How to download software without the junk

Most junk doesn't break into your PC: you let it in by clicking the wrong button. This guide shows where to get programs, how to turn down the extras, how to check a file before running it, and how to clean up if something got through. You need a Windows 11 PC and about 20 minutes; most of the advice works on any system.

Why download sites go wrong

Three tricks cause most of the trouble.

• Ads dressed as Download buttons. Free download sites live on advertising, and some adverts are just big buttons saying "Download". The real link is often plain text further down.
• Repackaged installers. Some sites give you their own "download manager" instead of the publisher's file. It fetches the program and adds offers for other software on the way.
• Look-alike sites. A copy of the real site on a similar address. In February 2026, security researchers found that 7zip.com (the real home of 7-Zip is 7-zip.org) was handing out a working 7-Zip bundled with hidden software that let strangers route their internet traffic through the victim's PC. One victim had followed a YouTube tutorial there. The FBI has also warned that criminals buy search adverts for fake download pages.

The three rules

1. Get programs from the publisher

Download from the official site of whoever makes the program; that's why every app in the Nuxtre Downloads directory links only to the publisher's own download page. If you search instead, skip the adverts at the top of the results and check the address bar before you download anything.

2. Or let a package manager fetch them

A package manager downloads the official installer for you: no web pages, no fake buttons. winget (Windows Package Manager) is built into Windows 11. To install Microsoft PowerToys, for example:

1. Click Start, type powershell and open Windows PowerShell.
2. Type winget search powertoys and press Enter. You'll see matching programs and their IDs. If it asks you to agree to the source terms, type Y and press Enter.
3. Type winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys -e and press Enter, then click Yes if Windows asks to allow changes. You should see a progress bar, then "Successfully installed".

If Windows says winget isn't recognised, update App Installer from the Microsoft Store.

Ninite is the point-and-click version: tick the programs you want on its website, click Get Your Ninite, and run the installer it gives you. It fetches the latest versions and says no to toolbars and other extras for you.

3. Keep an ad blocker in your browser

uBlock Origin hides most fake Download buttons and dodgy adverts; the FBI recommends an ad blocker for searching, too. Since Google's switch to a stricter extension system (Manifest V3), the version you can use depends on your browser:

Use the link on our app page and check the developer is Raymond Hill (gorhill), as copycats exist. uBlock Origin Lite has fewer tools than the full version but still blocks most ads.

Saying no to bundled offers

Some free programs are paid for by offers: partway through setup, the installer suggests other companies' software (antivirus trials, browsers, "PC optimisers") and makes yes the easy answer. To stay out of trouble:

1. Read every screen before you click "Next".
2. Choose "Custom" or "Advanced" setup if there is one; the quick option often includes the extras.
3. Untick boxes that were ticked for you, apart from the program itself.
4. On an offer screen, find the button that declines it: often a greyer "Decline" or "Skip" next to a bright "Accept".
5. If a second licence agreement appears, it belongs to the offer: decline it.

The installer should carry on without the extra. If you can't decline, cancel and use winget (Windows Package Manager) or Ninite instead.

Examples from our directory:

• Cheat Engine: the installer fetches offers from an advertiser as it runs. The project's FAQ says you can always decline them, so do.
• FileZilla Client: the download page warns that the main installer "may include bundled offers". Click Show additional download options and pick your system's installer from that list.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader: the download page lists optional offers, such as McAfee software. Untick them before you download.
• µTorrent: the free installer shows partner offers, and Microsoft Defender has flagged it as potentially unwanted. We recommend qBittorrent or Tixati, which have neither ads nor offers.

Turn on Windows' own junk filter

Windows can block potentially unwanted apps itself, but Microsoft says this is off by default.

1. Click Start, type Windows Security and open it.
2. Choose App & browser control.
3. Under Reputation-based protection, click Reputation-based protection settings.
4. Turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking and tick Block apps and Block downloads (the second works in Microsoft Edge only).

