Lightscreen is a lightweight screen shooting application for Microsoft Windows, used to automate the process of saving and cataloging screenshots. It operates as a hidden background process that is invoked with one (or multiple) hotkeys and then saves a screenshot file to disk according to the user's preferences. It has no built-in editing or annotation tools. Lightscreen has features to set a delay time and save screenshots in multiple image formats. A portable version is available
Current Website: https://lightscreen.com.ar/ As of August 20, 2020, Lightscreen is at Version 2.4 and the download is hosted on GitHub. It no longer appears to be using Sourceforge.net which is still hosting version 1.01 and was last updated 2014-04-15.
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What is Lightscreen?
Lightscreen by Christian Kaiser is open-source Windows software in the screenshot tools category. It ranks 3rd by popularity among screenshot tools in this catalogue. It is written in C++.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (Inno Setup) installers for 64-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 2.5, released on June 19, 2021. The version history goes back to November 26, 2021: 5 releases, all linked to the official files. The last update is more than a year old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 10,651 times. The source code on GitHub (ckaiser/Lightscreen) has 633 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 3 of our languages. Similar programs include Greenshot, Flameshot and ScreenCloud.
Project description on GitHub: “Screenshot tool.”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
- No update for more than a year
In short: Lightscreen is an open-source screenshot tool tool for 64-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is Lightscreen 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:
626479BFD6B160DF9BE29FF169937575E371B50D258C2AD51BF4DCBD8E8251AA· 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 5 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5Latest | June 19, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.4 | March 30, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.3 | November 26, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.2 | November 26, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 2.1 | November 26, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id ChristianKaiser.Lightscreen -echoco install lightscreen -yscoop install extras/lightscreenLightscreenSetup-2.5.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- Christian Kaiser
- Category
- Screenshot tools
- Licence
- GNU General Public License v2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/ckaiser/Lightscreen
- Written in
- C++
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (Inno Setup)
- Version
- 2.5
- Released
- June 19, 2021
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 5
- Chocolatey downloads
- 10,651
- GitHub stars
- 633
- GitHub forks
- 94
- Website
- lightscreen.com.ar
- winget ID
- ChristianKaiser.Lightscreen
- Chocolatey package
- lightscreen
- Scoop package
- extras/lightscreen
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to Lightscreen
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ksnip1.10.1Ksnip is a Qt-based cross-platform screenshot tool that provides many annotation features for your screenshots.Open source2.9K ↓ -
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Gyazo6.0.1Take screenshots, GIFS, and replays that are ready to share. Save what's on your screen without missing a moment.Proprietary14.4K ↓ - Proprietary40.6K ↓
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XSplit VCam4.2.2407.1901Remove, replace and blur your background without green screens and complicated lighting setupsProprietary2K ↓
Frequently asked questions
Is Lightscreen free?
Yes. Lightscreen is open-source software under the GNU General Public License v2.0 licence.
Is Lightscreen 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 Lightscreen 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 Lightscreen be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Lightscreen run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Lightscreen?
The versions page lists all 5 versions with links to their official installer files, back to November 26, 2021.
What are alternatives to Lightscreen?
Greenshot, Flameshot, ScreenCloud, ksnip and Lightshot. The alternatives page compares them.
