# Signal Application: Signal Messenger LLC Also called signal desktop, signal messenger Signal Messenger LLC, Productivity A messenger focused on end-to-end encrypted chats. On Windows the process is Signal.exe. ## What you need to know Signal is Signal.exe. It is not WhatsApp. Signal Desktop links to the phone app. WhatsApp Desktop is a different vendor. Telegram cloud chat is a third model. - **What is it?**: Chat **Still current?**: Yes, see Current status **Official download?**: Use the vendor link in this article Feex says If Signal.exe is here, I treat it as Signal Desktop. I do not unlink WhatsApp to fix it, and I do not expect Telegram-style cloud history without the phone link. ## What is Signal? Signal Desktop is an Electron-style Windows client that must link to Signal on a phone. The executable is Signal.exe. ## If you have never used it If someone said use Signal, this is the encrypted messenger, not WhatsApp. You still start from a phone number. The Windows app links to the phone. Download it from signal.org/download. The process is Signal.exe. WhatsApp is a different company and a different protocol. ## What is it used for? **End-to-end encrypted chats** That is the product focus Signal documents. WhatsApp is a different messenger with a different vendor. **Linked desktop window** The PC is a linked device. It is not a standalone cloud account like Telegram. **Disappearing messages** Optional timers Signal ships. They are not a Windows file-shredder. ## Who is it for? - People whose contacts already moved to Signal - Users who want the Signal protocol desktop client - Anyone who was told Signal when they still had only WhatsApp ## Current status Signal (2014) is a current chat from Signal Messenger LLC. The vendor still points Windows users at https://signal.org/download/. ## How old is it? Signal Messenger grew out of Open Whisper Systems work and launched the current brand in the mid-2010s (desktop widely used from 2014 onward). It is newer than WhatsApp and not a 2020s AI chat app. ## Versions Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here. Current Windows build ## System requirements Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need. ### Minimum | Operating system | A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor | | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | RAM | Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more. | ## 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. | Signal.exe | Main Windows executable | | ---------- | ----------------------- | ## Startup components Signal can start with Windows from its own setting so the linked session stays ready. ## File locations | Typical install | C:\Users\\\\AppData\Local\Programs\signal-desktop\\ | | --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ## File formats JPG, MP4, AAC ## Common problems ### Desktop refuses to start until the phone is linked Signal Desktop is a linked device. That is expected, not a broken Windows install. ### People reinstall WhatsApp to fix Signal Wrong product. Uninstalling WhatsApp does not relink Signal.exe. ## Getting unstuck ### Install from signal.org/download A Signal pro exe from a search ad is junk. ### Relink from the phone if the desktop session expired Signal support documents linking. Deleting AppData while running can drop the local store. ### Quit Signal.exe from the tray Closing the window can leave the Electron host in the tray. ## Alternatives WhatsApp if that is where the group already is. Telegram if you want cloud chats. Wire if you were pointed at a business-leaning encrypted messenger. ## Official help and downloads Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel. | Download | [signal.org/download/ ](https://signal.org/download/)Official installer or vendor page | | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Help | [support.signal.org/ ](https://support.signal.org/)Vendor support | | Official site | [signal.org/ ](https://signal.org/)Start here, not a random exe host | ## Related hardware A modest CPU is enough. Calls want a headset more than a gaming GPU. ## Technical details Technical details Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build. ## Related These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link. [WhatsApp: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/whatsapp)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager) ## Sources and verification Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research). - [Signal official site ](https://signal.org/)· Vendor product page - [Signal help ](https://support.signal.org/)· Vendor support - [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark. ## Was this article useful? A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note. Quick facts The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article. - **Developer**: Signal Messenger LLC **Category**: Chat **Process**: Signal.exe **License**: Free and open source **First released**: 2014 **Official site**: [signal.org](https://signal.org/) **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026 --- Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/signal/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)