> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://lightworksguide.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to Download and Install Lightworks 2026.1 on Windows, Mac and Linux - URL: https://lightworksguide.net/learn/download-install/ - Published: 2026-10-25T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T14:59:59.000Z - Description: Which Lightworks 2026.1 installer to download for Windows, Mac or Linux, how to check it's the genuine signed file, and how to update from 2025.2 or uninstall without losing projects. - Author: Lucas Bennett - Tags: learn Download Lightworks only from the [official Lightworks download page](https://lwks.com/download?ref=lightworksguide.net), pick the installer that matches your system, and check that it's signed by LWKS Software Ltd before you run it. Windows gets a 64-bit .exe, Macs get one .dmg that runs natively on Intel and Apple Silicon, and Linux has DEB, RPM, Flatpak and Snap packages. The current release is Lightworks 2026.1 (build 58024), which [became the stable download on 19 October 2026](https://forum.lwks.com/threads/lightworks-2026-is-here.254016/?ref=lightworksguide.net). If you already edit in 2025.2, back up your projects before installing, because 2026.1 upgrades each project into a separate copy. The Free plan is enough to start: in 2026.1 it exports up to 1080p, including portrait formats, and you can run Lightworks as a guest for a limited period before it asks you to register. ## Which Lightworks installer to download The download page loads the options for your platform and needs a desktop computer; it won't hand the installer to a phone or tablet. No credit card is needed for the Free version. The operating system floors below come from the [Lightworks technical specifications](https://lwks.com/lightworks-tech-specs?ref=lightworksguide.net); the file sizes are those of the 2026.1.0 installers. | Your system | File to download | Download size | Built for | | ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------------- | | Windows 10 or later | Lightworks-2026.1.0.exe | 110 MB | 64-bit Intel/AMD | | macOS 12 Monterey or later | Lightworks-2026.1.0.dmg | 200 MB | Universal: Intel and Apple Silicon | | Ubuntu, Lubuntu or Xubuntu 22.04+, Mint 21+ | lightworks\_2026.1.0\_amd64.deb | 128 MB | 64-bit Intel/AMD | | Fedora 40+ | lightworks\_2026.1.0\_amd64.rpm | 136 MB | 64-bit Intel/AMD | | Another distro with Flatpak | lightworks\_2026.1.0.flatpak | 132 MB | 64-bit Intel/AMD, Freedesktop 25.08 runtime | | Another distro with Snap | lightworks\_2026.1.0.snap | 223 MB | 64-bit Intel/AMD, classic confinement | There's no Windows ARM, 32-bit Windows or Linux ARM package. On a distro that could take either a native package or Flatpak, I'd pick the DEB or RPM: it's the format the [official setup guide](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/installation-and-setup?ref=lightworksguide.net) names for Ubuntu- and Fedora-based systems, and it uses the libraries your distribution already keeps updated. Whether a given machine plays your footage smoothly is a separate question, covered in the [Lightworks system requirements guide](https://lightworksguide.net/learn/system-requirements/). ![Decision chart: Windows 10 or later uses the 64-bit .exe, macOS 12 or later the .dmg for Intel and Apple Silicon, Ubuntu and Mint the .deb, Fedora the .rpm and other distros Flatpak or Snap, all downloaded from lwks.com.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/lightworks-installer-choice.webp) Choose by operating system first, then by distribution on Linux. ## Install Lightworks on Windows 1. Run Lightworks-2026.1.0.exe. Windows shows a User Account Control prompt, because the installer asks for administrator rights. 2. Read the publisher line in that prompt. It should name LWKS Software Ltd. as the verified publisher; if it says Unknown publisher, cancel and delete the file. 3. Follow the installer's prompts to the end. 4. Start Lightworks from the Start menu. The older Lightworks Windows guide tells you to switch off antivirus and firewall before installing. I'd leave them on. The 2026.1 installer carries an EV code signature from LWKS Software Ltd., so your security software has a verifiable publisher to check, and switching protection off removes the layer that would catch a tampered copy from a mirror. If your antivirus quarantines the file anyway, check the signature as described below, then restore it. Fresh 2026.1 installs keep projects and media in your own Documents\\Lightworks folder. If you upgraded from an older version, Lightworks keeps using C:\\Users\\Public\\Documents\\Lightworks, as the [media management guide](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/media-management?ref=lightworksguide.net) lists. ## Install Lightworks on a Mac Lightworks 2026.1 needs macOS 12 Monterey or later; the minimum used to be 10.15 Catalina. The disk image holds one Universal app, so the same download runs natively on an Intel Mac and on Apple Silicon without Rosetta. 