Diffractor is designed to manage a collection of photos and videos on your PC.
It can view and search any files, but the collection has extra features such as duplicate detection, fast search and presence. The collection is indexed to support these features.
Diffractor calculates the presence of files in the collection. The presence indicates if a file exists or is duplicated in the collection. It also indicates if an item has sidecars.
Sidecars are extra files associated with a media item – for example XMP metadata or subtitles.
The presence tooltip lists the files that diffractor has detected. Duplicates in red and sidecars in green.
Presence also works for files outside the collection. Use it to check if files on an old memory card are missing from the collection. Simply open the memory card and group files by presence.
File formats supported by Diffractor:
- Video Encoding Formats: MP4, 3GP, OGG, WMV, WEBM, FLV, AVI, QuickTime, HDV, MXF, MPEG-TS, MPEG-2 PS, MPEG-2 TS, WAV, LXF, GXF, VOB
- Audio Formats: MP3, AAC, HE-AAC, AC3, EAC3, Vorbis, WMA, PCM
- Standard Image File Formats: BMP, GIF, JPG/JPEG, PNG, PSD, TIFF, WEBP
- Raw photo file formats: 3FR, ARW, BAY, BMQ, CINe, CRW, CR2, CR3, CS1, DC2, DCR, DNG, ERF, FFF, HDR, IA, K25, KC2, KDC, MDC, MEF, MOS, MRW, NEF, NRW, ORF, PEF, PXN, QTK, RAF, RAW, RDC, RW2, RWL, SR2, SRF, SRW, STI, X3F
Publisher’s description
What is Diffractor?
Diffractor by Diffractor is open-source Windows software. It is written in C++.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (NSIS) installers for 32-bit Windows. It can be installed for the current user only, without administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 126.0, released on May 31, 2024. The version history goes back to August 25, 2026: 2 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 0.9 releases a year. The last update is more than a year old.
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (diffractor/diffractor) has 113 stars.
Project description on GitHub: “The fastest photo and video organizer for Windows.”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Installs without administrator rights
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- 32-bit only
- No update for more than a year
In short: Diffractor is an open-source Windows tool for 32-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is Diffractor 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:
88B28702ED5C81A165897E03E51CC1562409D8DFB2BD82D212051C108A408509· 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
Recent versions
All 2 versions ›2 versions over 2 years · about 0.9 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 126.0Latest | May 31, 2024 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 1.27.2 | August 25, 2026 | — | 32-bit ZIP64-bit ZIP32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id Diffractor.Diffractor -ediffractor-setup.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- Diffractor
- Licence
- LGPL
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/diffractor/diffractor
- Written in
- C++
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 32-bit
- Installer
- EXE (NSIS)
- Version
- 126.0
- Released
- May 31, 2024
- Added to the catalogue
- August 14, 2025
- Versions listed
- 2
- Updates / year
- 0.9
- GitHub stars
- 113
- GitHub forks
- 11
- Website
- diffractor.com
- winget ID
- Diffractor.Diffractor
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Diffractor free?
Yes. Diffractor is open-source software under the LGPL licence.
Is Diffractor 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.
How do I install Diffractor with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Diffractor be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Diffractor run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 32-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Diffractor?
The versions page lists all 2 versions with links to their official installer files, back to August 25, 2026.
Can I use Diffractor without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.