week

slack.com in a browser skips the tray. The workspace is the same.

Install from slack.com/downloads/windows

A "Slack desktop" MSI from a search ad is the wrong file.

Alternatives

Teams, Discord, and the Slack website overlap. Choose them for the org graph, not a filename risk percent.

Official help and downloads

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

Official contacts
Download	slack.com/downloads/windows Official Windows client
Help Center	slack.com/help Workspace, notifications, and desktop issues
System requirements	slack.com/help/articles/115002037526 What Slack lists for Windows
Status	slack-status.com/ When Slack itself is down
Account / workspace	slack.com/signin Join or switch workspaces

Related hardware

RAM is the usual limit. A GPU helps huddle video, not the message list.

Technical details

Per-version file hashes and volume-license paths are not verified in this preview.

Sources and verification

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

Slack: desktop app · Official client
Slack Help: system requirements · Windows client
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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