For example there may be a 'free' download but the 'small print' will commit you to a paid subscription to buy software or services every month. If you search for Audacity on the Internet, you will often see 'sponsored results' that are links to companies selling Audacity (or the right to access it) for money.

For more help, please see thisĪ search result misled me into paying for an Audacity download.

The warning occurs because (in addition to checking a list of known malware), IE checks a Microsoft database of files that are 'well known and downloaded by many Internet Explorer users'. This warning is normal and will only occur (if at all) with a new Audacity release or download. Please report false positives about Audacity to the supplier of the security application so they can update their virus definitions.Īlso, SmartScreen filter in recent versions of Internet Explorer (IE) or Microsoft Edge may complain that Audacity is not 'commonly downloaded' or say that 'Windows has protected your PC' and ask you to confirm the download. If you are concerned about the safety of the installer, please feel free to download the zip version of Audacity and check that for viruses. Try downloading the installer to your Desktop and running it from there. Some anti-virus applications can also block installers if you run them from temporary space. This can happen because Audacity uses a compressed installer. Nonetheless, virus checkers can occasionally report false positives for the Audacity installer for Windows (.exe).

The source code is available for anyone to study or use. to view the report for .Īudacity is always completely free and open source when downloaded from us. Please review independent verification of the Audacity software by visiting the search page, entering 'audacity' (without quotes) in the search box and clicking the 'Search it!' button. We have a policy never to bundle offers or other software with Audacity and we codesign Audacity on Windows and Mac with Microsoft and Apple ID respectively. Yes, Audacity is completely safe for users of any age if you always download Audacity from our website.

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