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Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit) and administrator rights to install. Anakrio installs to C:\Program Files\Anakrio.

It takes a few minutes:

1. Download the installer from the Download page.
2. Optional but recommended: check its SHA-256 checksum (see the next question).
3. Run AnakrioInstaller.exe and accept the administrator prompt.
4. Get your free Pro key on the home page. It appears instantly and is also emailed to you.
5. Open Anakrio, go to Settings, then License, enter your email and key and click Activate Pro.
6. Run a Quick Scan from the Dashboard or the Scan page.

Open PowerShell in the folder where you saved it and run: Get-FileHash .\AnakrioInstaller.exe -Algorithm SHA256. The result must match the checksum on the Download page exactly. If it does not, do not run the file.

New software that few people have downloaded yet often triggers this notice. If the checksum matches, the file is the one we published.

In Data, Logs and Quarantine folders next to the program. If that location is read-only, Anakrio uses %LOCALAPPDATA%\Anakrio instead. Rule files are in Data\rules.

Register with your name and email on the home page. Your key (ANK-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX) is shown once on the screen and emailed to you. There is one license per email address.

In Anakrio open Settings, then License. Enter the email you registered with and your key, then click Activate Pro. Pro features switch on right away.

Check that the email is exactly the one you registered with, that the key has the form ANK-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX and that the computer is online. If you were just given a new key, the old one no longer works. Still stuck? Write to support.

Real-time protection, YARA rules and heuristic detection, Full Scan, a full inspection of files inside archives, automatic signature updates and automatic quarantine that also stops the malicious process. Without Pro you still get known-threat matching (also inside archives), Quick Scan, Custom Scan, quarantine and manual updates.

A license lasts a year. Renew it for free on the renew page, or click Renew in Settings, which opens that page. Renewal opens during a window before the expiry date; if you try earlier, the page tells you when you can renew.

On the renew page choose the option for a lost key and enter your email. We send a one-time link (valid for 30 minutes) that issues a new key. The old key stops working.

Pro features pause and the app shows that the license has expired. Renew on the renew page and Anakrio picks it up automatically. Quick Scan and Custom Scan keep working in the meantime.

Settings, then License, then Deactivate.

That only happens for abuse or by mistake. Write to support and we will check it.

Quick Scan checks startup items, downloads, the desktop and the main program-data folders in a minute or two. Full Scan (Pro) checks every file on every fixed drive. A custom scan checks exactly what you pick.

On the Scan page use Scan files... or Scan folder.... You can also turn on the Explorer menu in Settings and right-click anything in Windows Explorer to choose Scan with Anakrio.

Yes. zip, tar, gz and 7z files are opened and every file inside is checked against the known-threat database. With Pro the full engine (YARA and heuristics) runs on them too. Anakrio has safety limits for nesting depth, number of files and size, so a decompression bomb cannot fill your disk.

Downloads, Desktop, Documents, Temp, AppData and Startup. New files there are checked before you run them. Pro feature.

In Settings, General, switch on Start with Windows and Keep running in the notification area.

In Settings, Exclusions, add the path. Use this for files you trust that are flagged by mistake.

With Pro, the threat is stopped, its process is ended and the file is moved to quarantine, where it is renamed and locked down with restricted permissions. If Quarantine malware automatically is switched off in Settings, or you are on the free plan, the detection waits for you and you choose between Quarantine selected, Quarantine all and Delete.

On the Scan page open the detection and expand Why was this flagged? to see which signature, YARA rule or heuristic triggered it.

Open the Quarantine page, select the file and click Restore. If it is a file you trust, also add it under Settings, Exclusions so it is not flagged again.

Write to support with the file name, where it came from, its SHA-256 (Get-FileHash .\file.exe -Algorithm SHA256) and the text under Why was this flagged?. If a signature turns out to be wrong we can disable it for everyone.

On the History page. You can also clear it there.

Pro updates them automatically in the background and loads them without a restart. To do it yourself, go to Settings, Updates and click Check for new signatures or Update signatures.

Settings, Updates, Check for a new version. The download page always has the newest installer with its checksum, and the changelog lists what changed.

Scanning works offline. The connection is only used for license checks, signature updates and version checks. If Anakrio cannot reach the server, it keeps working with what it has and Pro stays active for up to 7 days without a successful license check. After that Pro features pause until it can verify the license again.

Put files ending in .yar (not .yara) directly in the Data\rules folder, without subfolders, then restart Anakrio. A template follows below.

1. Open the Data\rules folder next to the program (or in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Anakrio if the program folder is read-only).
2. Add your .yar file there. Rule names must be unique across all files.
3. Restart Anakrio. The Dashboard shows how many detection rules are active.

rule Example_Suspicious_Script
{
    meta:
        description = "Short text shown in the scan result"
        score = 80
    strings:
        $a = "some suspicious string" nocase
    condition:
        filesize < 2MB and any of them
}

Add score = 1 to 100 under meta. Without it a rule counts as 70. A file is reported when the combined evidence reaches 75, so a rule without a score only tips a file over together with other signs. Use 90 to 100 only for rules that are certain.

A file that does not compile is skipped and the Dashboard says so, for example "1 rule file(s) skipped". The other files keep working. Fix or remove the file and restart.

The Data\rules folder is empty. Restart Anakrio and the built-in core rules are created again.

The detection library could not be loaded, so YARA rules are inactive while signatures and heuristics keep working. Reinstall Anakrio with the latest installer. If it persists, write to support and include the message.

Installing needs administrator rights. Right-click the installer and choose Run as administrator, and make sure the download is complete by comparing its checksum.

Anakrio checks your license with anakrio.com from time to time. If it cannot reach the server for 7 days in a row, Pro features pause until it can verify the license again. Connect the PC to the internet and open Anakrio, and Pro resumes. Nothing is lost.

Restart Anakrio and check Settings, License. If it still shows no active license, check the email and key again or renew.

See Threats and quarantine above: restore the file, add an exclusion and report it to us.