Snapseed for PC: Running It on Windows and Mac

Snapseed is not available for Mac or Windows. The app is only available for Android and iOS devices as Google discontinued the Windows version that was developed by the original developer after they acquired Snapseed.

If you want to use Snapseed on a larger screen, you can either use an Android emulator or Snapseed on your Chromebook. Alternatively, you can use a photo editor in your web browser that has similar features to Snapseed.

Not all of the methods people suggest still work.

Five claims about Snapseed on a PC, checked

The tools for running Snapseed on a PC are constantly changing, so some of the advice below may be out of date quickly. Here is a table of the status of popular claims as of 4 November 2026:

Run the Android app in BlueStacks

An Android emulator like BlueStacks is the only way to run Snapseed on your Windows PC. Keep in mind that while emulators like BlueStacks are primarily intended for gaming, you can also use them to run other Android apps, although until you test it out, consider any other app unsupported.

BlueStacks 5 requires Windows 7 or later and a minimum of 4GB of RAM. There’s also a free version of BlueStacks called BlueStacks Air, which is built for Macs with Apple Silicon chips.

1. 1

   Install BlueStacks

   Get BlueStacks, only from bluestacks.com, and use BlueStacks 5 (Windows) or BlueStacks Air (Mac with Apple Silicon). Note that BlueStacks 16 is currently in beta and requires a PC with 12GB of RAM.

2. 2

   Sign in to Google Play

   Launch BlueStacks and sign in to the Play Store using a Google account (to keep things separate from your primary Google account, you can always create a new Google account just for this).

3. 3

   Install Snapseed

   Find Snapseed in the Play Store and install it (according to the app’s listing in the Play Store, Snapseed doesn’t include ads or watermarks).

4. 4

   Bring your photos in

   First, copy the images you want to edit to your computer, then import them into BlueStacks using the app’s built-in import feature so they’ll show up in Android apps. Our photo transfer guide covers getting them off the Galaxy.

5. 5

   Edit and export

   Edit away, using your mouse cursor instead of swiping with your finger, of course. When you’re done, export the image and copy it out of BlueStacks.

Snapseed is designed with touch controls in mind, so you may find the mouse controls a little clunky at times (for example, trying to drag a control point or pinch to zoom).

That said, if you’re familiar with Snapseed and just want access to its nifty features on a larger screen, Snapseed via BlueStacks (which requires at least 4GB of RAM) is a viable option.

Use a Chromebook

If you want to use Android apps for photo editing on your Chromebook, make sure you’re purchasing a model that supports them. While technically you can use Android apps from the Play Store on a Chromebook (and they’re the only laptops on which you can use Android apps with no emulator required!), Google warns that the Play Store is only available on some models and not all apps are compatible with all Chromebooks.

Edit in a browser instead

In Google’s help page for photo and image editing in Google Photos they list cropping and filters and adjustments (sliders to adjust light and colour etc.), Portrait light and Sky as being available to use on the web version of Google Photos. They do go on to say that not all of the Photos editing features are available on the web and that some require a minimum of 4GB of RAM.

Photopea sounds like it could be the answer, a Photoshop-like editor that will run in a browser window and can handle PSD files! According to the information on Photopea’s home page, it’s free to use, your photos don’t leave your device (nothing is uploaded), it supports PSD files fully and can open RAW image files (including DNG files) so Expert RAW files open straight away.

Polarr’s online photo editor has moved home, as the older URL (photo.polarr.com) no longer works, but photoeditor.polarr.com is up and running.

Or edit on the phone and move the files

If you shoot RAW on your Galaxy and don’t want to invest in a full-blown desktop editing application, batch-capable Snapseed 4 (according to its Play listing) can also import LUTs and XMP-based presets so you can streamline your workflow and move finished JPEGs to your computer. Even the editor that ships with the Galaxy can make some of these tweaks, a topic our Samsung photo editor guide tackles.

Our Snapseed guide explains the main tools, and the Lightroom vs Snapseed comparison is worth reading if you want an editor that also has a desktop version. Lightroom for Windows/Mac and Android is a logical choice if you want to be able to work on images interchangeably on your phone and computer.