Alternative desktop environment for Windows
Publisher’s description
What is cairo-desktop?
cairo-desktop is open-source Windows software in the terminals & cli tools category. It is written in C#.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides Portable installers for 64-bit and 32-bit Windows. It runs without installation (portable).
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (cairoshell/cairoshell) has 3,398 stars. Similar programs include PowerShell, Cairo Desktop Environment and Oh My Posh.
Project description on GitHub: “Cairo is a customizable, intuitive desktop environment for Windows.”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Portable: runs without installation
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
In short: cairo-desktop is an open-source terminals & cli tool tool for 64-bit and 32-bit PCs.
Is cairo-desktop safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
DC22970C3B80AF4298AAB1A664F0785FCEF906ADB0EB897A14D814916D0625C5· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the cairoshell/cairoshell repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No dangerous workflows10
- Actively maintained10
- Licence declared10
- Code review8
- No binaries in the repository6
- Restricted token permissions0
- Pinned dependencies0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Fuzzing0
- Signed releases0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 1 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4.434Latest | — | 64-bit Portable32-bit Portable |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›scoop install extras/cairo-desktopProgram files (.exe): cairodesktop.exe
Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Category
- Terminals & CLI tools
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/cairoshell/cairoshell
- Written in
- C#
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, 32-bit
- Installer
- Portable
- Version
- 0.4.434
- Versions listed
- 1
- GitHub stars
- 3,398
- GitHub forks
- 278
- Website
- cairoshell.com
- Scoop package
- extras/cairo-desktop
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is cairo-desktop free?
Yes. cairo-desktop is open-source software under the Apache-2.0 licence.
Is cairo-desktop safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
Does cairo-desktop run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit and 32-bit version through emulation.
Can I use cairo-desktop without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
What are alternatives to cairo-desktop?
PowerShell, Cairo Desktop Environment, Oh My Posh, QPDF and Alacritty. The alternatives page compares them.
