Sourcetree

ApplicationAtlassian

Also called source tree, atlassian sourcetree

AtlassianProductivity

Atlassian's Git and Mercurial GUI. The process is SourceTree.exe. It can talk to Bitbucket. It is not GitHub Desktop.

What you need to know

Sourcetree is Atlassian's Git GUI, not GitHub Desktop.

SourceTree.exe is Atlassian's client and is a natural fit for Bitbucket. GitHub Desktop is GitHubDesktop.exe. Fork is a paid Git GUI. git.exe is the engine.

What is it?: Atlassian Git GUI
Same as GitHub Desktop?: No. Different vendor
Bitbucket friendly?: Yes. That is a common reason to pick it

Feex says

If Sourcetree will not fetch, I would check the Bitbucket or Git login inside this app. I would not uninstall GitHub Desktop to fix a Sourcetree bookmark. Different GUIs, different saved remotes.

What is Sourcetree?

Sourcetree is Atlassian's desktop Git client. It is not GitHub Desktop, not Fork, and not git.exe.

If you have never used it

If your remote is Bitbucket, Sourcetree is Atlassian's Git GUI. Download it from sourcetreeapp.com. SourceTree.exe can also open GitHub remotes. GitHub Desktop is GitHub's GUI and is not this exe. You still need a Git engine.

What is it used for?

Visual Git history

Graph and staging. GitHub Desktop has a simpler GitHub-first window.

Bitbucket accounts

Atlassian login. GitHub Desktop signs into GitHub, not Bitbucket as its first story.

Embedded or system Git

Sourcetree can ship or call Git. Fork and GitHub Desktop each have their own Git setup.

Who is it for?

Teams on Bitbucket
People who want a free Atlassian Git GUI
Anyone who installed GitHub Desktop and could not log into Bitbucket cleanly

Current status

Sourcetree (2013) is a current git gui from Atlassian. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/.

How old is it?

Atlassian shipped Sourcetree in 2013. It is older than GitHub CLI and in the same era as GitHub Desktop. Current Windows builds still update. A 1.x Mercurial-only memory is incomplete. Git is the usual workflow now.

Versions

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

Sourcetree for Windows

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 Atlassian
RAM	The GUI is modest. Large histories want more RAM

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
SourceTree.exe	Sourcetree window

Startup components

Sourcetree can reopen the last repo. That is not a Windows service named SourceTree.

File locations

Common Sourcetree locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\SourceTree\

File formats

GIT

Common problems

Embedded Git versus system Git fights

Sourcetree options pick which Git. GitHub Desktop has a separate Git setting.

Atlassian account prompts

Some features want an Atlassian login. That is not a GitHub.com password.

Getting unstuck

Install from sourcetreeapp.com

Atlassian hosts the installer. A Sourcetree pack on a freeware site is junk.

Tools > Options > Git

See embedded versus system Git. That screen is not GitHub Desktop's Options.

Confirm SourceTree.exe, not GitHubDesktop.exe

Atlassian under AppData\Local\SourceTree is this product.

Alternatives

GitHub Desktop if the remote is GitHub-first. Fork if you want a paid rebase-focused GUI. git.exe if you do not want a GUI.

Official help and downloads

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

Official contacts
Download	www.sourcetreeapp.com/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	confluence.atlassian.com/sourcetree Vendor support
Official site	www.sourcetreeapp.com/ Start here, not a random exe host
Atlassian Support: Sourcetree	support.atlassian.com/sourcetree/ Account and Git help

Related hardware

The GUI is modest. Huge repos want RAM and an SSD.

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.

Sourcetree official site · Vendor product page
Sourcetree help · Vendor support
Sourcetree documentation · Official Atlassian docs
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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