Anycubic Slicer: Download, Setup, and Anycubic Slicer Next

If you searched for "Anycubic Slicer," you are almost certainly trying to find and install the FDM slicing software that ships profiles for Anycubic printers like the Kobra series. There are two things that share the name, and the difference matters before you download anything. The original Anycubic Slicer and the newer Anycubic Slicer Next are not the same program, and they are not built on the same engine. This guide gets you to the right download fast, walks through install and setup, and explains where each version fits.

One thing to clear up immediately: Anycubic Slicer is the FDM (filament) slicer. It is a separate product from Photon Workshop, which is Anycubic's resin slicer for the Photon line. If you have a resin printer, you want Photon Workshop, not anything covered here.

Quick answer: which version to download

For almost everyone with a current Anycubic FDM printer, the answer is Anycubic Slicer Next. It is the actively maintained version, it is built on OrcaSlicer, and it carries the up to date printer profiles and cloud printing features.

	Anycubic Slicer (original)	Anycubic Slicer Next
Base engine	Cura derived	OrcaSlicer derived
Status	Legacy, minimal updates	Actively developed
Best for	Older Kobra profiles, existing setups	Current printers (Kobra S1, Kobra 3, and newer)
Cloud / LAN printing	Limited	Yes, via Anycubic Cloud and LAN

If you are setting up a printer today, skip straight to Anycubic Slicer Next.

Where to download Anycubic Slicer

Get it from Anycubic directly. Avoid third party "download portals" that wrap installers, since they are a common vector for bundled junk and out of date builds.

• Anycubic Slicer Next download
• Anycubic's Firmware & Software hub, which links both the legacy slicer and Slicer Next plus printer firmware
• Anycubic Wiki, which has a dedicated Anycubic Slicer Next section with a quick start guide and update notes

Slicer Next is distributed for the three desktop platforms:

OS	Format
Windows (64-bit)	.exe installer
macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel)	.dmg
Linux	.AppImage (portable)

Version numbers move quickly, and the exact build on the download page can change without much ceremony. Do not chase a version number from an article. Use the official download page, then check the release notes or in-app updater if you need to confirm a specific printer profile or bug fix.

Installing Anycubic Slicer Next

Windows

1. Download the .exe from the official page.
2. Run the installer and accept the default install location unless you have a reason to change it.
3. Launch the app. On first run it will ask you to add a printer.

macOS

1. Download the .dmg that matches your chip (Apple Silicon or Intel).
2. Drag the app into Applications.
3. On first launch, if macOS blocks an unidentified developer, open it once via right click then Open, or allow it under System Settings, Privacy and Security.

Linux

The Linux build is an .AppImage, so there is no real install step. Mark it executable and run it:

chmod +x Anycubic_Slicer_Next*.AppImage
./Anycubic_Slicer_Next*.AppImage

First-run setup

After install, the flow is the same one OrcaSlicer users will recognize:

1. Select your printer. Pick your exact model so the machine profile, bed shape, and build volume are correct.
2. Pick a filament profile. Start from an Anycubic preset for the material you are actually loading (PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU).
3. Choose a process/quality profile. Layer height and speed presets are tied to the printer.
4. Slice and preview. Import an STL or 3MF, slice, and inspect the toolpath and time estimate before you commit.

If you have used OrcaSlicer or Bambu Studio, you will be productive in Anycubic Slicer Next within minutes, because the layout, the profile system, and the preview tooling are the same lineage.

The two versions, explained

The original Anycubic Slicer

The first Anycubic Slicer was Cura derived. For years Anycubic's recommended FDM workflow was Cura plus Anycubic supplied profiles, and the original first party slicer grew out of that Cura ecosystem. It still works for older Kobra models and existing setups, but it no longer receives meaningful updates and does not get the newest printer profiles. If you are happy with an existing install and an older printer, there is no urgent reason to move, but it is not where new development is happening.

Anycubic Slicer Next (OrcaSlicer based)

Anycubic Slicer Next is a different program built on a different engine: it is forked from OrcaSlicer, which is itself a fork of Bambu Studio (which descends from PrusaSlicer). This is the version Anycubic actively maintains. Because it is OrcaSlicer underneath, it inherits OrcaSlicer's strengths: per object settings, a strong calibration suite (flow ratio, pressure advance, temperature towers), modifier meshes, and a mature 3MF based project workflow. If you want to understand the file format these slicers produce and why it carries more than just toolpaths, see our breakdown of the 3MF file format.

