How to Download and Install Dangerzone on Your Operating System

Dangerzone is available as a free download for macOS, Windows, and several Linux distributions, with separate builds for Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. Pick the entry below that matches your system, download the installer or package, and run it. If your platform isn't listed directly, you can build from source.

What Dangerzone does before you install

Dangerzone takes a document you can't fully trust — an email attachment, for example — and converts it into a safe PDF. It does this by rendering the document to pixels inside a sandbox with no network access, then rebuilding a PDF from that pixel data. Because the output is reconstructed from raw RGB values rather than the original file structure, any embedded malware is destroyed in the process. It supports more than 20 file types, including PDFs, all major office-suite formats, and common image types.

That context matters for installation: Dangerzone runs the risky conversion in an isolated environment, so the install steps below are about getting the app and its sandbox support onto your machine.

Download options by platform

The current release shown on the site is Dangerzone 0.11.0.

macOS: choose the right chip

macOS has two separate downloads, and picking the wrong one is the most common installation mistake. You need to know whether your Mac uses an Intel chip or Apple Silicon.

• Apple Silicon covers M-series chips (M1, M2, and later).
• Intel covers older Macs built before the Apple Silicon transition.

If you're unsure which you have, the site includes a "Which one do I have?" helper next to the download buttons — use it before downloading rather than guessing.

Windows

Download the Windows build and run it. No chip distinction is presented for Windows on the download page.

Linux

Linux users get distribution-specific install paths rather than a single binary:

• Ubuntu / Debian — install using the provided package.
• Fedora — install using the provided package.
• Tails — install using the provided package.
• Qubes OS (Beta) — install using the provided package; note this is marked beta.
• Other Linux — build from source.

Verifying your download

The site provides a verification step for macOS downloads, which lets you confirm the file you received is the one intended for your chip. If you're handling untrusted documents regularly, verifying before you install is worth the extra minute — the whole point of the tool is trust, so it makes sense to start with a verified installer.

When to build from source instead

Choose the source build if:

• Your Linux distribution isn't Ubuntu/Debian, Fedora, Tails, or Qubes OS.
• You want to inspect or modify the code.
• A prebuilt package isn't available for your setup.

Dangerzone is a free and open source project maintained by the Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), a nonprofit that protects and defends press freedom, so the source is available to build yourself.

Common installation snags

• Wrong macOS build. Downloading the Intel version onto an Apple Silicon Mac (or vice versa) is the most frequent error. Check your chip first.
• Assuming a single Linux installer. There isn't one — match your distribution to its package, or build from source.
• Skipping verification. The macOS verification step exists to confirm you have the correct, intended file for your chip.
• Treating Qubes OS as stable. It's labeled Beta, so expect rougher edges than the other platforms.

Once installed, the workflow is the same everywhere: hand Dangerzone a document you don't trust, and it returns a safe PDF rebuilt from pixel data.