# Flameshot Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Powerful screenshot software Category: System Utilities · Free · Open source · Replaces Snagit ($63) · [Official website](https://flameshot.org) ## Install with Homebrew `brew install --cask flameshot` ## Quick take In August 2026, Flameshot remains the best free cross-platform screenshot annotation tool — and v14 finally makes Apple Silicon first-class with native aarch64 builds. Capture, annotate, blur, CLI, done. It is still Linux-first in feel: no scrolling capture, no recording, Gatekeeper friction, and less polish than CleanShot X or Shottr. Sweet spot: developers who bounce between Linux and Mac, QA scripts that call `flameshot gui`, and anyone who refuses to pay for annotation basics. Best for: Developers who use both Linux and macOS and want one screenshot tool, Users who need free GPL screenshot annotation without paid tools, QA engineers who need CLI-driven automated screenshot capture, Apple Silicon users who want a notarized arm64 Flameshot without Rosetta, Anyone who needs quick blur/pixelate for sensitive data in screenshots ## What is Flameshot? Flameshot is a free, open-source screenshot tool with a built-in annotation editor. It started as a Linux application and was ported to macOS and Windows. You take a screenshot, annotate it with arrows, text, blur, and shapes right on the capture, and save or copy it — all in one flow. Flameshot is not the prettiest tool on macOS. It doesn't look or feel like a native Mac app. The UI still carries the functional aesthetic of a Linux-first Qt application. But it works, it's completely free under GPL v3, and the annotation tools are faster for many people than Preview or the stock macOS screenshot markup strip. The capture workflow: press your configured shortcut, select an area (and on v14, choose which monitor when needed), and the annotation toolbar appears immediately on the captured image. Draw arrows, add text, blur sensitive areas, draw rectangles and circles, add numbered markers, highlight regions. When you're done, save to disk, copy to clipboard, or upload to an image host. Capture to annotated result is usually a 10–15 second loop. Version 14.0.0 shipped around 19 June 2026 and is the release Mac users should care about. It improves multi-monitor capture and fractional scaling, redesigns capture workflows (including monitor selection and CLI screen edits), ships a new macOS icon set, and — critically — publishes native macOS aarch64 builds so Apple Silicon Macs no longer need Rosetta. Separate Intel DMGs remain available for older Macs. Homebrew still installs with `brew install --cask flameshot`, though the cask is marked deprecated toward a September 2026 disable date, so keep the GitHub / SourceForge DMG path as backup. Flameshot also has a CLI (`flameshot gui`, `flameshot full`, `flameshot screen`). That makes it scriptable from shell, cron, Karabiner, or Automator. Power users who live in terminals still prefer this over most Mac-native free tools. The honest limitations: no screen recording, no scrolling capture, no OCR, and Gatekeeper friction on first open (right-click Open, System Settings → Open Anyway, or `xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine` on the app). CleanShot X still wins polish and paid Mac workflows. Flameshot's niche is free annotation plus CLI plus the same tool on Linux and Mac. ## Features - **In-Place Annotation Editor.** The annotation toolbar appears directly on your capture. No separate editor, no export-then-open-in-Preview workflow. Draw arrows pointing to the important element. Add text labels. Blur passwords or personal data. Draw rectangles to highlight areas. Add numbered markers (1, 2, 3) for step-by-step instructions. Highlight text with a semi-transparent marker. Freehand draw for quick circles or underlines. All tools have adjustable color and thickness. The annotation happens on the raw capture before saving — one workflow, not two. - **Blur and Pixelate.** Drag over any area to blur or pixelate it. This is critical for screenshots that contain sensitive data: API keys, email addresses, personal names, account numbers. The blur is irreversible in the saved image — the original data can't be recovered. For anyone sharing screenshots in bug reports, documentation, or Slack messages, blur is a daily-use feature. - **CLI Integration.** Flameshot provides CLI commands: `flameshot gui` opens the interactive capture, `flameshot full` captures the entire screen, `flameshot screen` captures a specific monitor. In v14 the screen subcommand was redesigned for per-screen capture with an `--edit/-e` flag. CLI options include save path, delay, and region. Bind these to Karabiner-Elements shortcuts or Automator workflows for scripted QA captures. - **Multi-Monitor and Fractional Scaling (v14).** Flameshot 14.0.0 reworked how captures behave on multi-monitor and mixed-DPI setups. You are prompted to select which monitor to capture instead of stretching a single widget across every display. Tray menus can jump straight to a monitor. Capture-active-monitor options exist on platforms that support them. Fractional scaling support is a major reason Linux and mixed-desk Mac users should upgrade from v13. - **Native Apple Silicon Builds.** Starting with the v14 line, official macOS packages ship as native aarch64 binaries and are notarized for Apple Silicon. You no longer need Rosetta just to launch Flameshot. Intel Macs still get a separate DMG. This closed a long-standing gap where Mac users ran an awkward translated Linux port. - **Upload to Image Hosts.