Install

Windows blocked the installer (SmartScreen)

This is Windows SmartScreen, and it is not a sign anything is wrong with the file. SmartScreen flags any installer that is not signed with a paid code-signing certificate, and imagic does not have one yet, since imagic is built by one person rather than a company that has budgeted for one. Code signing is in progress with Microsoft, whose identity check is still pending, so no certificate has been issued and this warning is expected for now.

Steps

1. Click "More info"

On the blue "Windows protected your PC" screen, click the small "More info" link.

2. Click "Run anyway"

A "Run anyway" button appears once you click More info. Click it, and the installer runs normally.

3. If the file looks blocked instead

Right-click the installer, choose Properties, tick Unblock if it appears, then OK. If you saw "Error 5: Access is denied", right-click and choose Run as administrator instead.

4. Still stuck? Check your antivirus

New, unsigned installers get quarantined silently by some antivirus tools. Open its protection history or quarantine, restore or allow the file, then run setup again.

Frequently asked questions

Is the SmartScreen warning a sign imagic is unsafe?

No. It only means Windows has not seen this installer signed by a paid certificate yet. Every release's SHA-256 checksum is published on the official GitHub releases page, so you can verify the exact file you downloaded if you want to check it yourself.

Will this warning ever go away?

Once code signing is complete it should stop appearing on new releases. Code signing is in progress with Microsoft, but its identity verification is not finished, so no certificate has been issued yet and for now the warning is expected.

How do I make sure I have the genuine installer?

Only download from imagic.ink/desktop. That page links straight to our official GitHub releases, the same place the published checksums live.

Related

Full install walkthrough with screenshots Download imagic for Windows More install troubleshooting on /desktop

Other common issues

Which Mac download do I need: Apple Silicon or Intel? Opening imagic on a Mac for the first time imagic crashed right after updating, on an old photo library Where do my exported photos go? Why did my export create photo_1.jpg? Move your imagic licence to a new computer

Still stuck?

Email help@imagic.ink and a person replies, usually within hours.

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