Official sources only
Safe means the bytes come from NickeManarin/ScreenToGif or winget id NickeManarin.ScreenToGif; releases: GitHub Releases. Homepage field: screentogif.com. Cluster: download a gif maker safely, open source gif maker on GitHub, gif maker releases, about.
Winget command:
winget install -e --id NickeManarin.ScreenToGifSkip Softonic-style wrappers, email attachments, and extra exes named gif maker on Desktop. Keep one official ScreenToGif copy. Browser encoder move: switch from browser gif tools.
These notes do not invent Authenticode status. Fetch from GitHub Releases, winget, the Microsoft Store listing the README names, or the Chocolatey package the README names. Do not treat a blog mirror as a fifth official store.
MS-PL, no account, local files
License is Microsoft Public License. You can read the source on GitHub. The README does not require a login. The README does not claim a telemetry product. Do not invent a tracker.
No paid tier is listed for ScreenToGif. README lists PayPal, Patreon, and Ko-fi donations. Store, Chocolatey, and GitHub are distribution, not a paywall. README asks people not to sell the app as theirs.
Recordings and exports stay on the PC you used. That is the privacy story these notes can actually support. Issues go to ScreenToGif issues, not to a comment form; wiki: ScreenToGif wiki.
Which GitHub files to run
| File | Run it? | Role |
|---|---|---|
ScreenToGif.*.Setup.x64.msi | Yes | Default full WiX setup, also what winget wraps |
ScreenToGif.*.Portable.x64.zip | Extract, then run the exe | Portable payload |
| Light setup or light portable | Yes, official | Smaller pair. Needs .NET on the PC |
ScreenToGif.*.Package.*.msix | Optional | Store-style package on the same tag |
| Arm64 or x86 siblings | Yes, if that is the PC | Match architecture |
| Random mirror exe | No | Not the repo |
Winget id NickeManarin.ScreenToGif | Yes | Same full setup via App Installer |
Chooser: portable or setup. Light versus full: light or full. Windows install: install on Windows; winget howto: how to install winget.
How to verify you have the real app
Match publisher Nicke Manarin and package id NickeManarin.ScreenToGif in winget. On Releases, match the setup or portable filename patterns above. PackageUrl in winget-pkgs points at the product site. If a listing uses a different publisher, stop.
The Microsoft Store id README names is 9N3SQK8PDS8G. Chocolatey package page is screentogif, publisher NickeManarin. Supporting paths. Pick one official door and stay on it.
The current GitHub tag lists x64, x86, and Arm64. Take the name that matches the PC. Install .NET 9 Desktop Runtime or above from Microsoft if the window never opens.
After install
Launch ScreenToGif, pick screen, webcam, or sketchboard, record a throwaway take, export a test gif. More: gif maker for this computer, open source gif maker on Windows, guides, gif maker. Webcam: webcam guide. Record: record on Windows. Export: export gif, apng, video. FFmpeg: FFmpeg guide.
App Installer: Microsoft App Installer. Compare other capture tools honestly: vs EZGIF, vs ShareX, vs LICEcap. Resize: gif resizer. Convert: gif converter. Make: make a gif. Move off the tab: move off web encoders.
Wrapper sites and extra exes
Homepage-style ads and countdown sites wrap the name. A wrapper is not GitHub. Keep the bytes on GitHub or winget id NickeManarin.ScreenToGif. If a friend forwards an exe named gif maker, do not run it. Match the setup filename pattern or the winget id, then record a test clip.
The README does not list an Android installer or a Mac package. If a search result offers an apk or a brew cask for this name, it is not the path these notes map. Kap is a macOS recorder. It is not this Windows gif maker.
License and donations
Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL) covers the source. LICENSE.txt is on master. README lists PayPal, Patreon, and Ko-fi donations and asks people not to sell the app as their own. Donations are not a paid tier. There is no account product in the README install path.
What the app actually stores
No account is required. Exports land where you save them. That is a local folder, not a cloud vault. Do not invent a sync product.
Clicks and keys are not the job. The job is frames. Set a small region. Stop. Edit. Export. Product bugs go to GitHub issues. Editorial: about. License remains MS-PL for setup, portable, light, and MSIX. Filename patterns still say the current release in public copy.
Safe-download steps:
- Download from NickeManarin/ScreenToGif releases or install with winget id
NickeManarin.ScreenToGif. - Take the setup MSI or portable zip that matches x64, x86, or Arm64.
- Do not run Softonic, CNET, or random mirrors that wrap the name.
- After setup, launch ScreenToGif, record a throwaway clip, and save a gif to a folder you named.
Runtime, architecture, and what safe does not mean
Safe does not mean this guide invents Authenticode. It means the bytes match GitHub Releases or winget id NickeManarin.ScreenToGif. The README requires .NET 9 Desktop Runtime or above. Full setup MSI bundles it. Light files expect it. A missing runtime looks like a broken app, not a hostile file.
Match x64, x86, or Arm64. Files: gif maker releases. Source: gif maker on GitHub; windows: gif maker on Windows. Winget: how to install winget; home: gif maker home.
Current release notes mention FFmpeg 7 for video import and export. Download that extra from inside ScreenToGif. A random FFmpeg zip from a blog is a new trust decision. Convert: gif converter. Capture: make a gif. Resize: gif resizer. Browser: gif maker versus EZGIF.
There is no Mac installer on this GitHub tag and no Android installer. Kap is a separate macOS recorder. LICEcap’s Mac build lives on Cockos. Phone video copies to Windows.
Keep recordings local on the PC that captured them. Webcam capture is still a local file. Skip wrapper sites that ask you to sign in to download ScreenToGif. The README asks people not to sell the app as their own; more notes: guides; issues: NickeManarin/ScreenToGif issues; wiki: ScreenToGif wiki.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I download a gif maker safely?
Use GitHub Releases or winget id NickeManarin.ScreenToGif. Take the setup MSI or portable zip for your architecture. Skip Softonic, CNET, and random mirrors; related: download safely.
Is this gif maker open source?
Yes. The license is MS-PL on LICENSE.txt in the repo. Source is NickeManarin/ScreenToGif. You can read LICENSE.txt on master. No account is required to run the app. Settings and exports stay on the PC.
Does this gif maker need an account?
No. The README does not require a login. Recordings and exports stay on the PC you used. There is no cloud seat in the README; related: guides.
Is the Microsoft Store listing official?
README points at the Microsoft Store listing id 9N3SQK8PDS8G as a supporting path. GitHub Releases and winget remain the two paths these notes map. Pick one door so you do not stack copies.
Can I trust a Softonic gif maker download?
Skip Softonic, CNET, and countdown wrappers. Match publisher Nicke Manarin and package id NickeManarin.ScreenToGif. Files stay on GitHub Releases or winget. Safety cluster: download a gif maker safely.