
No matter which software you need, you can find it using a simple Google search. But you can always bet on the original download site for a winner.

There are many places to download third-party Windows software. However, some users have reported problems with Microsoft Store, for which we have an extensive troubleshooting guide. This means there will be absolutely no compatibility issues. Basically, the third-party software developers worked to optimize their offering for a Windows environment. Downloading any non-native apps is so much easier and faster than running a manual installer. One reason Microsoft Store is more popular than other sites is because it is designed to work with Windows systems, and the software gets automatically updated with a PC update. Personally, for Windows, Office, and other native Microsoft programs, I prefer downloading only from the official Microsoft page. Since it’s the official source of trusted Microsoft apps, you can be 100 percent sure there will be no malware and unnecessary add-ons, guaranteeing a clean installation. Īs this list is primarily of Windows software, the official Microsoft site should be your first port of call.

If you can find your desired software in one of these three sources, don’t look elsewhere. You’ll always be guaranteed to find the right product without any malware, advertisement, or bloat concerns. We call the websites below “completely safe” because they are the most authentic sources for software downloads. We have categorized our choices accordingly. Not all websites claiming to be safe for downloads are equal. Direct downloads: all websites below provide a direct download link to the latest version of any software.

These are very popular with malware authors. But intrusive adware during software downloads is to be avoided at all costs. No adware during downloads: it’s one thing to have advertisements displayed on a web page.We had to weed out such websites no matter how popular they are. No bloat or crapware: often the freeware developers don’t even know that their package is being bundled with all manner of other things.In listing our recommended safe sources for Windows software, we took the following factors into consideration:

Our Criteria to Assess a Source’s Safety for Software Downloads