Because it shares the OrcaSlicer core, much of what we have written about the OrcaSlicer command-line interface is relevant if you ever want to drive Anycubic Slicer Next style slicing headlessly. The same broad concepts apply across several OrcaSlicer forks used by printer vendors, and across the family covered in our Bambu Studio CLI reference.

Supported printers and profiles

Anycubic Slicer Next ships first party profiles for Anycubic's current FDM lineup. The exact profile list changes with releases, but the important families are the newer high speed and multicolor Kobra machines:

• Anycubic Kobra S1 (and S1 Combo)
• Anycubic Kobra 3 (and Kobra 3 Combo)
• Anycubic Kobra S1 Max / Combo
• Other current Kobra series machines

Coverage expands as new printers ship and as Anycubic publishes profile updates, so check the in-app printer list before assuming your exact model is covered. For multicolor combos, Slicer Next is where the multimaterial and color assignment features live, alongside network and device-control features for supported machines.

If you run an older printer that only has a community OrcaSlicer profile rather than a first party one, you can usually import that profile into Slicer Next, since the underlying format is shared.

Key features over the older slicer

Moving from the original Anycubic Slicer to Slicer Next gets you:

• OrcaSlicer's calibration tooling. Built in flow, pressure advance, and temperature calibration that the Cura based slicer did not offer in the same form.
• Cloud and LAN printing. Send jobs to supported printers over the network and through Anycubic Cloud, rather than only exporting gcode to a card.
• Modern multicolor support. Color and material assignment for combo machines with the multimaterial systems.
• Active profile updates. New printers and refined presets land here first.

How it differs from stock OrcaSlicer

Anycubic Slicer Next is a vendor fork, so expect:

• Anycubic printers preconfigured. Machine definitions and tuned presets for Anycubic hardware ship in the box.
• Anycubic Cloud and account integration. Network and cloud printing are wired to Anycubic's services.
• A version lag against upstream. Like every vendor fork, Slicer Next trails mainline OrcaSlicer releases, so a brand new upstream feature may take a release or two to arrive.

If you run a mixed farm, this is the usual tradeoff with every vendor slicer: the vendor build has the best support for its own printers but lags upstream, while stock OrcaSlicer tracks upstream but needs manual profiles for vendor hardware.

Common issues and complaints

A few recurring themes from users:

• Confusion between the two versions. People download the legacy slicer, then wonder why their new printer or feature is missing. Confirm you have Slicer Next.
• Beta rough edges. Slicer Next has spent time labeled beta, and some releases ship with bugs that the next update fixes. Staying current usually resolves more than it breaks.
• macOS gatekeeper prompts. Unsigned or newly signed builds can trigger the unidentified developer warning. Allow it manually on first launch.
• Profile gaps for older or third party setups. Not every legacy printer has a polished first party profile in Slicer Next yet. Community OrcaSlicer profiles fill the gap.
• Cloud and account friction. Cloud printing depends on Anycubic's account and network stack, which adds moving parts compared to plain card based printing.

Running more than one Anycubic printer

A desktop slicer like Anycubic Slicer Next is built around one person at one machine: open a model, slice it, send it to a printer. That model breaks down the moment you are running several printers, multiple operators, or a real production queue. Profiles drift between machines, slicing becomes a manual bottleneck, and nobody has a single view of what is printing.

This is the problem Printago solves. Instead of each operator slicing on their own desktop, Printago centralizes your slicing profiles so every job uses the same vetted settings, runs cloud slicing so you are not tied to one workstation, routes jobs to the right printer automatically, and gives you real time progress across the whole fleet. Your Anycubic printers sit alongside any other brand in one queue. If you want the broader picture, our guides on print farm slicing and how to set up a 3D print farm cover the workflow end to end.

Anycubic Slicer Next is the right tool to dial in a model and a material. When you are ready to run that work across a farm without slicing every job by hand, Printago handles the production workflow around it.