The genuine downloader.exe file is a software component of Bitdefender Total Security by Bitdefender. Bitdefender Total Security is a suite of security programs that protect computers against malware, viruses, spyware, trojans and computer worms. Downloader.exe downloads and installs updates for Bitdefender Total Security. This is not an essential Windows process and can be disabled if known to create problems.
Bitdefender Total Security provides a collection of security services for Windows, Mac and Android devices. The product offers an antivirus scanner, a PUA (potentially unwanted applications) shield, a personal firewall, anti-phishing and anti-ransomware technology, cloud protection technology, machine learning algorithms, parental protection, and more.
Bitdefender is a Romanian company that develops solutions in computer security and online protection. The company was founded by Florin Talpeș in 2001 as a spin off from SOFTWIN. Bitdefender products currently provide anti-virus and anti-spyware protection against internet security threats such as Trojans, viruses, rogues, rootkits, spam, adware and more. Bitdefender products include web protection, firewall, cloud antispam, parental controls, a vulnerability scanner, device antitheft, file encryption, and backup for corporate as well as home users. The company reports over 500 million devices worldwide carrying its technology. Bitdefender is headquartered in Bucharest, Romania.
Downloader stands for BitDefender Update Downloader
The .exe extension on a filename indicates an executable file. Executable files may, in some cases, harm your computer. Therefore, please read below to decide for yourself whether the downloader.exe on your computer is a Trojan that you should remove, or whether it is a file belonging to the Windows operating system or to a trusted application.
Description: Downloader.exe is not essential for the Windows OS and causes relatively few problems. The file downloader.exe is located in a subfolder of "C:\Program Files (x86)" (in most cases C:\Program Files (x86)\Bitdefender\Bitdefender Security\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Bitdefender\Bitdefender 2013\).
Known file sizes on Windows 10/11/7 are 157,480 bytes (12% of all occurrences), 309,424 bytes and 6 more variants.
The file is a Verisign signed file. The program has no visible window. The downloader.exe file is not a Windows core file. The file is certified by a trustworthy company.
Downloader.exe is able to monitor applications.
Therefore the technical security rating is 22% dangerous; however you should also read the user reviews.
Uninstalling this variant:
In case of any problems with downloader.exe, you can uninstall Bitdefender Total Security or Bitdefender Total Security 2013 software via Windows Control Panel/Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Windows 10/8/7).
If downloader.exe is located in a subfolder of the user's "Documents" folder, the security rating is 42% dangerous. The file size is 1,238,562 bytes.
The program is not visible. It is not a Windows system file.
If downloader.exe is located in the Windows folder for temporary files, the security rating is 82% dangerous. The file size is 187,712 bytes.
The downloader.exe file is certified by a trustworthy company. The file is not a Windows system file. The application listens for or sends data on open ports to a LAN or the Internet. The program has no visible window.
Uninstalling this variant:
In case of any problems with downloader.exe, you can do the following:
uninstall YANDEX LLC software via Windows Control Panel/Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Windows 10/8/7)
If downloader.exe is located in a subfolder of C:\Windows, the security rating is 82% dangerous. The file size is 187,712 bytes.
If downloader.exe is located in a subfolder of Windows folder for temporary files, the security rating is 82% dangerous. The file size is 187,712 bytes.
Important: Some malware camouflages itself as downloader.exe, particularly when located in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32 folder, for example Trojan.Bayrob (detected by Symantec), and Trojan.Generic.16858221 (detected by BitDefender). Therefore, you should check the downloader.exe process on your PC to see if it is a threat. We recommend Security Task Manager for verifying your computer's security. This was one of the Top Download Picks of The Washington Post and PC World.
