Download crossword safely
By Across Bind editorial team Current release, published November 29, 2022
Safe crossword installs start on GitHub Releases for mrichards42/xword. Prefer XWord-Windows.exe on Windows and XWord-macOS.zip on macOS. Skip portals that rename the setup for a ranking.
Type the GitHub URL yourself or use the links on this guide. Confirm the tag still lists the filenames you expect before you run anything. Releases: mrichards42/xword releases.
Windows safe path
Download XWord-Windows.exe from the current tag. Run the installer from a folder you control. No winget package id was found on this review date. SmartScreen wording is UNVERIFIED here; prefer the Releases URL over a second mirror if a prompt appears.
macOS safe path
Download XWord-macOS.zip, extract the app, and open it. No Homebrew cask was verified. Gatekeeper wording is UNVERIFIED. Prefer the zip filename that matches Releases exactly.
Linux safe path
There is no Linux binary on the current tag. If you build from source, follow the README with wxWidgets and premake5. Treat that build as UNVERIFIED until you run it. README: build notes.
What to refuse
- Softonic-style pages that wrap a crossword keyword
- Email attachments claiming to be XWord
- Invented winget or brew ids
- Forks that only rename the exe
Checksums
The current tag does not attach a separate checksum file for the exe and zip on the release list we fetched. Prefer HTTPS from github.com and the exact asset names. Do not invent hash values.
After a clean download
Prove one .puz open. Write the filename on the machine ticket. First hour: installed. Releases map: releases. Safety guide: is it safe.
Shared desk policy
Club and classroom machines should keep one official Releases URL. When SmartScreen or Gatekeeper blocks the first run, return to that URL instead of grabbing a second copy from a search result. Update door: update uninstall.
Across Bind maps safe doors for people who searched for crossword software and need an offline client. Upstream remains GPL-3.0 at mrichards42/xword. Subscription apps stay separate and are never required for a local grid.
Travel laptops should download once on trusted network, then solve offline. Lab images should pin the tag beside the OS version. Family PCs should refuse browser-extension “download managers” that inject extra toolbars during a crossword setup.
Asset names to keep boring
Prefer XWord-Windows.exe on Windows and XWord-macOS.zip on macOS from GitHub Releases for mrichards42/xword. Linux remains a source build on the current tag. Write those names beside the OS version on the machine ticket so the next bump stays honest.
- Windows door: XWord-Windows.exe
- macOS door: XWord-macOS.zip
- Linux door: README build notes only
- Ignore packages_*.lua when you only need the installer
Habits that keep installs clean
Type the GitHub Releases URL yourself. Refuse Softonic-style rename jobs. Prove one local .puz open before Package Manager. Keep Across Lite or a browser board as a labeled fallback during the first week on shared desks.
Travel laptops should download once on trusted network, then solve offline. Classroom images should re-prove File, Open after every reimage. Club volunteers should stop inventing a third download when SmartScreen or Gatekeeper blocks the first honest run.
- One Releases bookmark per profile
- One puzzle folder path on the ticket
- One update door forever
Related paths on this guide
Home install panel: crossword home. Safe download: download safe. Releases map: releases. GitHub overview: GitHub. First hour: installed. Windows detail: install on Windows. macOS detail: install on macOS. Linux source: install on Linux.
Across Bind publishes this map for people who searched for crossword software and need an offline XWord client under GPL-3.0. Upstream remains at mrichards42/xword. Subscription newspaper apps stay optional for archives and are never required for a local .puz habit.
When Releases change which OS assets appear, re-check the live list before you refresh a lab image. Prefer the same tag family across Windows and macOS desks whenever both assets still ship together. That habit reduces confused uninstalls after a reimage weekend.
Verify before you image
Open the live Releases list and confirm the Windows exe and macOS zip still appear on the tag you plan to teach. Prefer that pairing when Windows and macOS desks should stay aligned. Record UNVERIFIED for any command you have not run on a real machine yet.
- Confirm asset names on GitHub Releases
- Pin filenames on the machine ticket
- Prove one local .puz open after imaging
- Keep Softonic mirrors off the bookmark bar