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Download RetroBar 1.22.122
RetroBar is free and comes only from its GitHub repository, github.com/dremin/RetroBar/releases. The latest version is 1.22.122 (released August 2, 2026). Most people want RetroBar.Installer.zip. Pick your PC below and we will tell you exactly which file to download, and which build inside it to run. Then set it up: the installer takes a minute.
On this page 9 sections
Short answer
Which RetroBar file should I download?
RetroBar.Installer.zip for almost everyone. It holds RetroBarInstaller.exe, which installs the right build for your processor and Windows version and downloads the .NET runtime if you do not have it. No administrator rights are needed: it installs for your user only.
RetroBar.Portable.zip if you do not want to install anything. It contains five separate builds; run the one that matches your PC.
Pick your PC
What is in each download
We downloaded both files from the official 1.22.122 release and opened them. The installer zip holds a single file; the portable zip holds a 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 build for Windows 10 and 11, plus 32-bit and 64-bit builds for Windows 7 SP1 and 8.1 in a Win7-8 folder. Each build is a single RetroBar.exe with its themes and translations built in.
| File | SHA-256 | Signature |
|---|---|---|
RetroBar.Installer.zip12.4 MB · the zip you download | 6499a3b4411166c44a921546237033697a05cab61d69482a6339df1e9dd5849f | — |
RetroBarInstaller.exeInstaller: picks the right build for your PC · 12.9 MB · x86 (32-bit) | 47df7938fc84129d15987b07996e56c0ab786df99a899ba2feaf97a7598480f8 | Not signed |
RetroBar.Portable.zip16.8 MB · the zip you download | 6ab0d0972535e5efedc13c83403b52883edb06881d2d6aa18bf8af379bc7a128 | — |
32-bit/RetroBar.exeWindows 10/11, 32-bit · 8.5 MB · x86 (32-bit) · file version 1.22.122.53239 | b23e46f516ee7e07b7e4a97c03f532ac3ed7a6590c2fce6def88a20a6a700f11 | Not signed |
64-bit/RetroBar.exeWindows 10/11, 64-bit (x64) · 9.2 MB · x64 (64-bit) · file version 1.22.122.53239 | bf3fda3e31a1839482bd3ec355cd9fffebf27d3ce378a8c0f890670e24af7d1a | Not signed |
ARM64/RetroBar.exeWindows 10/11 on ARM · 10.3 MB · ARM64 · file version 1.22.122.53239 | c3845dc009a70625f3117594659a0ed9442586e1344320c64431810e9089598f | Not signed |
Win7-8/32-bit/RetroBar.exeWindows 7 SP1 / 8.1, 32-bit · 10.3 MB · x86 (32-bit) · file version 1.22.122.53239 | 63d21d792afeac9d3dc6fa6a17e43f35188c3e213ebb324e02361a9c9e16cb17 | Not signed |
Win7-8/64-bit/RetroBar.exeWindows 7 SP1 / 8.1, 64-bit · 11.1 MB · x64 (64-bit) · file version 1.22.122.53239 | ca63b6a3c6b467570abc07e4cb671c892a05c86b350c171f37207b838c37c713 | Not signed |
Hashes computed with src/scripts/release_files.py from the files GitHub serves for release v1.22.122, and matched against the winget manifest (which lists the same two zip hashes). None of the executables carries an Authenticode signature: that is why SmartScreen warns. Is that a problem?