1. Open Lightworks-2026.1.0.dmg. 2. Drag Lightworks onto the Applications folder shown in the same window. 3. Eject the disk image, then open Lightworks from Applications or Launchpad. 4. macOS asks whether you're sure you want to open an app downloaded from the internet. Choose Open. The app is signed with a Developer ID for LWKS Software Ltd and notarized by Apple, so Gatekeeper normally lets it through after that one question. If macOS blocks it instead, [Apple's route](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102445?ref=lightworksguide.net) is System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll down, click Open Anyway, then confirm with Open. I'd only use Open Anyway after the signature check below, because it saves the app as a lasting exception to your security settings. A Mac that can't run Monterey stays on Lightworks 2025.2, which the [Lightworks releases page](https://lwks.com/releases?ref=lightworksguide.net) still offers among past releases. ## Install Lightworks on Linux The official packages cover Ubuntu, Lubuntu and Xubuntu 22.04 and later, Mint 21 and later and Fedora 40 and later, all on 64-bit Intel/AMD. Open a terminal in the folder that holds the download and use the command for your package. ### Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu or Mint (DEB) sudo apt install ./lightworks_2026.1.0_amd64.deb The ./ matters: it tells apt to install the local file and fetch its dependencies from your configured repositories. Double-clicking the .deb in your software centre does the same job. ### Fedora (RPM) sudo dnf install ./lightworks_2026.1.0_amd64.rpm The older Linux guide told Fedora users to enable the RPM Fusion free and non-free repositories before installing, and the 2026 setup guide no longer mentions that step. I'd run the dnf command first and add RPM Fusion only if dnf reports a missing dependency, because a third-party repository affects packages well beyond Lightworks. The RPM itself carries no GPG signature, so your protection is the source: download it from lwks.com and nowhere else. ### Flatpak sudo flatpak install ./lightworks_2026.1.0.flatpak flatpak run com.lwks.Lightworks The bundle depends on the Freedesktop 25.08 runtime. If flatpak can't find it, add Flathub with the command from [Flathub's setup page](https://flathub.org/setup?ref=lightworksguide.net) and run the install again: flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo ### Snap sudo snap install ./lightworks_2026.1.0.snap --classic --dangerous lightworks Both flags are needed for a snap installed from a file rather than the Snap Store: --dangerous because a local file has no store signature to check, and --classic because this package is built to run without the usual Snap sandbox. The second line starts Lightworks. ## Is Lightworks safe to download Lightworks from lwks.com is safe to install: the download page serves the files from Lightworks' own servers, and the Windows and Mac installers are signed by LWKS Software Ltd. The risk sits with copies hosted elsewhere. Several download mirrors that rank for this search still offer old versions, one as far back as 12.5, and some still describe a 720p limit on the Free plan that 2026.1 no longer has. One even calls Lightworks open source, which it isn't. A one-minute check settles it for each platform: - **Windows:** right-click the .exe, choose Properties and open the Digital Signatures tab. The signer should be LWKS Software Ltd. If the tab is missing, the file isn't the official installer. - **Mac:** after copying the app, run the command below in Terminal. If you see accepted, source=Notarized Developer ID and LWKS Software Ltd (7SP64L7NC9), it's the signed, notarized build. If you see rejected, delete it and download again from lwks.com. - **Linux:** DEB, RPM, Flatpak and Snap files have no signature you can read this way, so download them straight from lwks.com over HTTPS and skip mirrors entirely. spctl -a -vv /Applications/Lightworks.app ![Three checks: the Windows .exe shows LWKS Software Ltd. on its Digital Signatures tab, the Mac .dmg is notarized for LWKS Software Ltd, and Linux .deb and .rpm files come over HTTPS from lwks.com; an old version on a mirror should be skipped.