ScanTailor Advanced on Windows: How to Install and Run It
ScanTailor Advanced does not have a traditional Windows installer. The official Windows release is a portable ZIP archive: you download it, unzip it, and run the program directly. This guide walks through the whole process on Windows 10 and Windows 11, including the two things that trip up most first-time users — the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and the SmartScreen warning.
The current Windows release is v1.1.1 (released April 3, 2026). Newer releases in the v1.2.x line have so far shipped Linux builds only, so v1.1.1 is the latest official build for Windows — see the version history for the full picture.
What You Are Downloading
- File: ScanTailor-Advanced-1.1.1×64.zip
- Size: 13,998,927 bytes (about 14.0 MB)
- SHA-256: d03c9eebdf8c9196941d8a0a9a8ca52a6b6e2ed7415f362a313e7f0bd76283ab
- Architecture: 64-bit (x64) only — there is no 32-bit Windows asset in the official releases
- License: GNU General Public License v3.0
Get the file from the download page, which links the project’s official GitHub release. If you downloaded the ZIP from anywhere else, verify it before running (next step).
Step 1: Verify the Download (Recommended)
Open PowerShell in the folder where you saved the ZIP and run:
Get-FileHash .\ScanTailor-Advanced-1.1.1x64.zip -Algorithm SHA256
The result must match the SHA-256 printed above and on the download page. If it matches, the file is bit-for-bit the one the project published. If it does not match, delete it and download again from the official source.
Step 2: Extract to a Plain Folder
Right-click the ZIP and choose “Extract All”, or use a tool such as 7-Zip. Extract it to a short, simple path such as C:\ScanTailor\. A dedicated folder keeps the program, its bundled libraries and its configuration together, and avoids problems that long or deeply nested paths can cause with older tooling. You do not need administrator rights — nothing is installed system-wide.
Step 3: Install the Visual C++ Redistributable
The pre-built Windows binaries are linked against Microsoft’s Visual C++ runtime. On a fresh Windows installation the program may refuse to start and report that VCRUNTIME140.dll or MSVCP140.dll was not found. The fix is to install the latest supported x64 Visual C++ Redistributable from Microsoft — the download page links it directly. Install it once and the error goes away. Match the architecture: the ScanTailor Advanced build is x64, so the x64 redistributable is the one you need.
Step 4: Run It — and Handle SmartScreen
Open the extracted folder and double-click scantailor.exe. Because these are unsigned, community-built open-source binaries, Windows SmartScreen may show a “Windows protected your PC” message the first time. This is expected for unsigned software. If you verified the SHA-256 in Step 1, choose “More info” → “Run anyway”. Never bypass the warning for a file whose hash does not match.
One naming note: releases from v1.2.0 onward rename the executable to scantailor-advanced. That rename applies to the newer (currently Linux-only) line — in the v1.1.1 Windows build you run today, the file is still called scantailor.exe. It matters only if you later create shortcuts or scripts against a newer build.
Older Windows Versions
The project follows the support policies of its toolchain. Its README is explicit that legacy Windows versions such as Windows 7 are not exercised in the project’s CI and are best-effort only: a current build may or may not run, and if it does not, the supported options are an older tagged release or a self-built binary against an older stack. Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) are the safe ground.
Next Steps
Once the program opens, work through the six-stage pipeline — orientation, deskew, content selection, page layout, dewarping and output. The tutorials hub explains each stage, and the portable workflow guide shows how to keep the program and your projects movable between machines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an installer (.exe or .msi) for Windows?
No. The official Windows release of ScanTailor Advanced is a portable ZIP archive. You extract it to a folder and run scantailor.exe directly — there is no setup wizard and nothing is installed system-wide.
Why does Windows say VCRUNTIME140.dll was not found?
The pre-built binaries need Microsoft’s Visual C++ runtime, which is not bundled in the ZIP. Install the latest supported x64 Visual C++ Redistributable from Microsoft and the program will start.
Is v1.1.1 really the latest version for Windows?
Yes. The project’s newest release overall is v1.2.1, but the v1.2.x releases have published Linux builds only. The latest official Windows binary remains the v1.1.1 ZIP.