The switch should show On. If the setting is missing, another antivirus may be in charge; look for a similar option in its settings.

Check the file before you run it

Stop as soon as something looks wrong.

Look at the real file name

Windows hides file extensions, so invoice.pdf.exe shows as invoice.pdf. Turn them on:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click View, then Show → File name extensions.

Names now end in .exe, .zip and so on. If your toolbar looks different, click See more (three dots) → Options, open the View tab, untick Hide extensions for known file types and click OK.

An installer usually ends in .exe or .msi. A "video", "document" or "photo" ending in .exe, .scr, .bat, .cmd, .js, .vbs or .lnk is a program in disguise: delete it.

Check the digital signature

Most big publishers sign their installers, so Windows can show who made them.

1. Right-click the file and choose Properties.
2. Open the Digital Signatures tab. If there isn't one, the file isn't signed.
3. In the Signature list, select the signature and click Details.
4. Check it says This digital signature is OK and names the publisher you expected.

A missing signature isn't proof of malware (some small open-source projects don't sign), but a signature from a company you've never heard of is a red flag: the fake 7zip.com installer was signed by a company with no link to 7-Zip.

Compare the hash

A hash is a file's fingerprint: change one byte and it's completely different. Many projects publish one; Notepad++, for example, links "SHA-256 digests of binary packages" on each release page.

1. On the publisher's site, copy the SHA-256 hash for the exact file you downloaded.
2. In File Explorer, right-click your download and choose Copy as path.
3. Click Start, type powershell and open Windows PowerShell. A window opens with a line starting PS C:\.
4. Type this, pasting your path (Ctrl+V; it includes the quotation marks) and the published hash in place of the examples, then press Enter:

(Get-FileHash "C:\Users\you\Downloads\setup.exe").Hash -eq "PASTE-THE-PUBLISHED-HASH-HERE"

True means you have exactly what the publisher released. False means you don't, or you copied the wrong hash: check, and delete the file if it's still False. Red text saying the path can't be found means the path is wrong; copy it again.

If the publisher lists SHA-512 instead, as FileZilla Client does, use:

(Get-FileHash "C:\Users\you\Downloads\setup.exe" -Algorithm SHA512).Hash -eq "PASTE-THE-PUBLISHED-HASH-HERE"

Ask VirusTotal

VirusTotal checks a file with dozens of antivirus engines. Searching by hash uploads nothing; this line copies the hash to your clipboard:

(Get-FileHash "C:\Users\you\Downloads\setup.exe").Hash | Set-Clipboard

1. Paste the hash into VirusTotal's search box. If anyone has checked the same file before, you'll see the report.
2. If nothing is found, upload the file instead.

Reading the result:

• No detections, or one or two vague ones: normal for a file from the official site, though not a guarantee; brand-new malware may not be recognised yet.
• PUA (potentially unwanted application): shows ads or offers other software. Not a virus, but often the junk you're avoiding.
• HackTool: a tool that could be misused, for example to get into a computer. Cheat Engine's FAQ says antivirus programs label it this way; cracks and keygens get it too.
• Several engines naming a trojan, stealer or ransomware: delete the file.

When SmartScreen stops you

A blue box titled Windows protected your PC means the file isn't on Microsoft's list of well-known, frequently downloaded programs. New versions and small projects trigger it too, so it's a reason to check, not a verdict.

1. Click More info. The file name and publisher appear.
2. If the publisher is the one you expect and the file came from the official site, click Run anyway.
3. If it says Unknown publisher and you're unsure of the source, click Don't run and delete the file.

If Windows Security reports a threat instead, let it remove the file.

Cracks, keygens and "free premium"

A crack is a modified program that skips the licence check; a keygen makes fake licence keys; "free premium" downloads promise paid apps and games for nothing. They're one of the commonest ways home PCs get infected, for plain reasons:

• They come from anonymous people, and you run their code with full access to your PC.
• Antivirus flags them anyway, so the instructions tell you to ignore warnings or switch protection off, which is exactly what malware needs.
• Nobody checks them, so slipping in a password stealer costs the uploader nothing.

