Frequently Asked Questions

Legal

Is my data private?

Your data privacy is secured. For further details regarding data agreements we have with third parties, please click here.

How to report a possible malicious software

At Softonic, we are constantly vigilant to ensure our catalog is virus-free and without any malicious files. We value our users' feedback greatly and encourage you to report any suspicious file you spot published on our site. Here's how: Search for the “Report software” button in the “App specs” section of the program page located to the right-hand side of our review.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Do you accept guest or sponsored posts and/or allow links in your articles?

Softonic does not sell or participate in any link exchange or schemes. Softonic does, however, offer sponsored articles on our website. Softonic wants to be transparent towards users so we require a clear informative notice that Softonic gets paid by publishing the article. Please refer to our Content Policies for more information. If you think our sponsored articles would fit your budget and needs, please write to [email protected] indicating the website of your company and where your company is located (country specifically), and we will review your request immediately. Alternatively, if you have budget limitations and are looking for guest post or sponsored post publications only, without any additional promo activities, you can look at some of the publishers listed on our partner's website Prnewsio. Easy and simple online checkout available.

How can I collaborate as an editor for your reviews and articles?

At Softonic we pride in publishing high-quality reviews for our catalog of software titles, pc games, and mobile apps. We have several in-house resources and external partners too who collaborate with us. If you are a freelance writer or run an agency with writers with experience in writing for software titles please get in touch with our Content team at [email protected] We will be glad to hear from you.

Can I enter your affiliate program?

To be an affiliation partner, your product has to follow our content policies and be listed in our catalog. Please contact [email protected] and you'll be informed about our Catalog Services.

How can I advertise my program or product on Softonic?

We offer different advertising partnerships based on your needs and objectives. You will have a manager responsible for your campaigns (targeting: keywords, geo, browser). We will be able to promote ads in the following ways: - Contextual - based on sections - Sponsored ads - Slide in (alternative ads showing as a small slide on product page of whenever product within the same category as your ad) As the access to the platform will be only on our end, we can provide daily / weekly / monthly reports if you wish so. Invoicing is going to be provided by us and complemented with a detailed report. All this needs to be agreed by signing a contract for a min. of 3.000€ per month. Campaigns will be based on CPC model and all CPCs must be agreed before signing the contract. If you have any doubts please don't hesitate to contact us.

Developers

Do you accept guest or sponsored posts and/or allow links in your articles?

Can you write a branded article about my program?

Yes, we can write a branded article about your program please contact [email protected] and you’ll be informed about our Catalog Services and other advertising products. All the articles are written by our Content Specialists, You can also provide your own article or the content you would like to be featured.

Softonic Developer Hub shutdown

The Softonic Developers Hub will be permanently shutting down. Over the past 2 years, Softonic has strived to provide developers with an easy-to-use platform for showcasing and managing their apps while leveraging the global reach of the Softonic apps and software catalog. However, given the fact that most developers’ titles make it into Softonic without ever submitting their app, and thus there is a low demand for SDH’s features, it no longer makes business sense for us to maintain a self-service management system for our community of developers. If you are a developer with a title on Softonic Developer Hub and you have pending requests, all of them will be reviewed. To submit a new update request, you can fill in this form and we'll do our best to make the necessary changes.

I had my program online and I can’t see it anymore

If you published your program with us on Softonic and after some time cannot see it, it could be due to a number of reasons. We carry out regular checks on our Catalog to ensure its health and if a software title has generated zero sessions in six months, it is automatically removed. We do this to ensure the catalog’s freshness and relevance to our key audience. We also carry out regular safety checks and likewise, if any software title is flagged as corrupt or with viruses we remove it from our catalog. As a recommendation, we always encourage our developers to make sure their file has not become corrupt to avoid any risks.

Can you write a review for my program?

Yes, we can write a Softonic review for your program written by our editors please contact [email protected] and you’ll be informed about our Catalog Services and other advertising products.

Can you update the review for my program?

Yes, if you want to update your Softonic review for your program please contact [email protected] and you’ll be informed about our Catalog Services and other advertising products.

How can I remove my program?

If you want to remove your program from Softonic, follow the steps outlined in the DMCA policy.

