Installing ArtCraft on Windows: MSI, Portable ZIP, and SmartScreen

ArtCraft creative applications are written in pure Rust and compiled into native Windows executables. They run on Windows 10 and Windows 11 with hardware acceleration via DirectX 12 and Vulkan.

This guide walks you through choosing the best installation method for your PC and explains how to handle the Windows SmartScreen warning.

1. Choosing the Right Download Package

We provide three different distribution options for Windows users:

Option A: ArtCraft Launcher (Recommended)

Format: artcraft-launcher-windows.msi
Best for: Users who want all 7 applications (PhotoCraft, VectorCraft, FilmCraft, etc.) managed in one place.
Features: Installs in Program Files, adds Start Menu shortcuts, and checks for updates automatically with zero background memory footprint.

Option B: Standalone MSI Installers

Format: photocraft-windows-x64.msi, vectorcraft-windows-x64.msi
Best for: Users who only need one specific app (e.g., just the photo editor or just the vector tool).
Features: Traditional Windows installer with desktop shortcut and uninstaller in Windows Settings.

Option C: Portable ZIP Packages (No Installation)

Format: photocraft-windows-x64-portable.zip, vectorcraft-windows-x64-portable.zip
Best for: Work computers, USB drives, or users without Administrator privileges.
Features: Zero installation required. Simply extract the ZIP file to any folder and double-click the .exe to launch immediately. No registry changes or leftover system files.

2. Windows on ARM & Snapdragon Copilot+ PCs

If you are using a Microsoft Surface Pro (11th Edition), Lenovo ThinkPad on Snapdragon X Elite, or any Windows on ARM device:

Download the dedicated ARM64 package (-windows-arm64.msi).
These binaries execute natively on the ARM CPU without emulation, maximizing battery life and shader responsiveness.

3. How to Handle the Windows SmartScreen Warning

When you run a newly downloaded installer or executable on Windows, you may encounter a blue popup:

Windows protected your PC
Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting.
Running this app might put your PC at risk.

Why Does This Appear?

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen flags executables that have not yet built up a multi-month reputation score across millions of Windows machines. Because ArtCraft is a newly released open-source project from GitHub, Windows displays this notice by default.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough to Open:

On the blue dialog, click the underlined link: "More info".
A new button will appear at the bottom right: "Run anyway".
Click "Run anyway". The installer will launch immediately.

All ArtCraft code is 100% open source on GitHub (github.com/storytold), contains zero ads or tracking daemons, and can be verified independently.

4. Verifying File Integrity via SHA-256

If you want to verify that your downloaded installer has not been corrupted or altered:

Open PowerShell on your computer.
Run the Get-FileHash command followed by the path to your downloaded file:

Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 "$HOME\Downloads\artcraft-launcher-windows.msi"

Compare the output hash against our official SHA256SUMS.txt published on GitHub. The hashes should match character for character.

5. Summary

Fast & Lean: No Adobe background services eating 2 GB of RAM in Task Manager.
Your Choice: Install via MSI or extract the Portable ZIP to run anywhere.
Always Free: No serial numbers, accounts, or trial expirations.
Go to Windows Downloads Hub
Download ArtCraft Launcher for Windows
Explore the 7 Native Applications