Microsoft says that on more than half of the PCs where its security software finds a keygen, it also finds malware. Walk away from any download that asks you to turn off your antivirus, comes as a password-protected archive (scanners can't see inside), or sits behind a "full version free" link in a video description.

If cost is the problem, a free program usually does the job: LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office, GIMP or Krita instead of Photoshop, Kdenlive for video. Browse the directory for more.

If junk is already installed

Work through these in order.

1. Uninstall it

Open Start → Settings → Apps → Installed apps and look for anything you don't recognise or didn't mean to install. Unsure? Search the exact name first: some odd names are drivers your PC needs.

From Settings:

1. Select More (three dots) next to the program.
2. Choose Uninstall, then Uninstall again to confirm. If the program's own uninstaller opens, follow it and decline any last-minute offer.

Or with Revo Uninstaller, which also sweeps up the files and start-up entries uninstallers leave behind:

1. Open it, select the program and click Uninstall.
2. Let the program's own uninstaller finish.
3. Back in the main window, click Scan.
4. Tick the leftovers it finds and click Delete. Leave anything you're unsure about.

2. Remove adware with Malwarebytes AdwCleaner

Malwarebytes AdwCleaner targets adware, toolbars and browser hijackers, and runs without installing.

1. Download it from our app page and open it.
2. Click Scan Now.
3. When the scan finishes, keep the found items ticked and click Next. If it found nothing, close it and move on.
4. If a notice lists software that came with your PC, click OK and untick anything you use. Then click Quarantine.
5. Save your work, click Continue, then Restart now.
6. After you sign back in, click Skip Basic Repair.

3. Scan with Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes AdwCleaner doesn't deal with trojans; a free Malwarebytes scan does. You don't need Premium or its trial.

1. Install it from our app page and open it.
2. Click Scan on the dashboard and wait.
3. If threats are listed, select them and click Quarantine. If not, click Done.

4. Reset your browser

A reset undoes changes to your search engine, home page and new tab page. Bookmarks and saved passwords stay; extensions are switched off or removed.

• Google Chrome: More (three dots) → Settings → Reset settings → Restore settings to their original defaults, then Reset settings. It also clears cookies, signing you out of websites.
• Microsoft Edge: Settings and more (three dots) → Settings → Reset settings → Restore settings to their default values, then Reset.
• Mozilla Firefox: type about:support in the address bar, press Enter, click Refresh Firefox…, confirm with Refresh Firefox, then click Finish.

5. Check your extensions

Hijackers often arrive as extensions. Type your browser's address for them into the address bar:

• Google Chrome: chrome://extensions
• Microsoft Edge: edge://extensions
• Mozilla Firefox: about:addons
• Brave: brave://extensions

Remove anything you didn't install on purpose, especially anything that changes your search engine or new tab page.

Keep everything updated

Old versions have known security holes, and some programs never update themselves: 7-Zip has no automatic updater, and versions before 24.09 have a known flaw.

1. Open Windows PowerShell.
2. Type winget upgrade and press Enter. You'll see a table of programs with newer versions; if it lists none, you're up to date.
3. Type winget upgrade --all and press Enter. Answer Y if asked about source terms, and click Yes if Windows asks to allow changes.

Programs winget (Windows Package Manager) doesn't recognise won't appear; update those from inside the program. If you used Ninite, run the same installer again: it updates its apps and skips those already up to date. For Windows itself, use Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates.

Quick checklist

• Get programs from the publisher (our directory links only there), winget (Windows Package Manager) or Ninite.
• Keep uBlock Origin or Brave's Shields on.
• Read every installer screen; untick and decline.
• Turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking.
• Show file extensions; check the signature and hash.
• Search the hash on VirusTotal; never upload private files.
• SmartScreen means "check first", not "go ahead".
• Skip cracks, keygens and "free premium".
• Run winget upgrade --all regularly.

Unsure about a file? Ask in the forum.