How can I publish my program? (new or existing developer)

If you are a developer and want to publish a new program on our Catalog, please contact our Sales team [email protected] . Softonic reserves the right to decide what will be published according to our Content policies and Catalog relevance.

How can I update my current file and version?

If you are a developer and want to update your existing program on our Catalog, please fill in that form and we will review your request. Softonic reserves the right to decide what will be published and according to our Content policies and Catalog relevance.

Users

How do I find my phone’s operating system (OS)?

Before downloading an application on your smartphone, please be sure you are aware of the current version your operating system is running on. This will help ensure compatibility between the app and your device. Operating systems for mobile phones are continuously being updated. We recommend you keep your phone’s OS updated. This is highly recommendable not only for the correct installation of the app but also for its general functioning. You can find the most current OS available for your phone by checking the OS’s website. The easiest and most accurate way for you to find your OS is by looking at the settings on the device itself. Below are general instructions for several brands of devices. For more detailed instructions about your specific device, locate the User Guide that came with the purchase of your device.

Android

Tap on the “Menu” button.
Go to “Settings”.
Tap “About Phone” or “About Device” (varies, depending on device).
Tap “Android Version” to display version information.

iPhone/iPad

From the Home Screen, tap on “Settings”.
Go to “General” and select “About”.

How to disable web notifications?

Have you accidentally given permission to receive notifications from a website or are you tired of getting notification requests? Below, we’ll tell you how to disable them according to the browser you’re using.

Google Chrome (laptop)

To disable Chrome notifications, copy this address chrome://settings/content/notifications and paste it in your browser. This way, you’ll go straight to the “Notifications” section of Chrome Settings. If you want to stop receiving permission requests for notifications, disable the “Ask before sending (recommended)” option to “Block all.” Want to block notifications for a specific website? You’ll see that you’ve got two options: “Block” and “Allow.” Under “Allow,” look for the web page you want to stop receiving notifications for, click on the three vertical dots beside it and then select “Block.” It’s that easy!

Google Chrome (cell phone)

Go to “Settings” (by tapping on the three vertical dots in the top right). Press “Web page settings” and then “Notifications.” If you want to stop receiving permission requests for notifications, disable the “Ask before allowing websites to send notifications (recommended)” option to “Blocked.” Want to disable specific notifications? Below, you’ll have two options: allowed and blocked notifications. Select one that is allowed and then the “Notifications” option to block it. Easy peasy.

Mozilla Firefox (laptop)

To disable notifications on Firefox, copy this address about:preferences#content and paste it in your browser to access the “Content” section of Firefox Options. Here you’ll see the “Notifications” subsection. If you want to stop receiving so many permission requests for notifications and notifications themselves, enable the “Do not disturb me” option. Want to block notifications for a specific web page? Click on “Select.” A list with all the notifications you’ve allowed or blocked to date will show up. Look for the website you no longer want to receive notifications from and select “Remove site.” When you go to that page again, it will once again ask for permission to send you notifications (unless you’ve enabled the “Do not disturb me” option). Select that you don’t want to receive notifications. Case closed. Unfortunately, there’s no easier way to block specific notifications on Firefox.

Mozilla Firefox (cell phone)

For now, there’s only one very basic way to disable notifications for this version of Firefox. You must go to the page that you want to disable notifications for and click on the Control Center (the green lock to the left of the URL). Then select “Edit site settings.” Tap the white square to “check” it and then press “Clear.” This way, the website will stop sending you notifications unless you go back and give it permission.

Apple Safari

To stop receiving notifications for a web page, go to “Preferences” and then click on “Notifications.” Look for the website on the list and select “Block.” If you want to stop receiving permission requests for notifications, don’t leave the “Notifications” section; simply uncheck the box “Allow websites to ask for permission to send push notifications.”

Opera

Click on the “O” menu in the upper left. Choose settings. Choose Sites” from the Settings menu. Search for “Notifications” in the search box. Go to Notifications and adapt to your taste. You can either customize it to be asked before hand you receive any notification (recommended option) or you directly block any notification if you do not want any commercial or editorial notification or updates.

Where can I find technical support for a program or an app that I downloaded or purchased?

