Install¶

You do not need Python or anything else to use PrintView3D. Pick your system:

System	Download
Windows 10 / 11	`PrintView3D-Setup.exe` (or the portable `PrintView3D-windows.zip`)	Instructions
Linux (64-bit, x86-64)	`PrintView3D-x86_64.AppImage`	Instructions
macOS 14.4+ (Apple silicon: M1 and newer), beta	`PrintView3D-macOS-AppleSilicon.dmg`	Instructions
macOS 14.4+ (Intel), beta	`PrintView3D-macOS-Intel.dmg`	Instructions

All downloads are on the latest release page.

Windows¶

Go to the latest release and download PrintView3D-Setup.exe.
Double-click it and click Next → Install → Finish.
Installs for your user account only, so no administrator password is needed.
Adds PrintView3D to the Start menu (desktop shortcut optional) and to "Open with" for .stl, .3mf and .gcode files.
PrintView3D starts. Done.

Previews in File Explorer: the installer also shows thumbnails of 3MF, STL, G-code and FreeCAD files in File Explorer (you can untick this during installation). 3MF, G-code and FreeCAD show the preview picture saved by your slicer or FreeCAD; STL files are drawn. If thumbnails don't appear at once, switch the folder view to Large icons, or sign out and in again. (If PowerToys' File Explorer add-ons are on, PowerToys keeps showing STL and G-code thumbnails.)

Updating: download the new PrintView3D-Setup.exe and run it. It replaces the old version and keeps your settings.

"Windows protected your PC"? Releases are not code-signed yet (free signing through the SignPath Foundation is being applied for, see Code signing policy), so Windows SmartScreen may warn the first time. Click More info → Run anyway. All the source code is in this repository, and every release is built automatically by GitHub Actions from that code.

Portable version: download PrintView3D-windows.zip, extract it and run PrintView3D.exe. Nothing is installed. (install_windows.bat in the zip still works too.)

Make it the default program for 3D files (optional)¶

In PrintView3D, click Settings.
Open the Files page and click Register & choose as default….
Windows Settings opens. Pick PrintView3D for .stl, .3mf and .gcode.

Windows requires you to confirm this last step yourself; no program is allowed to do it silently. Remove registration in the same place undoes everything.

Uninstall¶

Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps → PrintView3D → Uninstall. This removes the program, its shortcuts and file associations, and asks whether to delete your settings too. (Portable version: run uninstall_windows.bat from the extracted folder.)

Linux¶

PrintView3D for Linux is a single AppImage file: it contains everything it needs and runs on most distributions without installing packages: Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, Linux Mint 21+, Debian 12+, Fedora 36+, openSUSE Tumbleweed, Arch, Manjaro, Pop!_OS, elementary OS, Zorin OS and others.

Download PrintView3D-x86_64.AppImage from the latest release.
Make it executable: right-click it → Properties → Permissions → Allow executing file as program, or in a terminal:
```
chmod +x PrintView3D-x86_64.AppImage
```
Double-click it, or run ./PrintView3D-x86_64.AppImage.

Add it to your applications menu (optional, recommended): in PrintView3D open Settings → Files and click Register & make default. PrintView3D then appears in your applications menu and in "Open With", and opens .stl, .3mf and .gcode files on double-click. On Linux this takes effect immediately; Remove registration undoes it.

Tip: keep the AppImage in a fixed place such as ~/Applications before registering, because the menu entry points to wherever the file is. Or let the script do it all:

./install_linux.sh PrintView3D-x86_64.AppImage     # copies to ~/Applications + adds the menu entry
./uninstall_linux.sh                               # removes it again

(The two scripts are in the source code.)

Slicers on Linux are found automatically when installed as an AppImage (in ~/Applications, ~/Downloads, ~/Desktop, ~/bin, /opt…), as a Flatpak or Snap, from your distribution's packages, or in /opt. Otherwise choose it once with Browse… in Settings.

Linux troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Nothing happens / "AppImages require FUSE"	Install FUSE: `sudo apt install libfuse2` (Ubuntu/Debian), `sudo dnf install fuse fuse-libs` (Fedora). Or run it without FUSE: `./PrintView3D-x86_64.AppImage --appimage-extract-and-run`
`GLIBC_2.35 not found`	Your distribution is older than Ubuntu 22.04 / Debian 12. Build from source instead (below).
Window opens but the 3D view stays black	Make sure your graphics driver is installed (Mesa or the NVIDIA driver). In a virtual machine, enable 3D acceleration.
Wayland desktop	Supported. PrintView3D automatically runs through XWayland, because the 3D view needs it.
Slow rotation on a laptop with two GPUs	Start PrintView3D from the applications menu after Register (the menu entry asks for the dedicated GPU), or use your desktop's Launch using Dedicated Graphics Card option.

macOS¶

Beta. The Mac version is built and checked automatically, but has not been tried by many people on real Macs yet. Please tell us how it works: your Mac model, macOS version, and anything that looks wrong.

For macOS 14.4 (Sonoma) or newer, in two versions; pick the one for your Mac (Apple menu → About This Mac: Chip means Apple silicon, Processor means Intel):

Your Mac	Download
Apple silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4 and newer)	`PrintView3D-macOS-AppleSilicon.dmg`
Intel (2018 and newer, the Macs that run macOS 14)	`PrintView3D-macOS-Intel.dmg`

From the latest release download the .dmg for your Mac.
Open it and drag PrintView3D onto Applications.
Start PrintView3D from Applications. The first time, macOS says it cannot verify the app. Click Done (not "Move to Trash").
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to Security and click Open Anyway next to PrintView3D. Confirm with your password or Touch ID.

From then on it opens normally.

Why this extra step? Apple only skips it for apps from developers who pay Apple every year for a certificate and "notarization". PrintView3D is free and has no budget for that, so it is signed without an Apple account instead. The program is the same open-source code as on Windows and Linux, built automatically by GitHub Actions. (Right-click → Open no longer works for this on macOS 15 and newer; use Open Anyway as above.)

Open files with PrintView3D: in Finder, right-click a .stl, .3mf, .gcode or .FCStd file → Open With → PrintView3D. To make it the default: right-click the file → Get Info → Open with: PrintView3D → Change All….

Slicers in Applications (Creality Print, OrcaSlicer, Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, Cura, …) are found automatically. Updates: Download update opens the release page; drag the new version into Applications to replace the old one. Older Macs that can't run macOS 14: let us know if you need a version for them.