Irfan PDF

Installation

Two ways to put the application on a PC: the Windows installer, or the self-contained portable package. Everything below comes from the shipped installation guide, the installer script and the verification report dated 2026-10-16 — nothing here is guessed.

Requirements

  • Operating system: Windows 10 (1809 or newer) or Windows 11, 64-bit. The installer declares 64-bit install mode (ArchitecturesInstallIn64BitMode=x64compatible) but sets no minimum-version check of its own — this requirement is the one stated in the shipped installation guide.
  • Nothing alongside it: no Python to install, no pip to run, no internet connection, no account, no cloud service.
  • Disk space: about 400 MB. Measured from the package itself on 2026-10-22: the Professional ZIP expands to 4,452 files / 365.6 MiB, of which Application\runtime\ is 4,195 files / 355.8 MiB.
  • No administrator rights: the installer is a per-user install (PrivilegesRequired=lowest), so it runs without elevation.

Where these numbers come from

Requirements and the “no Python, no internet, no account” statement are the wording of INSTALLATION-GUIDE.md. The file and byte counts above were read directly from the ZIP’s central directory on 2026-10-22; the 400 MB line rounds 365.6 MiB up for planning. No other disk-space figure exists in the project files.

Option 1 — the installer

Run IrfanPDF_Setup_1.7.0.exe (Inno Setup 6, 64-bit, bundled runtime). The install folder is user-selectable and no administrator rights are required. What the installer sets up, straight from installer\irfan_pdf.iss:

  • A Start Menu group (app, Health check, Uninstall) and — if you leave the task ticked — a Desktop shortcut. Every shortcut targets IrfanPDF.exe, the single-instance launcher.
  • An optional .pdf association task (“Open PDF files with Irfan PDF”) plus an “Open with Irfan PDF” verb in the right-click menu for PDF files.
  • A proper uninstall entry in Windows (Settings → Apps).
  • The documentation folder (Documentation\, including CHANGELOG.md) and the shipped test suite at tests\.
  • Two post-install buttons: start the app now, or run the self-test (Health check).

Check the file before you run it

Every package on the Download Center is listed with its SHA-256, measured 2026-10-16. The installer is not Authenticode-signed, so Windows may show a warning even for the genuine file — the hash is how you tell. See troubleshooting if SmartScreen or antivirus blocks it.

Option 2 — the portable package

IRFAN-PDF-PROFESSIONAL.zip is self-contained: 4,451 files, including Application\runtime\ with 4,195 files and the shipped test suite (165 files). Steps, exactly as the installation guide gives them:

  1. Copy the ZIP to the PC.
  2. Extract it — extract the whole folder; do not run the files inside the ZIP.
  3. Open START-APPLICATION and double-click START-APPLICATION.bat.

IrfanPDF_Portable.zip is Not Verified

The small source-style ZIP (IrfanPDF_Portable.zip) advertises a bundled runtime it does not contain, so it must not be used for a normal install. Use the installer or the Professional package. Details and hashes: Download Center.

First run

  • The app opens its own window. If that cannot start, it opens in your default browser — both give you the same application.
  • Open Health check in the sidebar and press Run full test. Every line is a real operation: it opens files, converts and measures, and ends with a count of passes and failures.
  • From the portable package you can instead run START-APPLICATION\RUN-HEALTH-CHECK.bat, which writes Health_Report.html. The recorded self-test result for this build is PASS 20, FAIL 0.
  • Your data lives next to the app: Application\data\files (documents), data\logs (logs), data\settings.json (preferences). Paths are relative, so you can move the whole IRFAN-PDF folder to another PC — a folder name with spaces or a different drive letter is fine.

Updating

Updating is deliberately boring:

  1. Download the newer package from the Download Center.
  2. Installer: run the newer setup EXE over the previous installation.
    Portable: extract the newer archive and replace the previous folder.
  3. Your documents stay in the data folder (data\files, plus data\backups and data\logs). Back that folder up before you replace anything — copying the folder is also how you move to another PC.
  4. Run Health check → Run full test once after updating.

There is no in-app updater

The project files contain no updater, no auto-update check and no download-at-start behaviour, so nothing updates itself: a new version is installed manually, as above. Anything beyond that — update notifications, a silent updater, an update feed — Cannot verify from project files.

Uninstalling

Installed with the EXE: close the app, then uninstall from Windows — Settings → Apps → Irfan PDF → Uninstall, or the “Uninstall Irfan PDF” Start Menu entry the installer creates. The uninstaller is registered with the app’s icon and display name.

Portable: close the app and delete the IRFAN-PDF folder.

What actually gets removed, stated only as far as the installer script goes:

  • Deleted by the uninstaller (its [UninstallDelete] entries): data\temp, data\jobs, data\logs\*.log and the __pycache__ folders.
  • Left in place: your documents. The shipped test report says the uninstaller deliberately leaves the user's documents in place.
  • Not listed for deletion anywhere in the installer script: data\files, data\backups, data\models, data\output and settings.json — their removal cannot be confirmed from the script, so treat them as staying behind. Cannot verify beyond the script.

Back up the data folder before you uninstall

The data folder holds your documents, backups, logs and settings. Copy it somewhere safe first; the project files contain no “export everything” or “undo uninstall” feature, so once it is gone it is gone.

Running from a source checkout

Only relevant if you have the code rather than a package: then Python 3.10 or newer is needed, plus pip install -r requirements.txt once. Only built packages carry their own interpreter. For everything else, use the installer or the Professional package above.

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