It is a big nuisance for working of IE Unable to remove it Dr Anand Prakash
opens suspicious webpages droo
It is disguised malware installer. It appears on sites where the use thinks they are downloading a 'torrent.' It may download a torrent but it also installs this malware. Stephen
hangs up the computer by occupying RAM with Opera Firefox. might come from bitdefender
The file was used for BitDefender's Anti-Virus 2013 updating process. No threats found. Adam Clark
It is often a mandatory download if you get to ' immediate download' sites. It seems highly dangerous to me to download and activate an exe file from peopel you dont know, purely so you can download other files Ed
The Bitdefender antivirus update executable. In C:\Program Files\Bitdefender\Bitdefender 2013 Peter
It came to me from the Softonic downloadsite. I don't like to instal software in order to download a file. Edmond Petrus
required for download pravin
It is necessary for BitDefender if you have it installed Alex W. (further information)
It's part of Bitdefender Total Security (or any other Bitdefender product, really). Ryan
I have tried several times to remove it and have not been successful. I have removed 6+ other programs that downloaded with it but cannot get rid of downloader.exe. Louis farnung
downloader.exe only shows up in my services log while updating bitdefender. seems legit. Danny
it seems to be harmful Devender Singh
In my case it came with bitdefender antivirus plus. It resists inside the root of the bitdefender installation directory. It's size is 417.792 Bytes . Michael Morawietz
It is used for EVE Online's installer. David Trounson
I agree. downloader.exe belongs to Bitdefender 2014. Agent_Orange
This file is a BitDefender firewall update file. If you have strong lag spikes or bandwidth issues, this could be the cause. It spikes your ping whenever it activates periodically. Zac
Downloads a game
if you right click on process point to file location it will take you to Bitdefender folder to the file Downloader.exe this executable file required for update it run specially at startup if you configure bitdefender to auto update. Michael
It used up all of my .5mb upload bandwidth and all devices on my network failed to connect to the internet. plus, its always active on my PC, even when forced to stop. Q13E5 (further information)
it is called movie downloader
Comes with Bitdefender Free antivirus software. Not dangerous Gergely Raba (further information)
roblox eymen
Show all user comments
Summary: Average user rating of downloader.exe:
based on 32 votes with 27 user comments.
17 users think downloader.exe is essential for Windows or an installed application.
6 users think it's probably harmless.
One user thinks it's neither essential nor dangerous.
5 users suspect danger.
3 users think downloader.exe is dangerous and recommend removing it.
9 users don't grade downloader.exe ("not sure about it").
Best practices for resolving downloader issues
A clean and tidy computer is the key requirement for avoiding problems with downloader. This means running a scan for malware, cleaning your hard drive using 1cleanmgr and 2sfc /scannow, 3uninstalling programs that you no longer need, checking for Autostart programs (using 4msconfig) and enabling Windows' 5Automatic Update. Always remember to perform periodic backups, or at least to set restore points.
Should you experience an actual problem, try to recall the last thing you did, or the last thing you installed before the problem appeared for the first time. Use the 6resmon command to identify the processes that are causing your problem. Even for serious problems, rather than reinstalling Windows, you are better off repairing of your installation or executing the 7DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth command. This allows you to repair the operating system without losing data.
To get your computer running as fast as it did on day one, you can 8reset your PC. Your personal files will remain intact, but any programs you installed will need to be reinstalled.
To help you analyze the downloader.exe process on your computer, the following programs have proven to be helpful: ASecurity Task Manager displays all running Windows tasks, including embedded hidden processes, such as keyboard and browser monitoring or Autostart entries. A unique security risk rating indicates the likelihood of the process being potential spyware, malware or a Trojan. A good Bantivirus software detects and removes sleeping spyware, adware, Trojans, keyloggers, malware and trackers from your hard drive.
Score
User Comments
Ryan (further information)
Lucas
Dr Anand Prakash
droo
Stephen
Adam Clark
Ed
Peter
Edmond Petrus
pravin
Alex W. (further information)
Ryan
Louis farnung
Danny
Devender Singh
Michael Morawietz
David Trounson
Agent_Orange
Zac
Michael
Pete (further information)
Q13E5 (further information)
Gergely Raba (further information)
eymen
Summary: Average user rating of downloader.exe: based on 32 votes with 27 user comments. 17 users think downloader.exe is essential for Windows or an installed application. 6 users think it's probably harmless. One user thinks it's neither essential nor dangerous. 5 users suspect danger. 3 users think downloader.exe is dangerous and recommend removing it. 9 users don't grade downloader.exe ("not sure about it").