If you are in need of technical support for a specific software program, please contact the program’s developer. If you purchased the program directly from the developer, check your purchase confirmation email for contact information. You can also find a link to the developer’s website on the Softonic review: When requesting technical support, it is helpful to include the following information:

A screenshot or display of any error messages.
A list of troubleshooting steps you may have already taken.
Other relevant information related to the issue (i.e. what you were doing when it occurred, how many times you received the error, etc.).

How do I buy a program?

To buy a program, locate the “Buy Now” button on the program’s review site. Please note that not all programs have this option. Clicking the “Buy Now” button will redirect you to a third party website where you will have the option to purchase the software. Please note that Softonic does not sell programs directly. Price and payment methods are handled by the site you are directed to, not Softonic. In case we only offer the trial version but not the purchase of the program, we recommend you to go to the developer’s website, which you will find in the software review.

How can I rate and review a program?

We value our users feedback very highly and encourage you to rate the program you have just downloaded with us. You as a user can also check for current users ratings to have more information from real users when downloading any given program. You can find the option to leave your ratings very comfortably after the license type on the program page. Bear in mind that once your review is published all users will be able to read it. All comments are moderated, so please do not forget that there are some etiquette rules that must be followed:

Be respectful when sharing your views. Inappropriate language will not be accepted.
Please write your opinion as understandable as possible. Avoid abbreviations and writing in capital letters.

Advertising products in your review is forbidden. We will automatically delete any comments containing ads. However, feel free to recommend other programs listed on Softonic to other users if you think it’s relevant.

How do I filter the search results?

How to filter the search results: Filtering the search results will help you find more relevant answers to your queries. To do this, locate the “Filter by” column on the right side of the page: You can filter by the following criteria:

License: Display only free programs.
Platform: Display only results relevant to the selected platform.
Operating system: Display only the results relevant to the selected operating system.

Are the programs published safe for my computer?

At Softonic we scan our programs to ensure they are virus free and safe for you. Please note that once downloaded on your computer, you are responsible for the security and correct functioning of the program on your system. Please remember to run regular virus checks and system reboots to ensure complete safety.

Are the programs published safe for my computer?

How can I uninstall a program?

Uninstalling a program is fairly straightforward. Depending on your operating system you will need to follow these steps:

Windows

Go to Control Panel and search for “How to uninstall a program”
Select the program you would like to remove
Once selected the program, click “uninstall”

Mac

Go to Finder at the bottom of your screen. Depending on your settings these icons may appear when you roll over.
Within Finder go to Applications
Your applications will appear on your right
Select the application you want to remove
You can either drag the application to the Trash Can or command iT
Please remember to empty your Trash Can periodically.

Why is the program/app I’ve downloaded not working?

If the app or program you have downloaded is not working, you should check your operating system and if it's running version is compatible. If it is so, please check the developer’s site to see if the file may have been brought down recently. For further queries regarding the program or app not working please get in touch with the developer.

How do I search for programs?

The easiest way to search for programs on the Softonic website is by using the Quick Search Box at the top of our home page. Enter the name of the program you are searching for and hit the search icon. If you do not know the specific name of a program, you can also search by using keywords, functions and features. Example: If you are looking for a media player but do not have a specific name of one, type “media player” into the search box to bring up results related to those keywords.

Do I have to pay in order to download a program?

You do not have to pay anything in order to download a program from Softonic. Downloading a program on our site is totally free. However, note that the program license might not be free. We recommend you therefore to always check the license type before downloading a program. We do not offer any kind of paid subscription on our website. If money is being withdrawn from your bank account without your consent please contact your bank in order to find out the company responsible for this action so you can cancel the subscription.

How many license types are there?

A program’s license type can be seen on every program review. You will be able to find it on the search results page: Here you find the most usual license types:

Free: You can use the program free of charge and there are no time restrictions.
Trial version: You have an option to test the software for free for a limited amount of time after which you will have to purchase it if you want to use it. Demo: You have access to a limited version of the software that you can use for free (sometimes without time restrictions). Some of the program’s main features are not available if you do not purchase the full version.

Full version: you will have to buy the program or game in order to download and use it.