# WhatsApp Application: WhatsApp LLC Also called whatsapp desktop, whatsapp windows WhatsApp LLC, Productivity A phone-number chat app with a Windows desktop client. The window may show as WhatsApp.exe. The host is often WhatsApp.Root.exe. ## What you need to know WhatsApp is phone-number chat. It is not SMS and not Signal. The Windows client hosts WhatsApp threads. PhoneExperienceHost.exe is Phone Link. Signal.exe is Signal. A web.whatsapp.com tab is still the browser. - **What is it?**: Chat **Still current?**: Yes, see Current status **Official download?**: Use the vendor link in this article Feex says If WhatsApp.Root is here, I treat it as WhatsApp Desktop. I do not uninstall Phone Link to remove WhatsApp, and I do not call it Signal. ## What is WhatsApp? WhatsApp is Meta's phone-number messenger. The Windows desktop app lives under WindowsApps. A browser tab on web.whatsapp.com is still the browser. ## If you have never used it If someone said message me on WhatsApp, this is the phone-number chat app, not SMS and not Signal. The Windows app is optional. web.whatsapp.com in a browser also works. Download the desktop client from whatsapp.com/download. Phone Link is a different Microsoft app. ## What is it used for? **Chats tied to your phone number** Threads live on the WhatsApp account. This is not the Windows Messages SMS app. **Voice and video calls** Calls in the desktop client. Signal and Telegram are other products with other encryption stories. **Desktop companion** The Windows app mirrors the phone account. It does not replace Phone Link notifications. ## Who is it for? - People whose contacts already live on WhatsApp - Users who want a desktop window instead of only the phone - Anyone who mixed it up with SMS, Signal, or Phone Link ## Current status WhatsApp (2009) is a current chat from WhatsApp LLC. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.whatsapp.com/download. ## How old is it? WhatsApp launched in 2009 as a phone-number messenger. Facebook acquired it in 2014. The Windows desktop client is newer than the phone app. It is not 1990s SMS and not 2014 Signal. ## 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. | WhatsApp.exe | Desktop window. The WindowsApps host is often WhatsApp.Root.exe | | ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | WhatsApp.Root.exe | Store/WindowsApps host | ## Startup components WhatsApp Desktop can start with Windows from its own setting. That is not the Phone Link startup toggle. ## File locations | Typical install | C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\5319275A.WhatsAppDesktop\_\*\\ | | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ## File formats JPG, MP4, OPUS ## Common problems ### People unlink Phone Link to stop WhatsApp Wrong app. Phone Link is Microsoft. This host is WhatsApp. ### web.whatsapp.com still open in Edge That is msedge.exe. Closing the website does not quit WhatsApp.Root.exe. ## Getting unstuck ### Install from whatsapp.com/download A WhatsApp desktop exe from a search ad is a common junk path. ### Pair from the phone QR flow WhatsApp shows That links the desktop session. It is not a Microsoft account pairing. ### Quit the tray icon, not only the window The root host can stay resident. Phone Link can stay running too. ## Alternatives Signal if you want that encryption product. Telegram if you want cloud chats. SMS in Phone Link is still not WhatsApp. ## Official help and downloads Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel. | Download | [www.whatsapp.com/download ](https://www.whatsapp.com/download)Official installer or vendor page | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Help | [faq.whatsapp.com/ ](https://faq.whatsapp.com/)Vendor support | | Official site | [www.whatsapp.com/ ](https://www.whatsapp.com/)Start here, not a random exe host | ## Related hardware A working headset matters for calls. RAM follows media cache more than a famous CPU name. ## 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.exe: Application Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/whatsapp.root.exe)[Signal: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/signal)[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). - [WhatsApp official site ](https://www.whatsapp.com/)· Vendor product page - [WhatsApp help ](https://faq.whatsapp.com/)· 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**: WhatsApp LLC **Category**: Chat **Process**: [WhatsApp.exe](https://feex.it/wiki/process/whatsapp.root.exe) **License**: Free to install **First released**: 2009 **Official site**: [whatsapp.com](https://www.whatsapp.com/) **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/whatsapp/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)