ShareX Download: Get the Free Screenshot and Recording Tool

The project's GitHub README says ShareX is available from four places: the official website at getsharex.com, GitHub releases, the Microsoft Store and Steam. The Setup and Portable buttons on the website point to the latest GitHub release, so the website and GitHub hand you the same files.

Anything else, such as a download portal with its own installer wrapper, a "ShareX Pro" offer or a site asking you to log in to get the file, is not an official source. ShareX itself never needs an account to download or use. Some upload destinations you might connect later, such as a cloud drive, have their own accounts and terms, but that is separate from the app.

At the time of writing (2 November 2026) the latest release on GitHub is ShareX 21.0.0, which the changelog dates to 3 July 2026. The release offers two main files:

• ShareX-21.0.0-setup-x64.exe: the normal installer for a 64-bit Windows PC. Choose this for everyday use; it adds a Start menu entry and can start with Windows.
• ShareX-21.0.0-portable-x64.zip: a portable copy that runs from a folder or USB stick and keeps its settings with it. Useful on a work PC or for testing; see our portable vs installer guide.
• Microsoft Store: installs and updates through Windows. The changelog notes that version 20.0.2 added native ARM64 support through the Store, so this is the route for ARM-based Windows laptops.
• Steam: the same app distributed through Steam, which handles updates if you already use the Steam client.

The website also links development builds. These are for testers who want new features early, not for most users. ShareX is a Windows application: the official site describes it as a screenshot tool for Windows, and there is no official macOS or Linux version. On those systems, use a different tool such as the cross-platform Flameshot or the built-in screenshot features, which our screen capture guide covers.

The official site lists 12 capture methods: full screen, active window, active monitor, a window menu, a monitor menu, region, last region, custom region, screen recording, GIF screen recording, scrolling capture and auto capture. For most people, region capture is the one to learn first, because it lets you drag a box around exactly what you need and then annotate it before saving.

Region capture comes with 18 annotation tools, including rectangles, arrows, freehand drawing, text, speech balloons, numbered steps, highlight, blur, pixelate, magnify and spotlight. Blur and pixelate are the ones to use before you share a screenshot that shows an email address, a customer name or an order number. Scrolling capture is the answer to "how do I screenshot a whole web page or long document": ShareX scrolls the window and stitches the frames into one tall image. It works best on simple pages, and you may need to tweak its settings for pages with sticky headers.

ShareX can record the screen as a video or as an animated GIF, and both are listed among its capture methods. Video recording relies on FFmpeg, the open-source encoder used by many media tools; if FFmpeg is not present when you first start a recording, ShareX offers to download it. You choose the region to record in the same way as a screenshot, then stop the recording when you are done, and the file goes through the same after-capture steps as an image.

ShareX is ideal for short clips: a bug report, a quick how-to for a colleague or a GIF for a chat thread. For long recordings, live streaming, multiple scenes or webcam overlays, a dedicated recorder is a better fit; see our OBS Studio download guide and the wider screen recorder guide. ShareX also includes a video converter and trimmer among its tools, and our HandBrake guide covers compressing larger recordings.

ShareX is built around workflows: after a capture it can run a chain of tasks, and the site lists 22 after-capture options, from saving and copying to the clipboard to running OCR, scanning a QR code or uploading to a host. After an upload it can shorten the URL, copy it or open it. This is what makes the app fast, and also why it pays to check the settings.

• Automatic upload: the changelog for version 19.0.1 says automatic upload is now disabled by default for new installations. If you upgraded from an older version, open the after-capture tasks and check whether uploading is still switched on.
• Destinations: uploading to an image host can create a public link. Anyone with that link may be able to view the image, so never auto-upload captures that might contain private information.
• Analyze image: version 19.0.1 added an opt-in image analysis tool that requires you to supply your own API keys. It stays off unless you set it up.
• Hotkeys: ShareX can take over the Print Screen key. If that clashes with Windows Snipping Tool or another app, change one of them in the hotkey settings.

The website links a privacy policy from its "Privacy first" section; read it if you plan to use ShareX at work.

Beyond capturing, the official site lists 36 productivity tools grouped into screen and colour, images, video, data and text, and system tools. A few are worth knowing about:

• Colour picker and ruler for checking colours and measuring elements on screen.
• OCR to copy text out of an image or a screenshot of an error message.
• Hash checker to compare a file's checksum with the value a publisher provides; see what a checksum is.
• Image editor, rebuilt in version 20.0.2 with 18 annotation tools and 232 image effects, according to the changelog.
• Background remover and image comparer, both new in version 21.0.0.

Recent releases have moved quickly: the changelog lists 19.0.1 and 19.0.2 in January 2026, 20.0.2, 20.1.0 and 20.2.0 between April and May 2026, and 21.0.0 in July 2026. If your copy is older than that, update through the same channel you installed from.

Windows already includes the Snipping Tool, opened with Windows logo key + Shift + S, and it covers quick region screenshots and basic recording. If that is all you need, you may not need ShareX at all. Greenshot is a lighter free tool focused on fast, annotated screenshots. OBS Studio is the standard for long recordings and streaming. ShareX sits in between: more capable than the built-in tools for screenshots, GIFs, OCR and automation, but not a replacement for a full recording studio.

A common setup is ShareX for everyday captures and OBS for the occasional long video. If you then need to cut a recording, our video editor guide lists free editors.

ShareX is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence, its code is public on GitHub, and the project says it has no advertisements. Those are good signs, but they only apply to the real thing. Check that the address bar says getsharex.com or github.com/ShareX before you download, or use the Microsoft Store or Steam listing linked from the project.

If Windows shows a warning when you run an installer, stop and double-check where the file came from rather than clicking through; our guide to the SmartScreen unrecognized app message explains what the warning means. Scanning the installer before running it is a sensible habit for any download, as our malware scanning guide shows.