Download PhotoCraft for Windows: Install Guide

PhotoCraft for Windows comes as a code-signed MSI installer or a portable zip, each for x64, ARM64 and 32-bit x86. Most people should pick the x64 MSI. Every file in the table above links straight to the official GitHub release. PhotoCraft is early alpha software, so expect rough edges.

Which file should I download?

You have	Pick
A normal 64-bit Intel or AMD PC	photocraft-<ver>-windows-x64.msi
A Snapdragon or other ARM PC	photocraft-<ver>-windows-arm64.msi
32-bit Windows	photocraft-<ver>-windows-x86.msi
No admin rights, a USB stick, or you want to try it without installing	the matching -portable.zip

MSI or portable? The MSI does a per-machine install into Program Files, adds a Start Menu shortcut, makes PhotoCraft the default app for .pcraft files, adds it to "Open with" for PSD, PSB and image files (without taking over your defaults), and registers photocraft for the Win+R Run box. The portable zip changes nothing on the system: it ships a portable.txt file that tells PhotoCraft to keep its settings, presets and recovery autosaves in a PhotoCraftData folder next to photocraft.exe instead of %APPDATA%\Photocraft.

System requirements. The release builds target Windows 10 and later. Both formats link the C runtime statically, so you don't need the Visual C++ redistributable. PhotoCraft draws its canvas on the GPU through wgpu, using Vulkan or DirectX 12, and falls back to a CPU renderer (WARP) when the GPU path fails.

Not sure which architecture you have? Open Settings › System › About and look at "System type".

Install with the MSI

1. Download the .msi for your architecture from the table above.
2. Optionally verify it (see below).
3. Double-click the MSI. The installer has no setup wizard: it shows a progress bar and installs to Program Files\PhotoCraft (Program Files (x86)\PhotoCraft for the 32-bit build on 64-bit Windows). You can't pick a different folder.
4. Start PhotoCraft from the Start Menu, or press Win+R and type photocraft.

The README says the installers and executables are code-signed. If Windows SmartScreen still warns about a new download, open the file's Properties › Digital Signatures tab and check that it has a valid signature before you run it. An unsigned "PhotoCraft" installer did not come from the official release.

Administrators can install silently with the standard MSI switch:

msiexec /i photocraft-0.5.0-windows-x64.msi /qn

Use the portable zip

1. Download the -portable.zip and extract the whole folder somewhere you can write to (your user folder or a USB stick, not Program Files).
2. Run photocraft.exe.

Keep portable.txt next to the exe to stay in portable mode. If the PhotoCraftData folder can't be written (a read-only drive, for example), PhotoCraft warns you and uses %APPDATA%\Photocraft instead. Delete portable.txt if you want the normal per-user settings folder.

Verify the download (SHA256)

Each release has a SHA256SUMS.txt file with one checksum per asset. Download it into the same folder as your installer, then compute the hash in PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\photocraft-0.5.0-windows-x64.msi -Algorithm SHA256

or in Command Prompt:

certutil -hashfile photocraft-0.5.0-windows-x64.msi SHA256

The result must match the line for that file in SHA256SUMS.txt (case doesn't matter). To have PowerShell compare them for you:

$file = "photocraft-0.5.0-windows-x64.msi"
$expected = (Select-String -Path .\SHA256SUMS.txt -SimpleMatch $file).Line.Split(' ')[0]
(Get-FileHash $file -Algorithm SHA256).Hash -eq $expected

True means the file is intact. Replace 0.5.0 and the architecture with the file you downloaded.

The command-line tool (photocraft-cli)

There is no separate Windows CLI download. Both the MSI and the portable zip include photocraft-cli.exe next to photocraft.exe. The MSI does not add it to PATH, so call it by its full path or add the folder to PATH yourself:

& "C:\Program Files\PhotoCraft\photocraft-cli.exe" --version
& "C:\Program Files\PhotoCraft\photocraft-cli.exe" batch --help

photocraft --version, photocraft-cli --version and Help › About PhotoCraft all report the version, commit and build date.

Updating

• MSI: download the newer MSI and run it. It upgrades the existing install in place. Installing an older MSI over a newer one is refused.
• Portable: extract the new zip and copy your old PhotoCraftData folder into it to keep your settings.

PhotoCraft has no built-in update check as of v0.5.0 (it is planned in #220). Watch the releases page or the GitHub releases.

winget: PhotoCraft is not in the official winget repository yet. The request is #1233 (open), and community package submissions to microsoft/winget-pkgs such as #448577 were still unmerged on 9 October 2026, so winget install does not find PhotoCraft today.

Uninstalling

• MSI: Settings › Apps › Installed apps › PhotoCraft › Uninstall, or msiexec /x photocraft-0.5.0-windows-x64.msi.
• Portable: delete the folder.

Your preferences live in %APPDATA%\Photocraft (MSI installs) or PhotoCraftData (portable). Delete that folder too if you want a clean slate.

Known issues on Windows

Crash at start-up on Intel graphics (Vulkan) — #4, open. Some Intel GPUs crash inside the Intel Vulkan driver (igvk64.dll). Since v0.3.0, PhotoCraft writes a marker before it creates the GPU device. If a launch dies in the driver, the next launch automatically steps down Vulkan › DX12 › CPU and remembers what worked. Intel adapters now default to DX12. If it still won't start, force a backend for one launch:

$env:WGPU_BACKEND = "dx12"
& "C:\Program Files\PhotoCraft\photocraft.exe"

or start with the CPU renderer:

& "C:\Program Files\PhotoCraft\photocraft.exe" --safe-gpu

You can review or reset the saved choice in Preferences › Performance › GPU Backend (Reset GPU Backend). Help › System Info shows the adapter, backend and driver in use, which is what maintainers ask for in bug reports.

Crash opening a PSD on DX12 caused by a foreign dxcompiler.dll — #712, closed. Fixed in v0.5.0: PhotoCraft no longer loads a dxcompiler.dll it finds on PATH. Update if you are on an older build.

Pen pressure works on Windows. It is macOS and Linux that lack it (#79).

For more problems and fixes, see Troubleshooting.

Download only from GitHub

photocraft.im is an unofficial community guide. Every download link on this site goes to the official storytold/photocraft GitHub releases. The project also points newcomers to the PhotoCraft page on getartcraft.com. Avoid repackaged installers from other places. For example, awpde/photocraft-zh publishes a Chinese MSI that is built from the development branch, not from a release, and its own notes say it is not code-signed. You don't need it: the official build already includes a Simplified Chinese interface (see Language settings).