Git

ApplicationGit for Windows

Also called git for windows, git-scm, git bash

Git for WindowsProductivity

Distributed version control. Git for Windows ships git.exe plus Git Bash. It is not the GitHub Desktop GUI.

What you need to know

Git is git.exe. GitHub Desktop is a different product.

Git for Windows is the official Windows port of Git. The installer puts git.exe under Program Files\Git and includes Git Bash. GitHub Desktop is GitHubDesktop.exe. You can use git without that GUI.

What is it?: Distributed version control
Is it GitHub Desktop?: No. That is a GUI
Git Bash?: Yes. It ships with Git for Windows

Feex says

If a guide said install Git, I would send you to git-scm.com/download/win. I would not tell you GitHub Desktop is required. The two products can live together.

What is Git?

Git is the distributed VCS. Git for Windows packages git.exe, Git Bash, and related MinGW tools. It is not GitHub and not GitHub Desktop.

If you have never used it

If a class said install Git, this is the command-line tool. Download it from git-scm.com/download/win. After setup you get git.exe and usually Git Bash. GitHub Desktop is a separate GUI from GitHub. You can clone and commit with git.exe alone.

What is it used for?

Clone, commit, and branch

git.exe talks to any Git remote. GitHub is one host, not the VCS itself.

Git Bash

A MinGW shell that ships with Git for Windows. Windows Terminal is a different host you can point at git-bash.exe.

Credential helpers

Git Credential Manager often installs beside git.exe. That helper is not GitHub Desktop.

Who is it for?

Anyone whose README assumes the git command
People who thought GitHub Desktop was Git
Users who need Git Bash on Windows

Current status

Git (2005) is a current version control from Git for Windows. The vendor still points Windows users at https://git-scm.com/download/win.

How old is it?

Linus Torvalds released Git in 2005. Git for Windows is the maintained native port. It is older than GitHub Desktop (2015) and older than gh.exe. The FAQ lists Windows 8.1 as the floor for current packages.

Versions

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

Git for Windows 64-bit

Portable

ARM64

System requirements

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

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	Git for Windows FAQ: recent commercially released x64 Windows, starting with Windows 8.1
RAM	The client is light. Huge repos want disk and RAM for status

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
git.exe	Git command for that install
git-bash.exe	Git Bash launcher that ships with Git for Windows

Startup components

Git does not need a tray. A helper or a GUI you installed separately can start with Windows.

File locations

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

File formats

GITPATCH

Common problems

People install GitHub Desktop and think Git is missing

GitHub Desktop can call Git. The official CLI is still git-scm.com. where.exe git should point at Program Files\Git if you installed Git for Windows.

Line endings and credential prompts

core.autocrlf and Git Credential Manager are Git for Windows setup questions. They are not Sourcetree settings.

Getting unstuck

where.exe git

Program Files\Git is Git for Windows. A git.exe only under GitHub Desktop means you never installed the official port, or PATH lost it.

git update-git-for-windows

That command updates this port. It does not update GitHub Desktop.

Download only from git-scm.com/download/win

gitforwindows.org points at the same project. A random git.exe on a download portal is not the port.

Alternatives

GitHub Desktop, Sourcetree, and Fork wrap Git in a window. You still need a Git engine. This article is that engine.

Official help and downloads

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

Official contacts
Download	git-scm.com/download/win Official installer or vendor page
Help	git-scm.com/doc Vendor support
Official site	git-scm.com/ Start here, not a random exe host
Git for Windows FAQ	gitforwindows.org/faq Supported Windows versions

Related hardware

Any current Windows PC can run git.exe. Huge monorepos want 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.

Git official site · Vendor product page
Git help · Vendor support
Git for Windows FAQ · What the Windows port currently supports
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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