Download
qBlank is a single qBlank.exe of about 2.7 MB.
winget install qBlank
coming soon
The release also carries CapView.exe. It is only for moving an old CapView over; new users need just qBlank.exe.
What you need
- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
- A DirectShow capture device: almost any card, USB ones included.
- For recording, ffmpeg. qBlank fetches it when you ask, see first steps.
Where to put it
In a folder of its own that you can write to, for example C:\Games\qBlank. Not under Program Files: qBlank keeps everything beside itself, and Windows does not let programs write there.
| Beside the program | What it is |
|---|---|
qBlank.json | Settings and profiles |
qBlank.log | The log, only if you turn it on |
ffmpeg | ffmpeg's libraries, if qBlank downloaded them |
Nothing goes into the registry, except the virtual camera if you install it.
SmartScreen
qBlank is not code-signed: a certificate costs money every year. So on the first start Windows may say Windows protected your PC. Click More info, then Run anyway.
The whole source is on GitHub for anyone to read.
First steps
- Start qBlank and press F2. Under Source → Video device, pick your card. The picture appears at once.
- Shortcuts: General → Shortcuts adds them to the Start menu and the desktop.
- To record: Encoder → Download ffmpeg, about 57 MB from gyan.dev's GitHub releases (120 MB unpacked), checked against its SHA-256.
- For OBS, Discord or the browser: Recording → Virtual camera → Install camera. It asks once for administrator rights.
Everything else is in the manual.
Updates
Settings → About checks for a new version at startup if you let it, or on Check now. Download and install replaces the program. The old one is moved aside and removed on the next start, so a failed update breaks nothing. Settings and profiles stay.
Installed through winget, winget upgrade qBlank works too.
Coming from CapView
Up to version 3.7, qBlank was called CapView. In CapView 3.7, Settings → Updates finds the new version by itself. The small CapView.exe in every release then does the move:
- it downloads qBlank,
- unregisters a virtual camera registered from that folder,
- points the desktop and Start menu shortcuts at qBlank,
- and starts it.
Settings and profiles come along: a CapView.json beside the program is taken over.
Removing it
- Installed the virtual camera? Recording → Virtual camera → Uninstall camera first.
- General → Shortcuts removes the shortcuts.
- Close qBlank and delete its folder. Nothing else is left behind.
Installed through winget, winget uninstall qBlank takes the place of the last step.