# Capture One

Application: Capture One A/S

Also called capture one pro, phase one capture

Capture One A/S, Creative

A paid tethering and catalog app, once Phase One. CaptureOne.exe is the process. It is not Lightroom.

## What you need to know

Capture One is a paid tether catalog. It is not Lightroom.

CaptureOne.exe is the Phase One descendant. Lightroom is Adobe. A Capture One catalog is not an .lrcat file.

- **What is it?**: Paid raw catalog

  **Still current?**: Yes, see Current status

  **Official download?**: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If CaptureOne.exe is the process, that is Capture One, once Phase One, not Lightroom. I would not hunt Lightroom.exe to explain a Capture One catalog.

## What is Capture One?

Capture One is a professional raw catalog and tether app. The Windows executable is CaptureOne.exe.

## If you have never used it

Capture One is a paid raw catalog and tethering app. It used to be Phase One's software. CaptureOne.exe is the process. It is not Lightroom. Download from captureone.com. Sessions and catalogs are the two workflows people mean.

## What is it used for?

**Tethered capture**

Shoot into a session. Lightroom can tether. Capture One is known for this.

**Catalog**

A paid catalog. Lightroom Classic uses .lrcat. This is Capture One.

**Styles**

Capture One styles. Lightroom presets do not paste 1:1.

## Who is it for?

- Studio photographers who tether
- People who left Lightroom for a paid catalog
- Anyone still saying Phase One software

## Current status

Capture One (2003) is a current paid raw catalog from Capture One A/S. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.captureone.com/.

## How old is it?

Phase One shipped Capture One in 2003 for their backs. The company later became Capture One A/S. Lightroom shipped in 2007. Current Capture One is still the tether-first paid catalog.

## Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Current Windows build

## System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

### Minimum

| Operating system | A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| RAM              | 8 GB class, per Capture One. Sessions want more                      |

## Resource profile

- **CPU demand**: Follows what you open inside the app

  **RAM demand**: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

## Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

| CaptureOne.exe | Main Windows executable |
| -------------- | ----------------------- |

## Startup components

Capture One does not need to start with Windows.

## File locations

| Typical install | C:\Program Files\Capture One\Capture One \<year>\\ |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |

## File formats

COF / catalog, RAW, IIQ, JPEG

## Common problems

### Session vs catalog mix-up

Sessions are folder-based. Catalogs are the library. Lightroom Classic is catalog-only in spirit.

### License device limit

Capture One accounts cap seats. That is not Creative Cloud.

## Getting unstuck

### Confirm CaptureOne.exe

Program Files\Capture One is the app. Lightroom.exe is Adobe.

### Install from captureone.com

Avoid Phase One crack hosts.

### Repair the catalog Capture One documents

Do not delete the folder in File Explorer first.

## Alternatives

Lightroom Classic, darktable, and RawTherapee overlap. Lightroom does not replace Capture One tethering.

## Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

| Download      | [www.captureone.com/ ](https://www.captureone.com/)Official installer or vendor page |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Help          | [support.captureone.com/ ](https://support.captureone.com/)Vendor support            |
| Official site | [www.captureone.com/ ](https://www.captureone.com/)Start here, not a random exe host |

## Related hardware

Capture One lists current 64-bit Windows and 8 GB RAM class machines. Tethered bursts want disk and RAM.

## Technical details

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[Adobe Lightroom: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/adobe-lightroom)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Capture One official site ](https://www.captureone.com/)· Vendor product page
- [Capture One help ](https://support.captureone.com/)· Vendor support
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

## Was this article useful?

A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note.

Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Developer**: Capture One A/S

  **Category**: Paid raw catalog

  **Process**: CaptureOne.exe

  **License**: Subscription or perpetual, per Capture One

  **First released**: 2003

  **Official site**: [captureone.com](https://www.captureone.com/)

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/capture-one/)

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