If you often use various software when working with your computer, then you have probably noticed that during the download you may be offered not only an installation version, but also a portable version.

Now we will take a closer look at what portable programs are, what are the advantages of using them in comparison with installation utilities, and what to do with the downloaded archive in which it is packaged.

What is this - portable version

Portable is a computer version of the program that does not require installation. They are also called portable or portable applications. You can store them on a removable hard drive, USB flash drive, memory card, and they are launched from them.

You can see a similar name on the official website of the application you want to download. Let me show you using Telegram as an example. By going to official page messenger, to download it, you will see several different versions. We are interested in the "Windows" section. It has several options for "Telegram for Windows" and "Telegram for Windows Portable". So the first option needs to be installed on a PC, but the second does not.

I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that you can find such “portable” programs not only on official websites. Ordinary users can also do them for themselves if they constantly use some kind of utility, but there is no official portable version of it. So, if desired, they share similar software, for example, on a torrent. You can download it at your own risk. Because with the program, you can also pick up a virus if the source is not reliable.

Well, if you really need it, and you haven’t found another version of the program, then before starting, check the downloaded file with an antivirus installed on your computer and something else, for example.

Benefits of use

We figured out the question: “What is the portable version of the program?” But the following question arises: “Why is it needed?” if there is an installation exe file. To answer this, let’s consider the advantages of using portable versions for applications.

1. You can run portable programs directly from a flash drive or other portable device. Thanks to this, they can be used on any computer or laptop. You came to a friend, sat down at the computer and processed photos in your favorite program that you took with you (you don’t have to search for it on the Internet and install it).

1. If you go to account, which does not have administrator rights, then many programs may simply not start. In this case, find the portable version of the required utility and use it.
2. If there is a need to reinstall the operating system, then simply copy all the folders with portable programs from the system partition (most often this is C:) to any other (D:, E:, F:). Or you can transfer them all to a flash drive. When you reinstall Windows, you won’t have to download and install all the necessary software again.

1. Portable programs store all their files in the same folder into which they are unpacked after downloading. This way they do not change the registry and do not leave any of their files in it.

If you download and install any program on your PC, it will immediately create entries in the registry. And even after uninstalling the utility, some files and folders remain in it. Because of this, the system partition of the disk becomes cluttered over time and there is less space on it (). This problem will not arise with portable programs.

To remove unnecessary entries in the registry and clean up the disk, use one of the programs:

How to use it correctly

Now let’s figure out how to download portable programs and what to do with the archive later. For example, consider the Puran File Recovery program.

1. Go to the developer's official website on the Internet (1). There may be several files on the download page: exe – for installation on a PC (2), portable versions – for 32 (3) and 64 (4) bit systems. We select the portble version, depending on the bit depth of the system, and download it - the “Download” button (5), or you will need to click on the name of the file itself.

1. Look for the saved archive in the downloads folder. If you do not have any archiver installed, then select one in the article: .

1. You should not run the program directly from the archive. Therefore, you first need to extract all the files from it. Create a folder on your computer with the name of the utility. If you want to put it on a flash drive, then create a folder on it.

1. Return to the archive, select everything in it and click the "Extract" button.

1. Then specify the folder you created in step three. Select it and click "OK".

1. Close the archive and go to the folder with the program (1). Among the files, find the executable one (opposite it will be written “Application”) (2) and click on it.

It may be that when downloading a portable program, you won’t have to select the bit depth. But when you unpack the archive, you will find two executable files in it - for 32 and 64 bit systems.

That's it, you have downloaded the program and can use it. And as long as it is portable, you can move the folder itself to any place (on a flash drive, removable hard drive or memory card), at any time.

I think you understand what the portable version is for programs and applications. Personally, I choose this option for the utilities I need (if there is one), but I download them only from official or trusted sites. Try it and perhaps you will also appreciate all the advantages of portable programs.

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Which became quite popular when inexpensive ones appeared removable media information has not surprised anyone for a long period of time, but constant debate about the advantages and disadvantages does not subside to this day. There are users who praise. Others, on the contrary, scold. Still others both praise and criticize. Let's approach this issue rationally and determine whether the software development can be considered the best solution.

Those who do not approve of portable soft are equally right as those who idolize it. This is because applications that are portable and require installation have certain advantages/disadvantages. Let's look at the biggest pros and cons of portable software, which will allow us to decide on the most profitable solution.

1. An undeniable advantage of a “portable”, of course, is the ability, in most cases, to run from a removable storage device - a flash drive, optical disk and other. With the help of this mobility, the user will be able to work with his favorite applications in an Internet cafe or office, on any computer. You will only need to insert the flash drive into the USB port and select the required file.

