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Before you download: check the source and the file
Start at the publisher’s official site or a trusted app store
Navigate to the software publisher’s known website yourself, or find the app in a store you deliberately trust. Avoid sponsored-looking download buttons on unfamiliar pages. If a web page or pop-up says an app needs an update, close it and use the app’s built-in updater or visit the publisher’s official site instead. The FTC’s guidance on avoiding malware advises downloading only from sources you trust.
Check the domain carefully for misspellings or unexpected words. HTTPS encrypts the connection between your browser and a site, but it does not establish that the site operator—or a file offered there—is trustworthy. Chrome may also warn when a download is insecure even if the page itself is secure; see Google Chrome’s download-warning guidance.
Be cautious with unexpected files and archives
Do not open an unexpected attachment simply because it appears to come from someone you know: their account may be compromised or the sender may be spoofed. Confirm through a separate channel, such as a phone call or a message to a known address, before downloading or opening it. Treat an unexplained ZIP, RAR, or 7z archive with particular care. Password-protected archives can be harder for security tools to inspect, so a browser may flag them without having confirmed malware.
Keep protections and software current
Turn on automatic updates where practical for your browser, operating system, apps, and security software. Attackers exploit known weaknesses in software that has not received security updates. Leave browser safety features and built-in antivirus or app protections enabled; they provide different layers of checks, not a guarantee that every threat will be caught. The FTC’s consumer malware guidance recommends keeping security software current and scanning downloads.
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What to do when your browser warns about a download
Stop before choosing to keep, open, or run the file. Read what the warning actually says. Chrome distinguishes dangerous downloads from suspicious or uncommon files, potentially unwanted apps, and downloads delivered insecurely. An uncommon file may be flagged because the browser has little reputation information about it; that is not the same as a confirmed malware finding.
- Cancel if you did not expect the file, cannot verify its source, or did not deliberately seek an executable or installer.
- Recheck the source if you expected the download. Type the publisher’s known address yourself or return through a trusted app store rather than following a page’s download prompt.
- Do not bypass the warning on a site’s instructions. Attackers may urge people to ignore browser or antivirus warnings to evade detection.
- For a file you believe is legitimate, verify independently. Confirm that it came from the publisher’s official channel and check the browser or platform vendor’s reporting process if you think it was flagged incorrectly. A reputation warning is not proof of malware, but “uncommon” is not proof of safety either.
Choose Chrome Safe Browsing with its privacy trade-off in mind
Chrome’s Standard Protection is on by default and warns about sites, downloads, and extensions identified as dangerous. Enhanced Protection also warns about potential new dangers and performs deeper checks on suspicious downloads. For those checks, Chrome sends Google additional information, which can include URLs, small samples of page content, extension activity, and system information. Choose according to your threat concerns and privacy preference; turning Safe Browsing off removes protection against potentially dangerous sites, downloads, and extensions. Details are in Google’s Safe Browsing protection-level explanation.
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Before opening a downloaded file
Scan the file with current security software before opening it, as the FTC recommends. Make sure the security software and its protection updates are current. A scan that finds nothing is useful, but it cannot prove a file is harmless: browser reputation checks, operating-system app checks, and antivirus scans examine different signals and can all miss threats.
Use the protections available on your device
Windows
On supported Windows setups, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen checks the reputation of websites and downloaded files, while Microsoft Defender Antivirus provides built-in malware protection. SmartScreen can warn about an app with an unknown or low reputation; that does not by itself establish that the app is malware. Keep these protections enabled and Windows current. Controls and menu availability can vary by Windows version, edition, and organization-managed policy. See Microsoft’s guidance on protecting a Windows PC from unwanted software and the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen overview.
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- REAL-TIME PROTECTION Advanced security protects against existing and emerging malware threats, including ransomware and viruses, and it won’t slow down your device performance.
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Mac
When practical, get Mac apps from the App Store; Apple identifies it as the safest source. For apps downloaded elsewhere, macOS Gatekeeper checks developer identity and whether the software has been altered. Since macOS Catalina, notarization is required by default for apps distributed outside the App Store. Do not override a Gatekeeper warning casually; first verify the app and its publisher through a channel you trust. Apple explains these checks in Open apps safely on your Mac.
Android
Keep Google Play Protect enabled and prefer Google Play or another source you have deliberately verified. Play Protect checks apps from Google Play and may recommend scanning an app from outside the store that it has not previously seen. A scan or store listing is a layer of protection, not a safety guarantee. See Google Play’s instructions for using Play Protect.
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iPhone and iPad
Use current Apple guidance for iPhone and iPad downloads. Mac Gatekeeper instructions apply to macOS; they should not be treated as iOS or iPadOS instructions.
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- Did you deliberately seek this file, and can you verify the publisher or sender independently?
- Did you reach the download through the publisher’s official site or a trusted store—not an unsolicited pop-up?
- Is your browser, operating system, app software, and security protection up to date?
- Did the browser or device raise a warning? If so, have you identified what kind of warning it is instead of clicking through automatically?
- Have you scanned the file with current security software before opening it?
If you cannot answer the source or warning questions confidently, cancel the download and verify it first.
Quick Recap
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