Installation guide

Last updated: October 2026

Short version: PrivBgCut is not code-signed yet, so Windows may warn you on first download and first launch. This page explains exactly what to click. You do not need to disable SmartScreen or your antivirus.

1. Why is the app unsigned?

Code signing certificates cost a few hundred USD per year and are issued to registered legal entities. PrivBgCut is a small independent product, so the installer is currently shipped without a signature. As a result, Windows treats it as an “unknown publisher” until enough users have downloaded and run it.

This is a cost decision, not a sign that the file is unsafe. The installer is built from the same source tree on every release.

2. When downloading

Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome may show a message such as “privbgcut-setup.exe isn't commonly downloaded. Make sure you trust it before opening it.”

Click the … menu next to the download and choose Keep. If the browser asks again, choose Keep anyway.

3. When running the installer

The first time you open the installer, Windows SmartScreen may show a full-screen blue panel:

Windows protected your PC
Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk.

Click More info, then click Run anyway. The installer will proceed normally.

4. If Windows Defender quarantines the file

In rare cases the file may be quarantined before you can click anything. To restore it:

• Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history.
• Find the PrivBgCut entry, click it, and choose Restore.
• Optional: add the folder you extracted the installer to as an exclusion.

5. Verify the file (optional)

If you want to confirm the installer matches the release before running it, compare its SHA-256 checksum against the value published with the release. In PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\privbgcut-setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256

The output should match the checksum listed on the release page. If it does not, do not run the file and email us.

6. What NOT to do

• Do not disable SmartScreen system-wide just to install one app.
• Do not disable your antivirus.
• Do not trust installers downloaded from anywhere other than privbgcut.pocketjoy.fun.

Clicking “More info → Run anyway” once is enough. No system setting needs to change.

7. System requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit).
• CPU with AVX2 support (most machines built after 2013).
• Disk usage. Typical install is about 360 MB — roughly 270 MB for the app and models on the drive you install to, plus about 90 MB of cache under %LOCALAPPDATA% after first runs. The download itself is about 460 MB because the installer bundles a WebView2 offline installer.
  
  If your system already has the WebView2 Runtime — which is the case on Windows 11 and most recent Windows 10 machines, since Microsoft Edge uses it — that bundled installer is skipped and uses no extra disk space. If it is missing, it adds about 470 MB, bringing the total to about 830 MB.
• WebView2 runtime (installed automatically if missing — the installer ships an offline copy).

8. Still stuck?

Email support@privbgcut.pocketjoy.fun with the Windows version, the exact text of the warning, and a screenshot if possible. We usually reply within 2 business days.

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