PortableApps.com Platform is an all-in-one tool for portable software download, management and updating. An included launcher shows nested folders organized automatically by function or favorite status, as well as a cascading app view on right-click of the tray icon. The program's appearance can be customized with transparency and several color, texture, and background options.
Other tools include a find-as-you-type search functionality, available cloud installation, drive error checker, backup/restore utility, portable fonts, automatic application closing on shutdown and more. The program can also work with portable software outside of the PortableApps format (see Extract instructions).
Functional in 64-bit and WINE, includes broad language support and proxy support.
Category: | |
Runs on: | WinXP / Vista / Win7 / Win8 / Win10 / Win11 / Wine |
Writes settings to: | Application folder |
Stealth: ? | Yes |
Unicode support: | Yes |
Path portability: | Automatic relative path (eg. ..\..\personal\work.doc) |
License: | Freeware/Open Source |
How to extract: |
To add non-PortableApps applications place the program in its own subfolder under the \PortableApps subfolder and press F5 or restart. The new app will appear in the launcher menu under Other. |
Similar/alternative apps: | AutoRun LWMenu |
What's new? | See: https://portableapps.com/platform/changelog |
Latest comments |
ihateyou
on 2013-03-15 21:39
The PortableApps Platform has been updated (a few times) since this was last updated.
shnbwmn
on 2018-05-10 03:26
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24›
Latest version (v15.0) now supports .NET programs, the first of which appears to be KeePass Professional (or 2.x). |
7-Zip is an archive manager that can view and create a wide variety of formats. The program includes folder favorites, optional two-pane view, checksum calculator, file split/combine capability and more. Individual archives can be created with high speed or high compression settings, update options (including update, add/replace, synchronize), split volumes and more. Archives can be secured with standard zip or more secure AES encryption.
Although the official archiver for the open, high-compression "7z" format, the program also supports the creation of multiple formats including ZIP, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR and WIM. It will extract a long list of other formats, among them RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, RPM, VHD, VMDK etc. Even more formats are supported through third-party plugins. Supports many world languages.
Additionally, to use alternative toolbar and file icons, 7-Zip Theme Manager is available.
7-Zip Portable is a wrapper from PortableApps.com, auto-detecting 32 or 64-bit automatically. Alternatively, X-7zip is also available.
There is also a 7-Zip standalone console version.
Category: | |
Runs on: | WinXP / Vista / Win7 / Win8 / Win10 / Win11 / Wine |
Writes settings to: | Application folder |
Stealth: ? | Yes |
Unicode support: | Yes |
License: | Freeware/Open Source |
How to extract: | Download the self-extracting EXE and extract to a folder of your choice. Launch 7-ZipPortable.exe. |
Similar/alternative apps: | PeaZip, IZArc, BandiZip |
What's new? | See: https://sourceforge.net/p/sevenzip/discussion/45797/thread/bbe6861abe/ |
Latest comments |
freakazoid
on 2024-02-02 21:52
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41›
@hamasaki - It's stealth to me. I don't see anything written to HKCU\Software\7Zip. |
Google Chrome is a web browser designed for simplicity and speed. Its minimalistic appearance and capabilities can be extended with themes and extensions. The program integrates with Google's tools and services, and can sync across other signed-in devices.
Cross-platform with clients available for Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.
Google Chrome Portable is the PortableApps version of the program. It includes automatic support for jPortable to enable web-based Java apps. For users interested in the cutting edge, Beta and Development are also available. For Windows versions from XP to 8, see past versions.
Category: | |
Runs on: | Win10 / Win11 / Wine |
Writes settings to: | Application folder |
Stealth: ? | No. Uses Windows' certificate manager, some Settings/Extensions Locked Per PC (see "App Notes" on website). |
Unicode support: | Partial |
Path portability: | Automatic compensation for dynamic drive letter in removable storage devices |
License: | Freeware |
How to extract: |
Download the portable installer and install to a folder of your choice. Launch GoogleChromePortable.exe. NOTE:
|
Similar/alternative apps: | X-Chromium, Slimjet |
What's new? | See: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/search/label/Stable updates |
Latest comments |
Ennovy
on 2016-04-08 13:42
@JohnTHaller: Thank you for the new release. Regarding the registry entries that are left behind I will post in the forum.
Stephen Leibowitz
on 2023-07-31 09:28
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23›
“Over the years [Chrome] has gained a reputation for being something of a resource hog, gobbling up your PC’s memory like it’s going out of style.” Starting with version 108, the Chrome desktop browser has a feature called Memory Saver that deactivates tabs that aren’t currently being used. When a user accesses a deactivated tab, it automatically reloads. A user can turn Memory Saver on or off. A user can also exclude specific sites from Memory Saver, keeping tabs for those sites active. See: |
Mozilla Thunderbird is a skinnable, feature-rich email, calendar, task and instant messaging client with support for plugins and many protocols. It comes with advanced search tools, message filtering, Bayesian spam detector, built-in spell checker, mailbox compression and many more. Program features can be extended with add-ons, including a specialized version of email encryption tool GPG.
