Winnow
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Free for Mac, Windows and Linux

Find the photos worth keeping.

Weddings, trips and family days leave thousands of shots. Pick the best ones in an evening.

Winnow keeps the work fast and simple, and your photos never leave your computer.

Download for Mac
Open in your browser See what it does

Apple silicon. Free, no account needed.

Other platforms:

Winnow also runs in a browser. Works in Chrome and Edge on a computer.

Coming soon: iPhone, iPad and Android.

  • 1,000+photos in a folder, scrolling smoothly
  • 1 keyper decision: keep, skip, rate or label
  • 15RAW formats with previews built in
  • 0photos uploaded, ever

Features

Everything you need to decide, nothing that slows you down

Built for the slow part of the job: going from a full memory card to the shots worth editing.

  • Keep or skip in one key

    S moves a photo to picks, X to skipped. Select a run of photos and decide them all at once.

  • Undo that survives restarts

    Every move is one step you can undo or redo, even after you quit and come back. A history panel lists them all.

  • Stars and colour labels

    Rate with 1 to 5 and label with 6 to 9. Ratings follow a photo when it moves.

  • Quick look, full size

    Space opens a big view with zoom, camera details, a histogram and highlight warnings.

  • Side-by-side compare

    Pin a photo and put the next one beside it. Pick the better of two look-alikes in a second.

  • RAW, HEIC and video

    RAW previews from 15 formats are built in, with no helper tools. HEIC works on Mac. Video clips play in the same grid.

  • Never overwrites

    Files move into picks and skipped folders beside them. Nothing is deleted or saved over. Copy mode leaves originals in place.

  • The whole shoot at once

    Open a folder and every sub-folder with photos shows in the sidebar. [ and ] step through them.

  • Just the app

    Nothing else to install. No command line, no extra tools. Open it, pick a folder and start.

Keyboard

Your hands never leave the keys

Mousing through a thousand photos is the slow way. These are the keys you will use most.

  • Move through the grid←→↑↓
  • Keep: move to picksS
  • Skip: move to skippedX
  • Undo and redoZY
  • Star rating, 0 clears it1to5
  • Red, yellow, green or blue label6to9
  • Quick look at full sizeSpace
  • Compare side by sideC
  • Next unrated photoU
  • Previous or next folder[]
  • History of every moveH
  • Every shortcut?

Hold Shift with the arrows to select several photos.

How it stays fast

Built so the grid never stutters

A big card should feel the same as a small one.

  1. 1

    Previews made once

    Winnow prepares small previews in the background as soon as you open a folder, and keeps them. Scroll back and they are already there.

  2. 2

    Only what is on screen

    The grid keeps just the visible tiles alive, so a folder of 1,000 photos feels the same as a folder of 20.

  3. 3

    RAW without the wait

    RAW files are never fully developed. Winnow shows the preview your camera already saved inside the file, which is all you need to decide.

Privacy

Your photos never leave your device

Winnow reads and moves files on your own computer. There is no upload step, and no cloud copy to delete later.

  • Nothing is uploadedPhotos, file names, folders and ratings stay on your computer.
  • Works offlineCulling needs no internet connection at all.
  • No tracking in the appThe app has no ads and sends no usage data. This website and the browser version count visits and button presses anonymously, never photos or names.

Free and Pro

Free to cull, with no photo limits

Everything you need to sort a shoot is free. Pro adds tools for big, busy shoots, and comes with the sdev.in plan.

See plans
Feature Free Pro
Open any folder, with no photo limits
Keep, skip, undo and redo, kept across restarts
Stars, colour labels and history
Quick look with camera details and histogram
Two-up compare
RAW, HEIC and video
BurstsRapid-fire frames grouped into one tile, sharpest first
Focus scoresA sharpness dot on every photo, sort by sharpness, and Find blurry
Split, grid and loupe compareDrag a seam across two photos, compare a grid, zoom the same spot on each
Extra sort foldersYour own folders beyond picks and skipped, such as maybe
XMP sidecarsWrite stars and labels to .xmp files your editing app can read
Export keepersCopy picks to another folder, save a keeper list or a contact sheet

FAQ

Questions

Is it safe to use on my only copy?

Yes. Winnow never edits, re-saves or deletes a photo. Keep and skip move files into picks and skipped folders next to them, and every move can be undone. Turn on copy mode if you want the originals to stay exactly where they are.

Can I undo a mistake?

Yes. Press Z to undo and Y to redo. A bulk move counts as one step, and the history is kept even after you quit, so you can undo yesterday's moves today.

Does it work with RAW files?

Yes. Winnow shows RAW files from 15 formats, including most current cameras, using the preview saved inside each file. It is built in, so there is nothing extra to install. HEIC photos work on Mac.

Can I use Winnow without installing?

Yes, in Chrome or Edge on a computer. Open Winnow in your browser, pick a folder and cull it right where it is. Nothing is uploaded: the photos stay on your computer, and keep and skip move them into picks and skipped just like the app does. The browser version counts anonymous usage, such as how many photos were kept, never photos, file names or folder names. Safari, Firefox and phones need the download for now.

Which computers does it run on?

Mac (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows and Linux. Versions for iPhone, iPad and Android are on the way.

Do I need an account?

No. Winnow is free with no photo limits and no sign-in. An sdev.in account is only needed if you want Pro.

Download

Get Winnow

Free for every computer. One download, nothing else to set up.

  • Mac

    Pick the version for your Mac's chip. Newer Macs use Apple silicon.

    Apple silicon Intel

  • Windows

    A standard installer for Windows.

    Download for Windows

  • Linux

    A .deb package, or an AppImage that runs on most other systems.

    .deb .AppImage

  • Phones and tablets

    iPhone, iPad and Android versions are coming soon.

    Coming soon

Rather not install anything? Open Winnow in your browser.

Winnow also runs in a browser. Works in Chrome and Edge on a computer.

Your next shoot, sorted.

Free, private, and no account needed. Your originals stay put until you press a key.

Download for Mac
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