Portability is a very important issue for those people who, for whatever reason, have to change computers or cannot access their own computer all the time. For them, Windows 11 offers the possibility of create portable programsThis way they can run an application on any computer without having to install it.
It is really convenient to be able to load the software you need in a USB flash drive or any other storage media. Thus, we can use it on any other computer in a simple and clean way.
What is a Portable Program?
As the name suggests, a portable program is an application that can be run without having to install it firstThis has a number of obvious advantages, the most important of which is that no changes are made to the PC where it is used (the so-called "host" device): no files of any kind are stored and no changes are made to the device. system log. Everything that is needed to run the software is located in the removable device or the cloud storage where the program is hosted.
This is a brief list of the advantages of using a portable program:
- Compatibility: It can run on different Windows devices, without the need for additional configurations.
- Ease of use, since it does not require prior installation.
- Portability: can be carried around on a USB flash drive (or in the cloud).
- Security: The computer where the program is used does not affect the registry nor does it need to create files on the system.
Create portable programs
Some programs are already executable from their folder, without having to install them, you just have to find the specific file and start it. But in most cases, you have to create them.
Instead of talking about “creating portable programs”, it would be more correct to talk about “converting” programs and applications into portable programs. To accomplish this task, we have several methods. These are the most used:
- Through specific software, such as Camel o Enigma Virtual BoxBasically, what these tools do is encapsulate or package the files and settings of a program into an executable unit (.exe portable) located outside the hard drive.
- By manual conversion of the program or application in question. It is necessary to locate the Program Files, install the software and copy the installation folder. Sometimes, the program needs additional libraries that we will also have to copy, or it requires modifying some of its configuration files.
- Using Portable Containers, which are tools that allow us to run programs in an isolated environment, such as Sandboxie o PortableApps (to run portable applications from a USB flash drive).
Create portable programs in Windows 11, step by step
As almost always, the best way to explain something is to show it with an example. The one we have chosen to create portable programs is the following: take an existing program () and make it portable using the tool PortableApps.
- The first step to create portable programs with this tool is to connect the USB to our computer (it is best if the unit is empty).
- Then, you have to Download the PortableApps application from their official website.
- Next we start the application installation following the steps shown on the screen. We have to get to the option of «Portable – Install on a portable device».
- We activate this option and We select the USB drive where we want to install the program.
- Then We run the PortableApps.com platform, where we find all the applications and programs available to install on the USB. There we can select the program(s) we want.
- In conclusion, We start downloading the applications (if there is more than one application, they must be confirmed one by one individually).
Once the installation is complete, the application or applications will be displayed on the screen, organized by categories. Next to each of them we will find the indicators corresponding to the capacity and free space on the USB drive. All of them are ready to be executed when we need them.
Things to keep in mind…
When creating portable programs in Windows 11, it is important to take into consideration some things to avoid problems when creating or running them:
- Not all applications have licenses that allow the distribution of portable versions, so it will be impossible to carry out this process, regardless of the method chosen.
- Portable programs do not update automatically, which means that the process of creating the portable program will have to be repeated from time to time.
In short, we can say that Creating portable programs in Windows 11 is a relatively simple task This does not require extensive technical knowledge. Everything is easier thanks to tools such as PortableApps, which we have used to illustrate our example. The result is that we can enjoy our applications on any computer, without having to perform any kind of installation.
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