1Which file to take
Every file is listed on the download page, and older versions stay on the Releases page. Usually you want -setup.exe on Windows and arm64.zip on a Mac.
| Platform | File | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10/11 (x64) Recommended | pictkura_<version>_x64-setup.exe | No administrator rights needed. Installs for your user only (%LOCALAPPDATA%\pictkura). Pick Japanese or English at the start |
| Windows, machine-wide (for administrators) | pictkura_<version>_x64_<lang>.msi | For installing per-machine. Asks for administrator rights. Japanese and English installers are separate files |
| Windows, no installer | pictkura_<version>_x64-portable.zip | Unzip and run pictkura.exe |
| macOS 11+ (Apple Silicon) | pictkura_<version>_arm64.zip | Unzip and move pictkura.app wherever you like. Read section 3 before the first launch |
There is no Intel (x86_64) build, and no Linux build. Windows also needs the WebView2 runtime, which is already present on Windows 11 and on up-to-date Windows 10; where it is missing, the installer fetches it.
2Installing on Windows
pictkura is not code-signed on Windows — a signing certificate costs money. Nothing is broken, but you will see the warnings below; just proceed and the app works normally. SmartScreen can appear for each version you download.
2.1 Installing -setup.exe (recommended)
You only get SmartScreen: "Windows protected your PC" → More info → Run anyway. There is no UAC prompt, because it installs into your own user profile rather than the whole machine.
Two exceptions, both where it does something machine-wide on your behalf:
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| An older MSI install is present | -setup.exe removes it before installing, and that one step does prompt for UAC. It will not prompt on later installs |
| WebView2 is missing | The installer fetches and installs it. WebView2 is machine-wide, so that prompts for UAC too |
Take care on a shared PC. The MSI is installed for everyone, so switching removes pictkura for the other users — -setup.exe installs only for you. Each person should run -setup.exe themselves.
Also, if another user had launched pictkura at least once, their AutoPlay entry stays behind. They can reinstall and turn off "When a USB drive or SD card is inserted" in Settings, or pick a new AutoPlay default in Windows Settings.
The other direction (installing the MSI while -setup.exe is installed) is not handled, so uninstall from Settings → Apps first in that case.
2.2 Installing the MSI (this one also prompts for UAC)
1. SmartScreen — when you open the downloaded MSI, not at download time. You may see "Windows protected your PC." Click More info, then the Run anyway button that appears. SmartScreen judges each downloaded file, so clearing one MSI does not cover the next release, and the same file can prompt again on another PC. Within one PC and one file, it usually stops asking after you have run it once.
2. User Account Control (UAC) — next, Windows asks whether to allow an app from an unknown publisher to make changes, and shows Publisher: Unknown (because it is not signed). Click Yes. This prompt appears every time you install.
2.3 The portable ZIP
No install is needed, but the first time you run the extracted pictkura.exe, the same SmartScreen prompt may appear. Click More info → Run anyway.
2.4 Smart App Control (all of them)
If Smart App Control is on — it can be, on a clean install of Windows 11 — it may block an unsigned app outright, with no "Run anyway" to click. This applies to every download here, since it judges the code, not how it reached you.
There is no way around it from the app's side: you would need a PC without SAC, or a signed build. Switching SAC off does lift the block, but it is one-way — Windows cannot turn it back on without a reinstall — so we do not suggest it just to run this app.
Authenticode signing would reliably replace "Publisher: Unknown" with the publisher name, and makes SmartScreen fire less often — but it does not categorically remove it: a newly signed binary that has not built up reputation can still be flagged. The certificate is paid, so it is deferred.
3Opening it on macOS
The macOS build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so Gatekeeper stops the first launch. The app is not damaged: Gatekeeper is saying it cannot check who signed it.
First, move pictkura.app to wherever you want to keep it (/Applications, say). This is not just tidiness: launched from where it was unzipped, macOS copies the app into a read-only temporary location and runs it from there (App Translocation).
macOS 15 (Sequoia) and later
Double-clicking shows a dialog saying macOS "could not verify pictkura is free of malware," offering only Move to Trash and Done. Nothing there lets you continue, so:
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Click Done |
| 2 | Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and scroll to the bottom |
| 3 | Find the line saying pictkura was blocked, and click Open Anyway |
| 4 | Authenticate when asked. The app starts |
That line only appears after a blocked double-click, so keep the order.
macOS 11 to 14
Right-click (or control-click) pictkura.app → Open → Open in the dialog.
macOS 15 removed this workaround. Conversely, the System Settings steps above do not apply to macOS 11–12, where that pane goes by a different name. Follow the section matching your version.
Any version (Terminal)
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /path/to/pictkura.app
Only the first launch needs this; afterwards it opens by double-clicking. The same block happens whether the app ships as a .zip or a .dmg — the archive format has nothing to do with it.
4The first thing to do
Once it opens, add the folder your photos live in with Browse… at the bottom left. To bring photos off a card, insert it and press Import from USB at the top. The destination folder and the way shots are filed by date are both chosen on that screen.
Every screen is walked through in the manual, and what the app does and does not do is listed in the specification.
5Uninstalling
| How it was installed | How to remove it |
|---|---|
-setup.exe / MSI | Windows Settings → Apps. The AutoPlay entry is removed too, but only for the user doing the uninstall — that setting is per-user |
| Portable ZIP | Delete the folder. Run pictkura.exe --unregister-autoplay first, so no AutoPlay entry is left behind |
| macOS | Drag pictkura.app to the Trash |
Settings and the index remain. Their locations are listed under Where data lives. Your photos are never touched.