MAXQDA is being recognized as malware by my antivirus software

Modified on Fri, 14 Mar at 12:15 PM

Malware is a big worry for all of us. We therefore would like to assure you that the MAXQDA installation files offered on our website do not contain any malware.


If you have downloaded the MAXQDA installation file (*.msi/*.dmg) from our server, you can assume the warning message is a false positive, triggered by the detection/scanning algorithm used by your antivirus software. In this case, we recommend adding MAXQDA to the whitelist of your antivirus software.


If you are unsure of the source of the installation file used to install MAXQDA, we recommend removing the current installation and downloading and reinstalling MAXQDA using the following links.


Download MAXQDA for Windows/Mac


An antivirus false positive occurs when the program incorrectly identifies a file or behavior as harmful or suspicious when it is actually harmless. This means that the antivirus software is making a mistake and flagging a legitimate program or normal action as potentially dangerous.

Modern antivirus software often uses heuristic methods to detect unknown threats. These techniques are based on behavioral patterns and can sometimes lead to false positives, especially with new or unusual applications. Some software also has complex features that can make it suspicious to antivirus software. If the security settings in antivirus software are too strict, harmless files may also be classified as malicious.

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