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/lightworks-installer-signature-check.webp) One quick check per platform before you run the installer. ## Update from Lightworks 2025.2 to 2026.1 When a new version is out, a notification appears at the top of the Project Browser, and clicking it takes you to the download. For a major upgrade like 2026.1, work in this order: 1. Back up or archive every project you care about. The [backup and restore guide](https://lightworksguide.net/learn/backup-restore/) shows both routes. 2. Close Lightworks. 3. Install 2026.1 with the same steps as a fresh install for your platform. 4. Open each project. Lightworks warns you when an older project needs upgrading, and [upgrading creates a new independent copy](https://lwks.com/lightworks-knowledge-base/projects?ref=lightworksguide.net) for the current version. Changes you make after that won't appear in 2025.2. I'd finish and export any project with a deadline in 2025.2 first, then upgrade. Lightworks says full backwards compatibility with older versions can't be guaranteed, so a half-finished edit is safer in the version it started in. Settings move too. On Windows, 2026.1 moves your preferences out of the registry into Lightworks\\Preferences\\UserSettings.txt on first launch; on Linux they move to \~/Lightworks/Preferences/UserSettings.txt. A setting you change in 2026.1 isn't shared with older versions. The interface itself was redrawn and the timeline rebuilt around new track headers and a new trimming model, as [What's New in Lightworks](https://lwks.com/whats-new?ref=lightworksguide.net) sets out, so the [keyboard shortcuts by task](https://lightworksguide.net/editing/keyboard-shortcuts/) are worth a look before your first edit. ![Update path in four steps: back up projects, close Lightworks, install 2026.1 and open the project, which creates an upgraded copy for 2026.1 while the original stays for 2025.2; settings are not shared between versions.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b6/14/b614b785-090f-41ec-b456-227b43270d07/content/images/2026/10/lightworks-update-2025-2-to-2026-1.webp) Back up first: opening a project in 2026.1 creates an upgraded copy that 2025.2 won't see. ## First launch and sign-in Lightworks opens in the Project Browser, where you create and reopen projects, and a startup tour plus one-time hints point out the main areas. Sign in with your Lightworks account when prompted: the licence tier (Free, Create or Pro) follows your account, and Lightworks activates the computer for you. Until you register, guest use runs for a limited period. From there, the [beginner tutorial](https://lightworksguide.net/learn/first-video/) takes you from import to a first export. If you're deciding whether Free is enough, the [Free, Create and Pro comparison](https://lightworksguide.net/compare/free-create-pro/) sets out what each plan adds. ## Uninstall Lightworks Uninstalling removes the program. Your projects and imported media live in the Lightworks folder: Documents\\Lightworks on Windows (Public Documents if you upgraded from an older version), and \~/Lightworks on Mac and Linux. Copy that folder somewhere safe first if there's anything in it you might want back, and decide separately whether to delete it by hand. - **Windows:** Settings > Apps > Installed apps (Apps & features on Windows 10), find Lightworks and choose Uninstall. - **Mac:** quit Lightworks, then drag it from Applications to the Trash. - **Linux:** use the command for the package you installed. sudo apt remove lightworks sudo dnf remove lightworks sudo flatpak uninstall com.lwks.Lightworks sudo snap remove lightworks If you're reinstalling because Lightworks keeps crashing, I'd work through the [crash diagnosis](https://lightworksguide.net/fix/crashing/) first. It isolates whether a project, a media file or a setting triggers the crash, and a fresh copy of the program alone may not touch any of those. ## If the install fails - If apt says it's unable to locate the package, you typed the file name without ./ in front, so apt searched its repositories instead of the file. - If dnf lists missing dependencies, add the RPM Fusion repositories and run the same command again. - If flatpak can't find the org.freedesktop.Platform runtime, add Flathub as shown above. - If your Mac won't open the app on macOS 11 or earlier, the system is below the 2026.1 floor; update to Monterey or later, or use 2025.2 from the releases page. - If Windows names a different publisher, or none at all, don't run the file. Download it again from lwks.com. - If a guide tells you the Free plan stops at 720p, it predates 2026.1\. Free exports up to 1080p now, and the [export resolution guide](https://lightworksguide.net/export/resolution-limits/) explains what each plan offers.