Winamp

ApplicationWinamp SA

Also called winamp player, nullsoft winamp

Winamp SASystem

The classic player that returned under new ownership after the 2013 shutdown scare. The process is winamp.exe. It is not foobar2000.

What you need to know

Winamp is the classic brand that came back. foobar2000 is a different local player.

winamp.exe is the historic player under new ownership after the 2013 scare. It is not Peter Pawlowski’s foobar2000 and not a streaming locker.

What is it?: The classic player under new ownership
Did it shut down?: The 2013 scare was real. The brand returned
Same as foobar2000?: No. Different culture and owners

Feex says

If someone wants the real Winamp, I would take the current winamp.com build. I would not install foobar2000 and call it close enough, and I would not run a 2006 installer from a CD.

What is Winamp?

Winamp is the classic Windows player brand. winamp.exe plays local files and streams the current owner still documents.

If you have never used it

If you want the classic Winamp window, skins, and the old playlist energy, this is that player under current ownership. Download it from winamp.com, not from a 2004 Nullsoft mirror someone emailed you. It is not foobar2000. foobar never shipped the milkdrop-and-skin culture as the brand. Winamp shut down scare in 2013, then came back under new owners. Treat random winamp.exe hosts as bait.

What is it used for?

Classic local playback

Play MP3s in the historic UI. foobar2000 is a different culture. Spotify is a catalog.

Skins and visualization

Classic and modern skins are the brand. MusicBee Theatre is a different full-screen, not this skin engine.

Legacy plug-ins

Old DSP and input plug-ins still come up. They are not foobar components and not a codec pack you need for VLC.

Who is it for?

People who still want the Winamp window
Users restoring a 2000s skin collection
Anyone who should ignore “Winamp plus codec” bundles

Current status

Winamp (1997) is a current local music player from Winamp SA. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.winamp.com/.

How old is it?

Nullsoft shipped Winamp in 1997. AOL owned it. The 2013 shutdown scare is the famous scare. Later owners (including the Winamp SA era) brought the desktop player back. A 1999 “Winamp 2 skin” memory is this brand. A 2020s mobile-only rumor is incomplete. The site still posts a desktop download.

Versions

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

Current desktop

Classic 5.x era

Winamp 2 skins

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 for the desktop build the site posts
RAM	Light for playback. Visualizations raise it

Resource profile

CPU demand: Visualizations and DSP
Disk demand: Your files plus skins

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
winamp.exe	Main Windows executable

Startup components

Winamp Agent can start with Windows from older installs. Turn it off in preferences if you do not want a tray resident.

File locations

Common Winamp locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\Winamp\

File formats

MP3WAVother formats current Winamp still lists

Common problems

Ancient installer

A 2000s winamp.exe can be malware-wrapped. Use the current winamp.com download.

Plug-in crash

Disable third-party plug-ins as a test. That is Winamp, not a dying sound card by itself.

Getting unstuck

Download only from winamp.com

Help.winamp.com and the player site are the vendor path. Search ads still wrap the name.

Reset the skin if the window is gone

A broken classic skin can hide controls. Default skin first.

Treat 2013 shutdown stories as history

The brand returned. If the current site’s desktop link is what you used, you are on the living product.

Alternatives

foobar2000 or MusicBee for modern local libraries. AIMP for skins without the Winamp brand. Spotify if you do not have files.

Official help and downloads

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

Official contacts
Download	www.winamp.com/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	help.winamp.com/ Vendor support
Official site	www.winamp.com/ Start here, not a random exe host
Desktop help	support.winamp.com/winamp-desktop-player-for-windows Windows player notes

Related hardware

A working sound device. Visualizations can load a GPU if you turn them up.

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.

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

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