Email protocols include SMTP, POP3, IMAP (including uploads, albeit a date issue), NNTP and RSS and chat support for IRC, Twitter, XMPP, Google Talk, and Matrix. Also supports OAuth for use with accounts that require it instead of a password.
Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition is a special build licensed by Mozilla. Alternatively, X-Thunderbird is also available. For XP/Vista, version 52.9.1 is available here.
Category: | |
Runs on: | Win7 / Win8 / Win10 / Win11 |
Writes settings to: | Application folder |
Stealth: ? | Yes. Note that available add-ons may or may not break stealth status, writing to AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird |
Unicode support: | Yes |
Path portability: | Automatic relative path (eg. ..\..\personal\work.doc) |
License: | Launcher: GPL, Thunderbird: MPL |
How to extract: | Download the self-extracting EXE and extract to a folder of your choice. Launch ThunderbirdPortable.exe. |
Similar/alternative apps: | i.Scribe, Sylpheed |
What's new? | See: https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/releases/ |
Latest comments |
i_messed_up
on 2020-05-22 15:13
I've noticed a folder in AppData/Roaming/Thunderbird/Crash Reports containing a file "InstallTime20191031083309" and an empty folder "events."
i_messed_up
on 2020-05-30 22:26
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53›
Also found this key in the registry: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Thunderbird\Crash Reporter |
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a powerful photo and image editor for composition and authoring. It can be used as a simple paint program, a high quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter and much more.
The program is cross-platform with versions available for Mac and Linux. GIMP Portable is the PortableApps version of the program.
Notes:
Category: | |
Runs on: | Win7 / Win8 / Win10 |
Writes settings to: | Application folder |
Stealth: ? | Yes |
Unicode support: | Yes |
Path portability: | Automatic relative path (eg. ..\..\personal\work.doc) |
License: | GNU GPLv3 |
How to extract: | Download the self-extracting EXE and extract to a folder of your choice. Launch GIMPPortable.exe. |
Similar/alternative apps: | TwistedBrush Open Studio, PhotoFiltre, PhotoDemon, PixBuilder Studio, paint.net |
What's new? | See https://www.gimp.org/news/2024/05/05/gimp-2-10-38-released/ |
Latest comments |
JohnTHaller
on 2013-07-10 13:27
There was a typo in the download URL on launch day that was fixed within an hour or so.
freakazoid
on 2022-08-17 20:34
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23›
1GB for this app. Yikes! If you do not need advanced editing, try PixBuilder Studio at a fraction of the size. |
Firefox Browser is a fast, powerful and secure web browser that supports open standards and many of the latest web technologies. The program includes smart search, bookmark management, web development tools and built-in download manager. Smart content blocking for ads and trackers is available in both standard and private browsing modes.
Versions available for Mac, Android, iOS and Linux with synchronisation of passwords and browser state across devices. Additional features and customisations are available via the add-on system, which allows for thousands of specialized functions.
Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition is a special build licensed by Mozilla and includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit builds and selects the appropriate one for each PC. Beta, Developer, Extended Release, and Win 7/8/8.1 and XP/Vista versions are also available.
Category: | |
Runs on: | Win10 / Win11 / Wine |
Writes settings to: | Application folder |
Stealth: ? | Yes |
Unicode support: | Yes |
Path portability: | Automatic relative path (eg. ..\..\personal\work.doc) |
License: | Launcher: GPL, Program: MPL v. 2.0 |
How to extract: | Download the self-extracting EXE and extract to a folder of your choice. Launch FirefoxPortable.exe. |
Similar/alternative apps: | Pale Moon Portable, SeaMonkey Portable |
What's new? | See: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/releasenotes/ |
Latest comments |
PAFuser
on 2020-06-11 12:24
See all
99›
64 bit system: save 181 MB by deleting firefox folder, and renaming firefox64 to firefox. Beta, standard, and ESR work fine. |
PortableApps.com AppCompactor allows you to compress whole directories including applications, file libraries and zip files. The program is a powerful compression tool that unites 7-Zip and UPX inside a user-friendly wizard. For applications, this saves disk space and increases performance when running from a slow media (like flash drives). For archives, this will recompress DLL, EXE, ZIP, JAR, IRC, PYD and BIN files to their maximum compression settings, as well as an option to decompress an app's binary files that were previously compressed with UPX.
All files are tested using UPX's test feature after compressing. Files smaller than 4K are automatically skipped as compressing will not save space on the drive. The standard Microsoft Visual C runtimes are skipped to prevent antivirus false-positives. Advanced configuration can be done with apps in PortableApps.com Format.
