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Quick start

Download Lightokay for Mac, open your first folder, and start culling and filtering photos.

Lightokay is a desktop photo manager and RAW editor. This page gets you from download to your first filtered selection.

1. Download

Get the latest version from the download page. Lightokay currently runs on Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or later). Windows and Linux builds are planned.

2. Install

Open the .dmg and drag Lightokay into Applications.
Start Lightokay from Applications or Launchpad.

Builds are signed and notarized by Apple, so macOS opens them normally. See Install if anything goes wrong.

3. Open your photos

Add the folders you already keep photos in — Lightokay works with them in place. See Libraries and folders.
Or drag files and folders into the window.

The first time you open a folder full of RAW files, thumbnails and previews are built in the background.

4. Browse and filter

Switch between grid, list and masonry views and use the size slider to zoom thumbnails.
Narrow things down with the color filter, tags, ratings and search.
Open a photo to see the full RAW preview, histogram and shooting info.

5. Edit and use

Edit RAW files with the editing tools and export the result.
Drag selected files straight into your design or video app, or copy and move them in batches — see Batch and shortcuts.

Everything runs locally on your Mac. See Local-first.