PortableApps.com - PortableApps.com Platform

Feature Addition: Scanning multiple directories for apps, opinions sought

John T. Haller — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 23:59:27 +0000

There have been a few requests over the years to have the PortableApps.com Platform scan additional paths for apps. The rationale is usually that users want to keep non-PAF apps separate from PAF apps or apps that are updated automatically by the platform separate from those that are not. I'm planning on implementing this within a future release of the PortableApps.com Platform and wanted to layout the setup and see if there are any comments or suggestions.

Since some people want to keep non-PAF apps separate and some want to keep unofficial apps separate, I think using 3 separate paths would make the most sense. I'll be talking about this as if the user has the platform installed to the root of a drive, but this will work with other relative paths as well.

X:\PortableApps - The PortableApps directory we have now which will be scanned by the platform for PA.c Format apps as well as non-PAF apps. Apps will automatically appear in the PA.c Platform and will be automatically updates.

X:\PortableAppsUnofficial - Apps in PA.c Format that have not yet officially been released from our forums and from publishers who have posted versions we do not yet officially update. Apps in this folder will be found by the platform's menu but will not be checked for updates by the PA.c Updater. Only PAF style appinfo.ini files will be scanned for existence in this folder.

X:\PortableAppsOther - Apps not in PA.c Format that are portable. Apps in this folder will be found by the platform's menu but will not be checked for updates by the PA.c Updater. The platform will only scan for EXE files and will not search for appinfo.ini configurations within this path.

For users who have no wish to separate things out, nothing will change from the way it currently works. It's entirely optional and these other two paths will not exist by default. This is strictly an option for power users.

Any thoughts or suggestions? The one thing I'm considering is the name of the last path. Possible PortableAppsNonPAF instead of PortableAppsOther.

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PortableApps.com Platform

PortableApps.com Platform Bug Report and Feature Tracker

John T. Haller — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:29:51 +0000

Please report any bugs you find with the platform here. There is a separate forum thread for localization discussion and another for apps that need an update. Bug reports made in comments will be deleted once added to this categorized list. Duplicate reports will be removed. Fixed bugs are listed in the PortableApps.com Platform Change-log. Some bugs listed as fixed in the changelog for a current beta release will still be present in the older stable release. Bugs fixed or features added in our internal build that will be included in the next release are marked with an asterisk (*). Items already handled in the current beta are marked with a double asterisk (**).

Last Updated: 2025-12-30

Bug Submission Note: Please include your operating system version, 32/64-bit, install path, new vs upgrade, platform version, any antivirus/firewall running, etc. It will help us address your issue faster.

Known / Confirmed Issues

* Menu doesn't exit search mode when running an app as admin
Platform uses some CPU cycles when idle due to legacy focus timer
Green text in submenus when running under macOS due to a Wine bug
Pressing down arrow on the last app when there are more shifts focus to scrollbar instead of scrolling down
Auto close apps only closes 32-bit apps, doesn't detect apps running as admin (note)
App icons appear as black boxes in tray submenu in high DPI mode (likely require switch to png from ico)
Platform doesn't use environment variables for content folders when installed per-user
Cannot upgrade platform while another platform in another location is running
On resolution changes, menu moves. May be able to pin it.
Wallpaper switcher: disables Win7 wallpaper slideshow, no GUI
Get error if click Get More Apps while auto-update in beginning is running. Possibly wait or better error.
Allow alt temp or permission fix when TEMP invalid and platform won't run (workaround included)
Please close running apps window sometimes appears behind other windows
Platform installer doesn't warn of already-running platform when run directly
Check/Uncheck all in updater/app store doesn't update Next button enable/disable. Limitation in EmbeddedLists component.
System tray icon click to show/hide may take two clicks when taskbar icon hidden and stay visible after app start is on
Updating app will fail to update files in silent mode when locked, no error to user. Requires changes to installer and updater to re-run in non-silent mode

Upcoming Features (Confirmed Coming In An Upcoming Release)