2. Portable software leaves no traces in the registry. Of course, this statement is not entirely true. Each application, even the smallest one, creates various entries in the system registry during startup. Their number is incomparable to the case when you have to work with installation packages standard applications. Ordinary software is literally written into the registry structure. When the key is deleted, the software simply stops working. With portable applications this case is excluded.

3. Portable soft, which should be clear, there is no need to install it. It's very easy to work with. Some classic programs create about five or six separate requests to the user during installation. Thus, deadlock situations cannot be ruled out - you have to check the box next to one or another option.

4. The file system does not become clogged personal computer. Apart from the Program Files folder, where the program is located by default, during installation the utility copies the necessary files to the system directory, Common Files, also in Documents and Settings. When an application is uninstalled, individual file entries are retained. As a result, it becomes clogged file system, which begins to resemble a landfill. This cannot be said about portable applications that save their files in one directory.

5. Performance after reinstalling the operating system. If you decide to uninstall Windows, in this situation you will need to get rid of all installed applications. Of course, they will have to be reinstalled later. When it comes to portable software, you can copy the required folder to a removable drive, and when the reinstallation of the operating system is completed, transfer it back and continue working as if nothing happened. But, as practice shows, this method does not work in all cases.

6. In addition, the bulk of portable software is distributed absolutely free. In this case, special licenses, keys, keygens, cracks and other kinds of tricks are not needed to work.

There are also certain negative aspects to portable programs.
The reader may consider them not serious enough, but believe me, this is not so!

1. Slow work. Individual portable editions of applications, especially large ones, e.g. Photoshop or Word, can often slow down.

2. If there is poor quality porting, such applications in some cases do not work correctly. You can find a lot in common with paid software - you need to indicate a license code, trial editions are often used, and more.

3. Incompatibility (correlation) with many software products, as well as modules, due to lack of registration in the internal part of the system registry. This condition may cause one application to no longer detect another. For example, the portable edition of Photoshop may not work or may have errors. The same applies to various plugins and other add-ons.

4. Not every portable software can be launched from removable media without creating a large number of errors on the pages of the magazine called “System”. Note that using system disk“S” does not lead to such troubles.

5. Problem with updating in automatic mode. Many portable applications do not notify the user when a new publication is available.

6. When a reinstallation occurs, in some cases you have to understand the local options, save directories, and configure the interface. However, this does not happen with every portable utility.

7. In general, large and powerful applications are difficult to port, so various useful functions, and fine adjustments programmers completely refuse.

8. The biggest drawback of portable applications can be considered reduced functionality. This can be seen when working with large and powerful utilities. In such cases, individual functionality either missing or acting incorrectly.

Let's sum it up
It is clear that the two types of software have both negative and positive sides. In one case we see mobility, convenience and simplicity (portable applications), in the other - good functionality and stability (applications that require installation). Giving preference to any one option is probably extreme. Chance occupies an important place in our lives. Where installation applications cannot be used, good decision There will be portable software, in the opposite situation - regular applications. Maybe portable developments will make a loud statement in the future... Let's not rush things for now. It is impossible to say that portable utilities today can completely replace installation ones!

Many of you, throughout your life, periodically face the fact that you have to work on other people’s computers or laptops: when visiting friends, relatives, or working on a computer at work. But not all computers have programs installed that you are used to using every day, or programs with settings that will be very unusual for you during your work are installed. For such purposes, there are Portable versions of programs (portable programs) that do not need to be installed on a computer. As you may have guessed, now we will understand what the portable version of the program is, and also talk about the pros and cons of using them.

The most important thing is that the settings of the Portable version of programs are stored not in the registry, but in the program files themselves. That is, portable versions of programs can work anywhere (for example: flash drive, Drive D:, etc.).

Usually Portable versions are distributed in archives so that you can download them without unnecessary problems. But no need to run executable file straight from their archive! In order for the program to work fully, you must first extract the files from the archive, and then start working with it.

Read about how to unzip files from an archive.

Portable programs are usually created by enthusiasts who make sure that the programs do not access the registry, but always access files that are in the same folder as the file being launched. The first launch of a Portable program may take longer than usual, since files with settings are created in the folder where the program itself is located.

Difficulties may arise when working with such programs. Namely: if the file (program) is large, for example, 200 Mb, then the execution of operations in the program can be processed more slowly than in installed program. It is advisable to download verified versions, since errors may appear during work or they may be completely thrown out of the program without saving the document, which in itself is a very serious problem for the user who worked on this file.

Security and portable programs

From the above, I think you understand what portable programs are and what advantages you get. Now We will touch upon the important issue of your safety when using such programs.

Be aware that there are attackers who want to get your email password or other valuables that may belong to you. You need to download Portable from trusted sources (portable programs, like any program, can be injected with a virus(es)). When downloading Portable programs, check them with an antivirus with current antivirus databases.

