Uptodown offers a huge catalog of Windows and macOS software, available in executable format as well as other packaging systems. Here's how to download and install desktop software using Uptodown.
How to download software from Uptodown
- First, access the desired software's download page via the official Uptodown site (https://www.uptodown.com/). To do so, you can either use the app search engine in our site's header or access the software's dedicated page through any general search engine results.
- To download the software's latest available version, click on the blue Get the latest version button. Alternatively, if you are looking for a specific previous version, click on Other versions. For more information on how to download previous versions, see How to download previous versions of an app.
- From the download page, click on the green Download button.
- Depending on your web browser's settings, the file download will either start automatically or you'll get a confirmation dialog in which to choose the saving location. Also, unless you are not browsing in incognito mode, the download will also be stored in the browser's history.
How to install software downloaded from Uptodown
The process for running or installing downloaded software may vary depending on the file's packaging format:
- If it is an executable file with an extension natively supported by Windows (EXE, MSI, etc.) or macOS (DMG), all you need to do is double-click on the file to run it.
- However, if the file is compressed (ZIP, RAR, etc.), you will need to extract using dedicated decompression tools. PeaZip or 7-Zip are some good free and open-source options.
- In the case of JAR file downloads, you will need to install the Java Runtime Enviroment.
- Finally, if it is an ISO image, BIN+CUE or similar, you are dealing with a disk image, and you will need to mount it as a drive using the browser's built-in tools for that purpose or any other specialized software such as WinCDEmu.
For more information on file formats, see Supported file formats on Uptodown.
Safety information for Windows users
Some downloaded files may trigger the user's PC protection systems. Windows Defender, the default antivirus software built into Microsoft's operating system, may display a warning on some files that, although completely safe, are considered suspicious because they are newly created programs by their developers and there are no previous references. To ignore this warning, click on the More info link and then on Run anyway.
You can disable the SmartScreen security filter in Windows through Windows Security > App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings.
Safety information for Mac users
By default, macOS displays warnings when downloading MAC software from sources other than the official Apple App Store. When downloading a file packaged as DMG, dragging the .app to the applications folder and trying to open it may trigger a message similar to this one:
To allow the downloaded software to run correctly, access System Preferences > Privacy & Security, and enable the App Store & Known Developers option.