* Reset apps via right-click to delete contents of Data directory
Ability to re-install/repair apps
PA.c Updater Log file of app installs, updates, and uninstalls
Rename and delete categories
Automatically run the updater at specific time intervals (daily, weekly, etc)
Allow pinning of additional app icons like LibreOffice Writer, not sure of the feasibility of this
Agree to all EULAs for multiple apps at once during install/update
Theming of menu icons, possible option to use separate icon and menu themes
Option to automatically close the updater on successful completion
Custom colors for themes
Custom tags on apps for searching (example: tb for Thunderbird or ff for Firefox)
Custom fonts
Export custom suite list, import custom suite list
Ability to set custom icons for apps and categories
Have updater/store begin installing apps while still downloading others to reduce install/update time
Scan multiple paths for apps (see discussion)
Have updater warn that an app is running before updating
High contrast theme detection and incorporation in some respect within the platform
Display all portable apps in system tray by alphabetical order in addition to by category
Updater/App Store detection of updates failing due to network disconnect and re-queuing them for download as a stopgap until resume is implemented
Local shortcuts to things like Windows Explorer, Notepad, that work as you move PCs
Platform scrolls to bring category into view as you expand it, scrolling down so it's at the top if needed
Ensure enough free space in system TEMP for downloads, PA.c Installer needs to check for downloads/extraction space, too
Ability to have updates start automatically on platform start with a minimized updater
Cancel updates/app installs mid-way through the process
SOCKS proxy support via CURL for updater / app store (*)
Disable menu tooltips option
Double-click apps to launch (in addition to single click)
Install all languages when installing apps via the app store option
File associations built-in (no eXpresso or Portable File Associator addons), including default browser/email
Configurable close/eject/minimize buttons in the lower right
Custom theme add, select and remove
UI options for advanced features that don't yet have them
Customization of the folders' (Documents, etc) name, icon and location to open, ability to add folders plus use default folders when installed locally per user
Remove apps from the smart list
Run platform from read-only media. May skip this.
Search app directory (requires re-write of App Store / Updater in something other than NSIS)
Windows 7 task bar customizations
BAT file on start and exit for advanced users with platform env vars available
Cache apps to improve menu start/refresh performance
Save installers for later use
Specify preferred SourceForge mirror
Hide Java apps in app directory (off by default)
Ability to select between minimize to tray, taskbar or auto in GUI
Change the icon of an app
Right-click Command Prompt Here
Switch download indicator to show MB instead of KB
Ability to exclude apps from the updater (possibly show unchecked after checked updated apps)
Ability to manually add apps from other directories
Ability to resume dropped downloads (may be in combination with setting specific location for download)
Customizable systray icon
Autorun/Autoplay component installable locally (test version available)
Always on top option
Ability to list out dev test apps in the About Apps screen
Language-specific Help - Support, Donation, etc landing pages
Ability to delay auto-started apps
Ability to have only favorites on front page (no recent or smart)
Improve detection of TEMP issues to include unexecutable, add translations for strings in Start.exe and offer users to setup a contain TEMP on the fly
Option to allow refresh of environment variables from the registry on WM_SETTINGSCHANGE (note)
Backup just PortableApps folder, instead of full drive
Trigger backup from a scheduled task externally
Ability to set additional environment variables

Possible Future Features (Suggested by Users, Under Consideration)

Drag and drop apps between categories
Multilingual app names for add-ons like Firefox Private Browsing
Theme to match the host operating system aka theme-less theming (thread)
Cleanup left behind individual app settings after power outtage/PC crash
Ability to have favorites listed in favorites section and in category in same list
Settings export/import
Ability to show installed apps with size, metrics on install/update, used, etc
Right-click app details (description, size used, etc)
Reconsider mandatory upgrades of platform before apps
Ability to remember expanded categories
Delay apps set to autorun until after the updater has done a check, possibly not starting the ones that require an update
Ability to display sub-categories as folders
Independent portable desktop with its own icons
Advanced option to have the platform force-close apps without windows
Ability to hide/categorize apps in bulk
Replace or overlay Windows Start button
Ability to use large icons
Faster load times
Close platform externally
Automatically add and maintain all portable app shortcuts in the Windows Start menu
Add all portable app shortcuts in the Windows Start menu
Option to remove app shortcuts from the Windows Start menu
Expand PA.c Platform's menu window to show more icons

