Organize, find and compare your photos and videos on Windows.
Diffractor is a fast, free Windows app that works directly with files on your PC and connected drives. Your collection is simply the folders you choose for Diffractor to index. The index makes search and possible-copy checks fast; your photos and videos stay in ordinary Windows folders and are not uploaded.
View everything
View photos and play videos or audio files without switching apps. It supports most formats, including RAW photos. No extra codecs needed.Find anything
search by any metadata properties. The sidebar provides an overview by date, location, or file type. XMP, IPTC, EXIF, ID3, and other common metadata standards are supported.Compare and sort
Compare photos and videos side‑by‑side, highlight the best items with ratings, tags, and flags, and prune the rest.Edit and fix
Users can add or fix metadata like ratings, tags, and locations. Simple photo edits include resize, rotate, crop, and adjust color.Browse before you import
Browse a camera card, external drive, or any folder without moving its files. Diffractor shows which items are already in your collection or may have a matching copy there. Use Import only when you want to copy or move files into your collection, and review possible matches first.Synchronize to your own storage
Compare your collection with a NAS or network drive, then copy changes in either direction. Synchronization can delete files and is not a backup, so review the differences and options before applying them.↓ Download as Windows installer
Version 1.26.4(released 2026-07-02)
Diffractor can be used for free.
Older versions and source code are available at Github.
Diffractor is covered by Terms and an End User License Agreement.
↓ Download as zip file
Not portable; settings are stored in the registry, and the metadata cache is stored in the user profile.Diffractor supports English, German, Spanish, and Italian. Translated by amazing volunteers.
Diffractor started small but is now used by thousands of people!
