Twitch

ApplicationTwitch Interactive

Also called twitch.tv, twitch desktop

Twitch InteractiveGames

Amazon-owned live streaming. The website is the current Windows path. The old Twitch.exe desktop app was deprecated in 2022. It is not Discord.

What you need to know

Twitch lives on the website. The desktop app is retired.

twitch.tv is the current client. Twitch.exe was deprecated in 2022. Third-party hosts of that exe are unsafe. Discord is chat, not this live site.

What is it?: Amazon-owned live site. Use twitch.tv
Desktop app?: Deprecated in 2022. Do not download Twitch.exe
Same as Discord?: No. Discord is chat

Feex says

If a shortcut still says Twitch.exe, I would open twitch.tv instead. I would not download that exe from a blog, and I would not call Discord the same product.

What is Twitch?

Twitch is Amazon’s live streaming site. The living client is the website. Twitch.exe is a retired desktop wrapper.

If you have never used it

If you watch streams, the current Windows path is twitch.tv in a browser, or a PWA you install from that site. The old Twitch desktop app (Twitch.exe) was deprecated on 30 April 2022. Do not download a Twitch.exe from a third-party host. It is not Discord. Discord is chat. Twitch is the Amazon-owned live site.

What is it used for?

Watch in a browser

twitch.tv is the supported player. Discord can embed a stream in a voice channel. That is still Discord, not this site.

Optional PWA

Edge or Chrome can install twitch.tv as an app. That is not the 2017 desktop exe.

Create in OBS, not in Twitch.exe

Broadcast tools are OBS or other encoders. The retired desktop app is not a current encoder path.

Who is it for?

People who watch or chat on twitch.tv
Users who still have a leftover Twitch.exe shortcut
Anyone who should not download a third-party Twitch desktop setup

Current status

The Twitch site is current. The Windows Twitch.exe desktop app was deprecated on 30 April 2022. This article exists so leftover processes and old shortcuts are not treated as a supported installer.

How old is it?

Twitch grew from Justin.tv and launched as Twitch.tv in 2011. A desktop app existed, then Twitch deprecated it in 2022 and pointed people back to the site. A 2018 “download the Twitch app” guide is stale. Discord is a different 2015 chat product.

Versions

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

Website (current)

Desktop app (deprecated 2022)

System requirements

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

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	Any current Windows 10 or Windows 11 release with a supported browser
RAM	The site follows the browser. 4 GB class machines play a stream

Resource profile

Network demand: The whole product
GPU demand: Browser hardware decode

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
Twitch.exe	Legacy desktop app. Deprecated 30 April 2022

Startup components

A leftover Twitch desktop install may still start with Windows. Remove it. The website does not need a Startup row.

File locations

Common Twitch locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Twitch\

File formats

live streams in the browser

Common problems

Old desktop shortcut

The official app is gone. Use the site. A download blog offering Twitch.exe is bait.

People open Discord to “fix Twitch”

Wrong product. Stream playback issues are twitch.tv or the browser, not Discord.exe.

Getting unstuck

Open twitch.tv and sign in there

That is the supported Windows path after 2022. Help.twitch.tv covers account and playback.

Install a PWA from the site if you want a window

Edge or Chrome > Install app. Do not hunt a 2017 installer.

Uninstall leftover Twitch desktop if it still exists

Settings > Apps. A leftover Twitch.exe does not get official updates.

Alternatives

The Twitch website or a browser PWA. YouTube or another live site if that is the stream. Discord only for chat about the stream.

Official help and downloads

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

Official contacts
Download	www.twitch.tv/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	help.twitch.tv/ Vendor support
Official site	www.twitch.tv/ Start here, not a random exe host
Help	help.twitch.tv/ Account, stream, and site issues

Related hardware

A working network and a browser. Hardware acceleration is a browser setting. The retired exe is not worth repairing.

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: Legacy Information. How we research.

Twitch official site · Vendor product page
Twitch help · Vendor support
Twitch desktop app deprecated · Official post updated: desktop app deprecated 30 April 2022
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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