Those who store such programs on flash drives forget about the security of the programs, because by connecting a flash drive to someone else’s computer, you can infect not only the flash drive, but also the programs with viruses. To do this, keep copies of the programs on your personal computer. Now, when you download programs marked Portable, you know what version it is.

Portable programs have a number of advantages compared to conventional software. They can be stored and run from flash drives, disks and any other removable media.

Portable versions do not change system files, so they can be run without administrator rights.

When installing full-fledged programs Files are added to the computer registry that load the processor with work.

This is not the case in portable ones, since they simply start and use only RAM.

And finally, we all know that the fewer applications in general will be installed in operating system, the better and more stable it will work.

After closing, portable programs do not hang in background, do not leave any traces of their presence, do not climb into the Internet, overloading traffic, and are not treacherously installed in autoload.

Portable programs - be careful

Portable programs downloaded from dubious sites may contain Trojans and other malicious software. software. You should also not download them from various file hosting services.

It’s a good idea to get acquainted, for example, with the comments under the selected program, in which people often write whether it is good and whether it contains malicious add-ons.

It is better to download portable versions from official sites such as cameyo.com or PortableApps.com, although in this case not every program has its own portable version. These services contain a huge number of different programs.

There is also special software with which you can create portable options for different programs. But, unfortunately, it is not always possible to create a fully functional portable version in this case.

Download the portable program

So, open the browser and go to cameyo.com. On this site there are public access portable versions of only those programs that are free.

If you need portable versions of programs such as Photoshop or Microsoft Office, you can find them on the Internet.

On the cameyo.com portal to get acquainted with the programs you need to go to the section Online Packager and register.

Then go to the section Public Apps and select from the list provided the desired program, which is needed in a portable version.

Let it be graphics editor Paint.NET. There are buttons next to each program See details, Download And Run in browser. Their functionality is clear from the name. For example, click the button with details.

Open the folder with the downloaded program and run it. The portable program window immediately opens without preliminary installations or any settings.

Any downloaded portable program will also open, which will be no worse than the standard installed one, and in some ways even better, because using portable programs allows you to keep your computer clean.

Therefore, using portable programs to some extent is sometimes the best solution for a computer.

PortableApps service

On another portal, PortableApps.com, programs are sorted into groups, each group, in turn, is divided into categories, which is a fairly convenient solution.

For example, group Internet has a category like Browsers etc.

Each program has a detailed description, and here you can check whether it has Russian localization.

Downloading one program at a time from this service is a tedious task. You can make your work much easier if you install the PortableApps.com application, which is a shell for launching previously downloaded applications.

The disadvantage of portable versions, if we talk, for example, about browsers, is that you cannot save bookmarks and passwords for sites here. In all other respects, the portable version is a full-fledged browser, no worse than the standard one.

Thus, on the portal cameyo.com and PortableApps.com you can find a lot useful programs portable versions that do not require installation on a computer and use them for your needs.

My pleasure. Well, let's start with the fact that both the author of the article and you call these programs incorrectly. Moreover, almost the entire RuNet names these programs incorrectly. All because of the English word “portable”, which turned into light hand to "portable". In fact, this word is translated as “portable”. And the correct translation practically answers your second question. After all, portable means portable, mobile, etc. That is, a portable program is a program that can be transferred (on a flash drive, for example) and does not need to be installed on a computer. If we're going to explain it in a nutshell, we should start with the fact that when downloading a program, as a rule, it is specified on the source website whether the program is portable or installable. Let's move on. Regular (installable) programs are an executable file, which you run to begin the installation. As a rule, by default, programs are installed along the path C:\Program Files\XXX, where XXX is the program folder (most often named after the program). But the user, if desired, can install the program in another location he needs, and even on another disk (if there is one). And in this XXX folder there are many different files, thanks to which the program works correctly. Also, installed programs are also registered in the registry, but that’s another story (I think you don’t need this). But portable programs do not require installation. The executable file itself launches the program. The user can place this file in any folder convenient for him, or on a flash drive to run later on another computer. I would also like to note that portable programs are different. There are some that require unpacking, not to be confused with installation. This applies to powerful programs, from a number of Adobe or games. Portable programs have many advantages: they do not require installation, they work on just installed Windows, all settings are saved in their database without affecting the system registry, they can be used on any computer under Windows system, they take up much less space than the installation version and 99% do not leave any traces on the PC. If you want to determine whether a program on your computer is portable or not, I suggest using this option: right-click on the program shortcut, select “Properties” from the drop-down menu and select the “Details” tab in the window that opens. If among the lines that appear there is a line “Path to folder” with a specified path, then the program is installable, but if there is no such line, then it is portable. Good luck.