Questions and answers
What people ask before and after installing Lightbox.
The basics
Is Lightbox free?
Yes. Download it and use it; there is no account and no trial.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac with Apple silicon. There is no Intel version.
The current version needs macOS 14 or later.
Which image formats does it open?
JPEG, PNG, HEIC and HEIF, TIFF, GIF, BMP and WebP. Animated images show their first frame. Video isn’t supported.
Can I edit images in Lightbox?
No. Lightbox is a viewer. The one tool that makes new files is Split, which cuts an image into pieces and saves them next to the original.
Your files
Does Lightbox change my images?
Not on its own. It changes a file only when you pick Delete, Delete Folder, Split or Rename Folder. Each of them asks first, except Split when you turn that question off. Viewing, starring and sorting never touch your originals.
What is the .thumbnails folder?
A hidden folder Lightbox keeps beside your images. It holds one small preview per image and the stars you gave in that folder. That is how a folder you have opened before appears almost at once.
Stop Tracking removes the previews and keeps your stars. Deleting the folder in Finder is also safe for your images, but it takes that folder’s stars with it.
Where do deleted images go?
To the Trash, where you can put them back. On a drive without a Trash, Lightbox tells you so and asks a second time before deleting for good.
Folders and drives
Does it work with a network drive?
Yes. The first visit to a folder takes as long as the drive needs to read it. After that, Lightbox shows its saved thumbnails first and checks for changes in the background.
What happens when a drive isn't connected?
Its folders stay in the sidebar, dimmed. When the drive is back, they work again.
I renamed or moved a folder in Finder. Is it lost?
No. Lightbox follows a folder that was renamed or moved. If it can’t find it, choose Locate and point to the new place.
Does it show subfolders?
Yes. Track a folder and its subfolders appear under it. Deeper levels are read when you open them.
Updating and removing
How do I update?
Lightbox checks shortly after it opens and offers the new version with its notes. You can also choose Lightbox › Check for Updates…. If your copy has no Check for Updates… in its Lightbox menu, it is from before in-app updates: download the current version once by hand.
How do I remove Lightbox completely?
First use Stop Tracking on your folders, which removes their thumbnails. Then quit Lightbox and move it from Applications to the Trash. Its list of folders is in ~/Library/Application Support/Lightbox; delete that folder too. Stop Tracking leaves a small hidden .thumbnails folder where a folder keeps its stars and the note that lets Lightbox find it again; delete those in Finder if you want nothing left.