Tool profile
Greenshot: cost, fit and limits
Greenshot is a free, open-source screenshot application for Windows developed by a volunteer team that captures regions, windows and full screens, annotates or obfuscates parts of an image, and exports it to files, the clipboard, e-mail or Office.
What to know first
Greenshot is completely free and open source, per its homepage, and no paid plan appears on the pages we read. It is described as a Windows application, with scrolling capture for web pages from Internet Explorer. The privacy policy names volunteer developers and no company or country, and says screenshots leave the device only when a plugin sends them to a service the user configured.
Greenshot at a glance
| Maker | Greenshot development team, Not stated on the vendor pages |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | Free (open source) |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Screenshot Software in 2026, rank 11 of 13 |
| Website | getgreenshot.org |
Who Greenshot is best for
Office workers who annotate screenshots
Highlight, annotate and obfuscate tools plus export to Office programs fit documents, slide decks and e-mails without extra software. Documents and slides rarely need more than a quick arrow or a blurred name.
Teams that want a no-cost standard
The free open-source license lets a department install it everywhere and back up settings in a single greenshot.ini file. No license keys mean no seat tracking for the IT team.
Users who want control over uploads
Nothing leaves the device unless a plugin is configured, which keeps default behavior local. Nothing leaves the device unless a plugin is configured, which keeps default behavior local and predictable, and users decide what to send.
Greenshot plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free (open source) | Completely free and open source Windows application, with no paid plan on the pages read. |
Checked November 2026.
What Greenshot does
- Capture options
- A selected region, a window or the full screen can be captured, which covers the usual cases for office documentation. Window capture avoids stray desktop clutter around the target window.
- Annotation and obfuscation
- Parts of the screenshot can be annotated, highlighted or obfuscated before sharing, a manual way to hide names and numbers. These are manual tools, and the pages describe no automatic detection of sensitive information.
- Export choices
- Screenshots can be saved to a file, printed, copied to the clipboard, attached to an e-mail or sent to Office programs. Office export suits people who paste captures straight into documents and presentations.
- Plugins
- Plugins can upload screenshots to third-party services when the user configures them, such as Flickr or Picasa as named in the pages. Nothing is uploaded until a plugin is set up, and the user chooses the destination service.
- Settings file
- Configuration lives in one greenshot.ini file that can be backed up, which makes moving settings to a new machine simple. That file is easy to copy to a new computer, which cuts the time to reproduce a configured setup.
How Greenshot handles your data
The privacy policy says the Windows application sends screenshots off the device only when a plugin uploads them to a service the user configured, and that the Mac application does not send data. It states no retention periods, no hosting region (the website runs on GitHub and Cloudflare) and no certifications. The policy names volunteer developers rather than a company and gives no country. Model training is not mentioned because no AI feature is named on the pages we read.
Where Greenshot falls short in practice
- No AI named. The pages name no AI, text recognition or automatic redaction, so a user hides sensitive details by hand. A user must blur names, numbers and keys by hand before sharing a screenshot.
- Scrolling capture scope. The scrolling capture described is for complete web pages from Internet Explorer, which limits its use in modern browsers. Teams that rely on modern browsers will need to check how the feature behaves in their setup.
- Volunteer project. The policy names volunteer developers and no company or country, so a buyer should expect community support instead of a vendor contract. Help comes from documentation and volunteers, not from a paid contract with a named company.
Works with
Alternatives to Greenshot
Greenshot: common questions
Is Greenshot really free?
Yes. The homepage says it is completely free and open source, and no paid plan appears on the pages we read. The privacy policy names volunteer developers, so there is no company contract or paid support to buy. The privacy policy names volunteer developers, so no company contract or paid support is on offer.
Does Greenshot upload my screenshots?
Only when you ask. The privacy policy says screenshots leave the device when a plugin sends them to a third-party service you configured. Without a configured plugin, captures stay local on the Windows machine. Without a configured plugin, captures stay on the Windows machine where they were taken.
Can Greenshot hide sensitive data?
Greenshot lets you annotate, highlight or obfuscate parts of a screenshot by hand. The pages we read describe no automatic detection, so you must mark each name, number or key yourself before sharing. That makes it fine for casual cases and slow for large batches.
Does Greenshot work on a Mac?
The privacy policy mentions a Mac application, but the homepage and features describe Greenshot as a Windows application. The pages we read do not explain the Mac version's features, so check the download page for your system. Mac users should check the download page for what that version actually offers.
Where are Greenshot settings stored?
The FAQ says configuration is kept in a single greenshot.ini file that can be backed up. Copying the file to a new computer is the way to move your preferences, according to the documentation we read. That one file holds the whole setup, so a copy is enough as a backup.