No Immediate 'Fix' Planned

App directory window is not resizable, no live search, can't drill down into sub-categories (limitation of programming language, will eventually be rewritten)
Keyboard friendly navigation uses the less-than-intuitive Windows' default of working with a listbox: Hold CTRL to start selecting, use arrow keys or TAB to move around, hit SPACE to toggle a selection on or off. We're looking for a developer to assist with adding some custom C++ code to the NSIS EmbeddedLists component (Source Code) we use to display this list so that keyboard navigation will work with the checkboxes.
Switching from Aero theme to Windows Classic on Windows 7 with the menu running causes visual artifacts due to a Delphi bug. Restarting the platform will fix the artifacts. This does not affect Windows 8 and later as the classic theme was removed.
Unable to download some apps on Windows XP/Vista from servers requiring TLS 1.1 and up. A workaround allowing download from our own servers without https has been fully implemented on all apps we host on SourceForge and our own download mirrors. A workaround for publisher-hosted apps is being explored.
Downloads larger than ~40MB get corrupted on ReactOS. Subsequent downloads fail. OS bug.
Order of apps in App Store is incorrect in Wine under some OSes. Wine/OS bug.

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

step by step on how to change the Portable TEMP Directory?

imeem — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 19:19:31 +0000

Hello i see in this link (https://portableapps.com/support/platform#advanced) about changing the Portable TEMP Directory.

I created a directory called "TempForPortableApps", but it's not working.
I see it says to go to PortableAppsMenu.ini to add/change something, but it doesn't specify. What do i need to add in there in order to move the temp files to a different drive?

Reason i want to move it: there's alot of data been written to my C drive and im suspecting portable Chrome might be it. so im going down the process of elimination.

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

0x000007b error screen, at any start of any app

joeysfalsa — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 14:25:44 +0000

Hey everyone,

I've been having trouble starting any portable app for a while now. Whenever I try, I get an error code 0x000007b with a message saying the application can't start. That's pretty much all the info I get.

The weird thing is, this isn't a "it never worked" situation. I've always loved using portable apps. But for some time now, I just can't get them to launch. It doesn't matter if I try to start them through the PortableApps.com launcher or if I go directly into the app's folder and run the .exe myself – they simply refuse to start.

Here's what I've already tried, just to save you some time:

# I've reinstalled all the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables. I even went to GitHub to get an all-in-one package to update every framework and
runtime I could think of.
# I've made sure the PortableApps.com Platform itself is updated to the latest version.
# I even enlisted the help of an AI assistant (DeepSeek – nice tool, by the way!) to troubleshoot this. We had a good laugh when it suggested I
should "ask on the forum"... which is why I'm here now. Talk about irony!

So, with all that said... does anyone have a genius idea or a lightbulb moment about what could be causing this?
My system: Windows 10 Pro, 32GB RAM. The portable apps are on a USB stick that still has about 90GB of free space.

Any pointers would be hugely appreciated

Greetings, Joeysfalsa

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

Installation error with Process Explorer v17.08 ("The downloaded copy of ... is not valid and cannot be installed)

XopherSaK — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 04:14:31 +0000

Hello Team,

This is regarding an installation error I encountered with Process Explorer Portable v17.08:
https://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/process-explorer-portable

When running the installer, I get the following pop-up error message:

The downloaded copy of Process Explorer is not valid and cannot be installed. Please try installing again.

https://i.imgur.com/74Qzhpj.png

While the current portable version is 17.08, it seems the publisher just released a new version v17.09 today. Perhaps this is the cause.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer

Can you let me know how I can resolve this installation error?

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

Lynux

Grandpa44 — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:38:09 +0000

Since Win10 is phased out I am changing from Microsoft to Lynux. Are there any plans to develop apps for this platform?

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

[Closed] Upgrade to PortableApps.com Platform 30.1.2

ken.neiser — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:39:18 +0000

On Windows 11, cannot download this upgrade. I've been trying for several days now from your site and SourceForge. Defender Security intelligence version is 1.441.286.0.

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

Click on system tray icon opens in wrong monitor

EdwardNihal — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 20:02:08 +0000

i have laptop and monitor, windows 11, option is extended display and i set monitor as my main display, icon is shown in system tray, but when i click on icon, it opens up on laptop screen, why???