** After capturing, Flameshot can upload directly to Imgur (built-in) or custom image hosts via API configuration. The upload returns a URL for sharing. This is basic compared to CleanShot Cloud's dedicated hosting, but it works for quick sharing without setting up your own image hosting. - **Customizable Appearance and Shortcuts.** Configure the annotation toolbar: which tools appear, their default colors, and keyboard shortcuts. You can customize UI opacity, button size, and color picker. Configuration lives in a file you can version-control in dotfiles. On macOS, Flameshot sits in the menu bar for quick access, and v14 refreshed the macOS icon set for light and dark backgrounds. ## How to Install Flameshot on Mac Flameshot installs via Homebrew cask or a direct DMG from GitHub / SourceForge. Prefer the arm64 package on Apple Silicon. 1. **Install via Homebrew or DMG.** Run: brew install --cask flameshot. If the Homebrew cask is unavailable or disabled after its deprecation window, download Flameshot-14.0-macos-arm64.dmg (Apple Silicon) or the Intel DMG from the GitHub Releases page or the SourceForge mirror. 2. **Bypass Gatekeeper on First Open.** Downloaded builds often trip Gatekeeper. Right-click the app and choose Open, use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway, or run `xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/flameshot.app` after installing. 3. **Grant Screen Recording Permission.** On first launch, grant Screen Recording in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording. Without this, Flameshot cannot capture your screen on modern macOS. 4. **Configure Shortcuts.** Open Flameshot from the menu bar → Configuration. Set your preferred keyboard shortcut for capture. Many people use a Ctrl+Shift combination or bind `flameshot gui` through Karabiner-Elements. ## Pros - Completely free and open-source under GPL v3 - In-place annotation is fast — capture and annotate in one step - Blur/pixelate for sensitive data in screenshots - CLI for scripted and automated captures (`flameshot gui` and friends) - v14 native Apple Silicon builds (no Rosetta) with notarized arm64 packages - Multi-monitor and fractional scaling improvements in 14.0.0 - Cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows) with consistent interface - Numbered markers for step-by-step instructions ## Cons - Non-native UI on macOS — still feels like a Linux-first Qt port - No screen recording (video or GIF), scrolling capture, or OCR - Gatekeeper quarantine friction on first launch is a top Mac complaint - No first-party cloud hosting beyond Imgur/custom upload - Homebrew cask marked deprecated toward disable (plan a DMG fallback) - macOS polish still lags CleanShot X and Shottr ## Deep Dive: Flameshot's Cross-Platform Screenshot Philosophy How a Linux screenshot tool matured into a usable Apple Silicon citizen without becoming a native Mac app. ## FAQ ### Is Flameshot free? Yes. Completely free, open-source, no restrictions. GPL v3 license. ### What is new in Flameshot 14 for Mac? v14.0.0 (June 2026) adds multi-monitor capture workflows, fractional scaling work, redesigned `flameshot screen` editing, a new macOS icon set, and native notarized aarch64 builds so Apple Silicon no longer needs Rosetta. Intel DMGs remain separate. ### Should I use Flameshot or CleanShot X on macOS? If you can pay and use screenshots daily, CleanShot X is significantly better for Mac-native polish, scrolling capture, OCR, recording, and cloud. Choose Flameshot when you need free GPL tooling, CLI scripting, or the same app on Linux and Mac. ### Does Flameshot work well on macOS? It works, especially after the v14 Apple Silicon builds. The UI still feels like a Linux port, and Gatekeeper/permissions need a careful first launch. For a more Mac-native free option, try Shottr. ### Can Flameshot record screen video? No. Flameshot only captures static screenshots. For screen recording on macOS, use OBS (free) or CleanShot X (paid). ### Can I use Flameshot from the command line? Yes. `flameshot gui` opens interactive capture. `flameshot full --path /path/screenshot.png` captures the full screen. `flameshot screen` targets a monitor (v14 adds edit flags). These commands work in scripts and can be bound to keyboard shortcuts. ### Does Flameshot have scrolling capture? No. Scrolling capture is not available. For scrolling capture on macOS, use CleanShot X or Shottr. ### How do I fix Gatekeeper blocking Flameshot? Right-click the app and choose Open, approve it under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway, or clear quarantine with `xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine` on the app bundle. Then grant Screen Recording permission. ## Sources - [Flameshot Official Site](https://flameshot.org/) - [Flameshot GitHub Repository](https://github.com/flameshot-org/flameshot) - [Flameshot Releases](https://github.com/flameshot-org/flameshot/releases) - [Flameshot v14.0.rc3 Tag](https://github.com/flameshot-org/flameshot/releases/tag/v14.0.rc3) - [Flameshot SourceForge Mirror Files](https://sourceforge.net/projects/flameshot.mirror/files/) - [Homebrew Cask: flameshot](https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/flameshot) ## Related - [Maccy](https://bundl.run/apps/maccy) - [Stats](https://bundl.run/apps/stats) - [SuperWhisper](https://bundl.run/apps/superwhisper) - [MacWhisper](https://bundl.run/apps/macwhisper) - [HyperWhisper](https://bundl.run/apps/hyperwhisper) - [Aqua Voice](https://bundl.run/apps/aqua-voice) - [Flameshot vs CleanShot X](https://bundl.run/compare/cleanshot-vs-flameshot) - [Flameshot vs Shottr](https://bundl.run/compare/shottr-vs-flameshot) - [Free alternative to Snagit](https://bundl.run/https:/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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