Note: As UPX will alter the EXEs and DLLs (reversible using the Decompress option in the AppCompactor) and some apps may have issues with Zip or Jar files compressed further, users should backup software and test it after processing.
Category: | |
Runs on: | WinXP / Vista / Win7 / Win8 / Win10 / Wine |
Writes settings to: | Application folder |
Stealth: ? | Yes |
Unicode support: | Yes |
Path portability: | Automatic relative path (eg. ..\..\personal\work.doc) |
License: | GPL |
How to extract: | Download the self-extracting EXE and extract to a folder of your choice. Launch PortableApps.comAppCompactor.exe. |
Similar/alternative apps: | ArcThemAll |
What's new? | See: https://portableapps.com/news/2024-05-15--portableapps.com-appcompator-3.7.4-released |
Latest comments |
webfork
on 2010-09-15 20:07
tommyD: Disadvantages are that it breaks some programs, and it may be slightly more CPU-intensive to decompress libraries and executables on the fly.
double0
on 2011-04-13 05:31
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6›
I agree with wf; where is operaportable? |
FocusWriter is a full-screen word processor that aims for a distraction-free, immersive way to write and edit. The minimalist interface puts options and tools on the edge of the screen and auto-saves progress. Upon relaunch, the program reloads your last file to make make it easy to jump back into your work.
Alternatively, FocusWriter Portable is stealth and automatically adjusts paths.
Category: | |
Runs on: | Win7 / Win8 / Win10 |
Writes settings to: | Application folder |
Stealth: ? | No. Leaves multiple Qt-related registry keys. |
Unicode support: | Yes |
License: | GNU GPLv3 |
How to extract: | Download "Windows (Portable)" ZIP package and extract to a folder of your choice. Launch FocusWriter.exe. |
What's new? |
|
Latest comments |
JohnTHaller
on 2013-06-30 17:03
AndTheWolf - It's fixed. Some editors keep pointing to static URLs instead of the download page for some reason. So, when it's updated, the download winds up wrong.
__philippe
on 2018-03-31 15:31
Belatedly noticed FocusWriter's hefty 138MB footprint,
webfork
on 2018-04-11 22:29
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8›
philippe: true. I'll add a note that the minimalism refers to the interface. |
jPortable (formerly Java Portable) allows you to easily add a Java runtime environment to your portable device. It can be used in combination with jPortable Launcher to open Java JAR programs (many with their settings made portable) or used automatically with Java-enabled apps like PortableApps.com versions of LibreOffice and OpenOffice as well as web browsers like Chrome/Chromium, Opera, SeaMonkey and Firefox.
Category: | |
Runs on: | WinXP / Vista / Win7 / Win8 / Win10 |
Writes settings to: | None |
Stealth: ? | Yes |
Unicode support: | Yes |
Path portability: | Automatic relative path (eg. ..\..\personal\work.doc) |
License: | Freeware / Partially Open Source |
How to extract: |
Download the EXE and install to the folder CommonFiles\Java relative to the applications that use Java. For example:
|
What's new? |
See: https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase/8all-relnotes.html#R180_411 |
Latest comments |
SYSTEM
on 2011-03-06 07:57
I've got jPortable working with X-LibreOffice as well. :)
webfork
on 2011-06-21 21:50
freakazoid: jPortable can work independently of PA programs, including muCommander and some others I've tested. I tried to edit the entry to help give some idea of how to make that work.
REVerdi
on 2020-03-09 21:17
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5›
CommonFiles\Java64 don't need to be at the root of the app folder. |
LibreOffice is a complete productivity suite including word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, database, drawing tool and more. Includes strong compatibility for 100s of file formats including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio etc.). The program is similar to OpenOffice, a program that it was derived from, but has added many new features and improvements.
LibreOffice Portable is a special build developed in conjunction with the publisher. On systems without Java installed, some functions such as document creation wizards and the Base database application etc. can be enabled by adding jPortable, though this is optional and can be skipped if those functions are not needed. Alternatively, X-LibreOffice (64-bit version) is also available.
Other available portable versions:
Category: | |
Runs on: | Win7 / Win8 / Win10 / Wine |
Writes settings to: | Application folder |
Stealth: ? | Yes |
Unicode support: | Yes |
Path portability: | Automatic compensation for dynamic drive letter in removable storage devices |
License: | GPL/LGPL |
How to extract: | Download the portable installer and install to a folder of your choice. Launch LibreOfficePortable.exe. |
Similar/alternative apps: | OpenOffice, FreeOffice |
What's new? | See: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/release-notes/ |
Latest comments |
CornHolio the Gringo
on 2020-08-28 22:29
LibreOffice 6.4.7 is last ever version for 6 series?
NunoEFSilva
on 2021-05-01 12:41
See all
98›
The most capable Portable Freeware Office. |