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

[Closed] Upgrade to PortableApps.com Platform 30.1.1

ken.neiser — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 16:28:55 +0000

Error on update indicates that the download is not valid. is this a checksum failure?

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

Two Chrome Portable versions show as one icon on Windows 10 taskbar

ianasystems — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 12:50:50 +0000

Hi,

I’m using Windows 10 (64-bit) and have two separate Chrome Portable versions running from different folders:

Both launch fine with their own profiles, but when I open them together, Windows groups them under one single Chrome icon on the taskbar.

Is there a way to make multiple Google Chrome Portable instances appear as separate icons on the Windows taskbar?

https://i.imgur.com/PJTMCML.png

Thank you.

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

DL still points to v30.1 (not 30.1.1)

RaphaelRB — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 02:06:45 +0000

When downloading PortableApps.com Platform from page https://portableapps.com/download it still points to PortableApps.com Platform 30.1, not 30.1.1.

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

Unsuitable Credit Card processor

Tom Graham Kesten — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 12:15:44 +0000

This is a rather sad message. I have just attempted to make a donation to Portable Apps via your Finance processing provider:

1: I chose credit card - the system changed the setting to Paypal. I don't use Paypal for political reasons. That's why I chose credit card. That's my business.
2: After resetting, the credit card settings insisted on my phone number, and didn't offer the opportunity to proceed without it. Setting aside that I may or may not have a telephone number, it's also my business who I am willing to give it to. Obviously you, and they, already have my email address. Why is that not good enough?

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

XnView MP 1.9.4 Legacy 32-bit support does not install correctly

portajon — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 08:17:21 +0000

The 1.9.4 version of XnViewMP Portable which is at https://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/xnview-mp-portable was uploaded 9/29/20025 and the Legacy version for 32-bit systems has sub-directory issues described below.

The link at https://portableapps.com/news/2025-02-19--xnview-mp-portable-1.8.6-released downloads 1.9.4

Is there a link to 1.8.6 that I can download?

-----------------------------------------

Problems with 1.9.4 Legacy

Installation created the following
C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewMPPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\app\appinfo.ini
C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewMPPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\app\installer.ini
C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewMPPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\app\XnViewMPPortableLegacy32bit.ini

Executing C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewmpPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\XnViewMPPortableLegacy32bit.exe caused:
PortableApps.com Launcher cannot be started. You may wish to re-install to fix this issue.
(ERROR:C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewMPPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\App\AppInfo\appinfo.ini could not be found

Created the named directory
C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewMPPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\app\appinfo\appinfo.ini
C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewMPPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\app\appinfo\installer.ini
Executing C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewmpPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\XnViewMPPortableLegacy32bit.exe caused:
C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewMPPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\app\appinfo\XnViewMPPortableLegacy32bit.ini
XnView Portable (Legacy 32-bit) cannot be started. You may wish to re-install to fix this issue.
(ERROR:C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewmpPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\App\AppInfo\Launcher\XnViewMPPortableLegacy32bit.ini could not be found

Created the named directory
C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewMPPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\app\appinfo\launcher\XnViewMPPortableLegacy32bit.iniT
Executing C:\__Prtbl\PortableApps\XnViewmpPortable\Other\Source\Legacy\XnViewMPPortableLegacy32bit.exe caused:
XnView Portable (Legacy 32-bit) cannot be started. You may wish to re-install to fix this issue.
(ERROR:App\XnViewMP\XnViewmp.exe could not be found

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PortableApps.com Platform

Windows S Mode

DADSGETNDOWN — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 05:41:26 +0000

It has been several years since I have done anything with a Computer/Laptop.
The Laptop I have is saying I can't install this while in S Mode.
How do I get around this? And is it a bad thing to do?

Forums:

PortableApps.com Platform

PortableApps.com installer shows windows under other applications

einst3 — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 17:39:34 +0000

During an update installing PortableApps.com installer shows all installer windows underneath the last application window that had focus. i have windows 11, avast antivirus, and windows taskbar window flashing turned off. on portable apps i have app not showing in windows taskbar but in the task tray. this has been happening since the last bunch of updates not sure how far back, i check for updates manually using the app check for update option. other applications do not have this issue.

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PortableApps.com Platform