How to Safely Download Software and Avoid Malware
Learn how to safely download software from trusted sources & avoid malware with Softonic's scanner system & checksum calculator.
Software can be expensive, but there are often free competitive programs that can be used instead. You can download and install thousands of software titles on your computer for almost any use case. You should only download and install programs from trusted publishers and retail websites. In your web browser, select the link to the program.
Softonic is a totally secure and legal platform that guarantees its users the best content. It can be used on Windows, MAC, and mobile phones, which can also be infected or hacked. To keep your devices secure and free of malicious content, it is important to know which platforms to download software, games, applications, etc. from.
It may be tempting to try to find downloads that claim to be free versions, but that's illegal and is considered software piracy. The Softonic catalog is very extensive and every day users from all over the world make millions of downloads, so there is a very strict security system and privacy policy in place. Softonic has a scanner system consisting of more than 60 antivirus scanners that scan all the content contained in the download links in its extensive catalog at all times. But your download adventures will be accompanied by the inevitable dance around websites that sometimes look suspicious, followed by the knot you tie in your stomach that maybe, just maybe, you could be downloading a nasty piece of malware.
These programs are often referred to as PUPs, potentially unwanted programs and have nothing to do with the program you are trying to download and install. You don't get any misleading ads that move your eyes to other directions to trick you into accessing a link and downloading a file you don't want. Not only can they scan your files before installing them, but many will prevent you from downloading files that contain viruses and malware. If a paid version is also offered, the best software programs will make it clear on their website that there are differences and will explain precisely what those differences are, helping to confirm what you're getting before you hit the download button.
The download site earns money from the creators of those programs by including them with the one you were looking for. That way, when you come across a website that tries to make you download a program with an installer or a download program, you'll remember to avoid that site altogether and find that file hosted somewhere else. After downloading, use a checksum calculator to get what is expected to exactly match the checksum value shown in the download. Assuming that you weren't tricked into downloading, you either downloaded the wrong version, especially if there were several download options available, or you were wrong about the cost of the program.
