82 fixed bugs: What GIMP 3.2.8 changes in the text tool and on macOS 27

The GIMP team has released version 3.2.8, a maintenance update for the stable 3.2 series. Since version 3.2.6, the developers have fixed 82 reported bugs and worked through a number of security reports concerning older image plug-ins. Like every GIMP release, the update costs nothing and is available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and on Windows also in the Microsoft Store. The German interface is included as usual; among the eleven translations the team updated this time, German is not one of them.

What changes when editing?

The Add Border filter (Filters → Decor) now also creates semi-transparent borders, derived from the color you set in the filter. The other changes fix bugs that are bothersome in everyday use:

• In the Text tool, the cursor now moves cleanly through text with negative kerning and through languages that run from right to left. Two new icons in the on-canvas text box set the writing direction; without a click, GIMP detects the direction on its own.
• Non-rectangular selections from layers inside a layer group can be copied correctly again. This bug had only been introduced in version 3.2.6.
• If you pick the input values with the color picker in the Levels dialog, the numbers are correct again, even with non-destructive filters.
• When copying to other programs, GIMP now includes the image's DPI information. Programs with a different resolution can thus scale the pasted image appropriately.
• View → Dot for Dot works again. Since GIMP 3.0, the setting had been working with an incorrect pixel density.
• GIMP draws gradients over 6000 × 6000 pixels faster, and the animated selection outline needs less computing time.

What does the update bring on Mac, Windows and Linux?

Changes in macOS 27 had caused GIMP to display its title bars as transparent. Version 3.2.8 shows title bars and icons in the menu bar with a background color again. On Macs with an Intel chip, the Gatekeeper warnings no longer appear, and the team reports that the bug with an empty interface at program start on some Macs has been fixed.

On Windows 11, print preview now also works in the system's new print dialog, and page setup uses the selected printer instead of the default device. Also fixed is the freezing when moving the canvas after you have opened several images at once. The AppImage version for Linux now installs Python packages via pip; the prerequisite remains a distribution released after Debian 13.

How serious are the security fixes?

Automated scanning tools are currently reporting many security issues to the GIMP project, as they are to other open-source projects. Most often affected are older image plug-ins and filters that accept the size specification in an image file without checking it. A manipulated file then crashes the plug-in, not GIMP itself. The team does not publish CVE numbers or a severity rating.

According to this description, version 3.2.8 is not an emergency update. If you regularly open files from outside sources, such as client material or downloads from image archives, the new version nevertheless closes known vulnerabilities in precisely those plug-ins that read such files.

What this means for you

If you work on macOS 27 or print from GIMP on Windows 11, the update is worth installing right away. You can download the installer for Windows and the packages for Mac from gimp.org; the Microsoft Store version will be offered to you there as an update. On Linux, the distributions' packages follow only later; until then, the best way to get 3.2.8 is as a Flatpak, Snap or AppImage.

The team is developing larger new features in parallel for the next version, and GIMP has not yet announced a date for it. For the current series, you have the most important keyboard shortcuts at hand with the reference card for GIMP 3.2.

The GIMP team released version 3.2.8 on November 2, 2026.

Sources

• GIMP: GIMP 3.2.8 Released
• GIMP Documentation: Add Border
• GIMP Documentation: Dot for Dot