Browser habits are sticky because they need no installer. Switching to a desktop crossword client is worth it when you want files, offline travel, and fewer ad scripts during a quiet solve.
Steps
- Install XWord from Releases (
XWord-Windows.exeorXWord-macOS.zip). - Create a puzzle folder on disk.
- Download
.puzor.jpzfiles when a site offers them. - Open those files in XWord and save progress locally.
- Keep one browser bookmark as a fallback.
What will not move
Account streaks, site-only notes, and cloud highlights usually stay on the website. Treat the desktop client as a new habit with old files when exports exist.
Policy tips
Schools that block installs should stay in the browser. Labs that allow software should prefer Releases over random extensions that claim to download crossword packs automatically.
Shared desk pin
Shared desks should pin the Releases URL beside the OS version. After every reimage, prove one local crossword open before workshops begin. Travel laptops should download once on a trusted network, then solve offline with puzzles already on disk.
Club download discipline
Club volunteers invent Softonic mirrors when a first launch is blocked. Prefer returning to GitHub Releases for mrichards42/xword instead. Write the exact filename on the machine ticket so the next bump stays honest for the whole room.
Classroom images
Classroom images drift when someone keeps a private copy of an old exe. Prefer the current tag that still ships XWord-Windows.exe and XWord-macOS.zip together. Linux builders should document their wxWidgets version beside the commit they built.
Family PCs
Family PCs benefit from a boring puzzle folder path. Keep Across Lite or a browser board as a fallback until the new window feels normal. Subscription newspaper apps remain optional for archives and are a different job than a local .puz client.
Publisher note
Across Bind publishes install maps for people who searched for crossword software. Upstream XWord remains GPL-3.0. When Releases change asset names, re-check the live list before you refresh a lab image.
Lab and travel
Lab and travel notes also matter for crossword habits. Pin the puzzle folder path beside the installer name. After every blocked SmartScreen or Gatekeeper prompt, return to the same GitHub Releases URL instead of inventing a second download mid-session. That boring rhythm keeps shared desks honest.
Desk logistics
- Ticket line: OS, asset name, puzzle folder
- Demo door: one official path for volunteers
- Travel rule: trusted network first
Write the OS version, asset name, and puzzle folder on one ticket line. Clubs should assign a single demo door so volunteers stop mixing Across Lite, browser tabs, and XWord without notes. Travel kits should carry puzzles on disk only when policy allows encrypted storage.
After the first week
Only then add Package Manager downloaders, heavy layout floating, or diagramless drills. Prefer one documented update habit. Re-check Releases whenever upstream publishes a new tag that still lists your OS asset.
Related
More desk notes
Prefer one Releases bookmark in the browser profile used for installs. Refuse email attachments that claim to be a crossword updater. After every lab reimage, open one cached .puz before you call the image ready for students. Keep Across Lite only as a labeled fallback, never as a silent second installer path without a ticket note.
Frequently asked questions
What if the site has no .puz download?
Some sites only keep state in the browser. In that case, start fresh puzzles in XWord from files you obtain elsewhere, and keep the site for its own archive. Respect the site terms when you gather files.
Will my streak transfer?
Usually no. Streak widgets stay with the website account that tracked them. Local XWord progress lives in the puzzle files you save on disk inside a folder you control for everyday crossword solves on your own hardware.
Can I use both?
Yes. Many people keep a browser daily and a desktop client for archived .puz packs. Document which path is official for club demos so volunteers do not invent a third door.