Check that your download is genuine
Compare the SHA-256 of the file you downloaded with the table above. In PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\RetroBar.Installer.zip" -Algorithm SHA256Or in Command Prompt: certutil -hashfile "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\RetroBar.Installer.zip" SHA256. Windows prints the hash in capitals; the letters are the same. If it does not match, delete the file and download it again from GitHub.
winget, Scoop and Chocolatey
winget 1.22.122 · current
Windows' built-in package manager has RetroBar as dremin.RetroBar.
winget install --id dremin.RetroBar -eOn Intel/AMD PCs winget runs the official installer, but machine-wide (into %ProgramFiles%\RetroBar, with an administrator prompt). On ARM PCs it installs the portable ARM64 build instead. Its manifest also pulls in both .NET 6 and .NET 10 Desktop Runtimes. Update later with winget upgrade dremin.RetroBar. Manifest
Scoop 1.21.32 · out of date
scoop install extras/retrobar still installs 1.21.32. The manifest still points at the per-architecture portable zips of 1.21.32 (RetroBar.Portable.64-bit.zip and so on). Release 1.22.122 ships one RetroBar.Portable.zip instead, so the automatic update cannot find the new files. Manifest
Chocolatey no package
community.chocolatey.org's package feed returns no package with the id retrobar, and /packages/retrobar is a 404.
Checked 2026-10-30, by reading the package manifests directly.
The .NET runtime
RetroBar is a .NET desktop app. Since 1.22 the Windows 10 and 11 builds need the .NET 10 Desktop Runtime; the Windows 7 and 8.1 builds still use the .NET 6 Desktop Runtime. You need the Desktop Runtime for your processor, not the plain .NET Runtime or the SDK.
- With the installer: nothing to do. Before installing, it checks the registry for a .NET 10 (or, on Windows 7/8.1, .NET 6) Desktop Runtime and, if it finds none, downloads Microsoft's installer and runs it for you. Installing .NET is a system-wide change, so Windows may ask for administrator permission at that step. The “Ready to Install” page then lists “Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime” under dependencies.
- With the portable build: on first start Windows shows a message that the app needs .NET; its button opens Microsoft's download page. Or get it yourself from dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/10.0 (pick “.NET Desktop Runtime”, then x64, x86 or Arm64).
Which Windows does it run on?
| Windows | 64-bit (x64) | ARM64 | 32-bit | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 | Yes | Yes | — | .NET 10 |
| Windows 10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | .NET 10 |
| Windows 8.1 | Yes | — | Yes | .NET 6 |
| Windows 7 SP1 | Yes | — | Yes | .NET 6 |
| Windows 8 (not 8.1), Vista, XP | No. RetroBar's README lists Windows 7 SP1, 8.1, 10 and 11. | |||
| macOS, Linux | No. RetroBar replaces the Windows taskbar and only runs on Windows. | |||
Windows 11 has no 32-bit version, so the 32-bit build only matters on Windows 10 and older. Windows Server works too: we run RetroBar on Windows Server 2025 and 2022 in our tests.
Copies to avoid
Download sites such as Softpedia, TechSpot, FileHippo, Uptodown and MajorGeeks re-host RetroBar. Their copies can lag behind the official release, and FileHippo advertises its own “safe & fast downloader” in front of the file. Nothing you get there is better than the original, and the hashes above only match the official files. The only official source is the RetroBar GitHub page. Sites that call themselves “RetroBar” are fan sites, including this one.
Older versions
Every earlier release is still on GitHub. The releases page lists all 24, what each one added, and its files. You only need an older one to compare a bug or to run on a PC where .NET 10 cannot be installed. On Windows 7 and 8.1, use the Win7-8 builds of 1.22.122 instead.
Questions
Is RetroBar free?
Yes. It is open source under the Apache License 2.0, with no paid version, no ads and no account.
Is there a RetroBar for Mac or Linux?
No. RetroBar is built on Windows' own shell and app-bar interfaces (through the ManagedShell library), so it only runs on Windows.
Do I need administrator rights?
Not with the installer from GitHub: it installs for your user account only. With the portable build you need no installation at all. Installing with winget is different: its manifest uses a machine-wide install in Program Files, which asks for administrator rights.
Why does Windows say the download is unsafe?
RetroBar is not code-signed, so SmartScreen and some browsers treat it as an unknown publisher. See Is RetroBar safe? for what it does on your PC and our scan results.
Keep going
Found something out of date or wrong? Tell us at hello@retrobar.dev and we will fix it.