What Greenshot Is

Greenshot is a free, open source screen capture and lightweight annotation tool published under the GPL-3.0 license (the Windows build is free and open source; the macOS build on the App Store is proprietary). It lives in the system tray, takes over the Print Screen key, and supports region, window, and full-screen capture with light image editing and several export options afterward. For writing bug reports, tutorial screenshots, or marking up a document for a colleague, it is far handier than the "everything plus the kitchen sink" tools that weigh hundreds of megabytes. Its official site is https://getgreenshot.org and its GitHub repository is https://github.com/greenshot/greenshot. The current Windows stable release is 1.3.328 (published October 19, 2026).

Key Features

  • Multiple capture modes: region, window, and full-screen capture, plus scrolling web page capture from Internet Explorer.
  • Built-in annotation editor: after a shot, add arrows, rectangles, ellipses, text, and highlights, and blur or pixelate sensitive information.
  • Rich export targets: save to a file, copy to clipboard, print, send as an email attachment, or send to Office programs.
  • Upload plugins: optional plugins send shots to services like Imgur, Jira, Confluence, Box, and Dropbox.
  • Configurable output: custom filename rules, output format (PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP), and PNG compression tuning.
  • Efficient hotkeys: by default Print Screen captures a region, Shift+Print selects a region, Alt+Print captures the active window, and Ctrl+Print captures the whole screen.
  • Light and quiet: the installer is only about 3.8 MB, it stays in the tray, starts fast, and uses few resources.

How to Install

  1. Open https://getgreenshot.org/downloads/ and download the latest Windows installer (for example Greenshot-INSTALLER-1.3.328-RELEASE.exe).
  2. Double-click and follow the wizard; the default path is fine, and the installed version starts at boot and lives in the tray.
  3. If you would rather not touch the system, grab the portable ZIP (for example Greenshot-PORTABLE-1.3.328-RELEASE.zip), extract, and run Greenshot.exe; settings live in the program folder, good for a USB stick.
  4. The runtime needs .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later.
  5. You can also get it from GitHub Releases at https://github.com/greenshot/greenshot/releases.

How to Use It

  1. Quick capture: press Print Screen to enter region selection, drag a box, and release to capture.
  2. Window or full screen: press Alt+Print for the active window and Ctrl+Print for the whole screen.
  3. Annotate: the editor opens automatically; use the toolbar to add arrows, text, and highlights, or blur a sensitive area.
  4. Choose a destination: pick save to file, copy to clipboard, print, or email in the popup; set a default action in output settings on first use.
  5. Chinese interface: right-click the tray icon, choose Preferences..., and set Language to Simplified Chinese in General.

Things to Watch

  • It takes over Print Screen: if capture does nothing, another tool or cloud app likely grabbed the key; close it or rebind the hotkey.
  • The installer opens a web page: this happens automatically after install and cannot be turned off; it is by design.
  • Basic annotation only: it handles arrows, text, and blur, but does no screen recording or GIF capture; pick another tool for that.
  • Download only from the official site: third-party repacks may bundle ads or old versions; the site and GitHub Releases are trusted.
  • Installed versus portable: the installed version starts with the system and owns the key, suited to your own PC; the portable version writes no registry, suited to public machines.
  • Plugin safety: upload plugins send images to external services, so confirm the service is trustworthy and mind privacy.

Download

  • Official site: https://getgreenshot.org/downloads/
  • GitHub Releases: https://github.com/greenshot/greenshot/releases

Official Site

  • https://getgreenshot.org

If you need more than screenshots, such as recording the screen or streaming, see our piece on OBS Studio, and ShareX is another screenshot powerhouse that goes further on post-capture handling and file sharing, offering a different style from Greenshot.