Portable applications offer some definite advantages over their traditional counterparts. They’re lightweight, and they allow you to move between computers while taking your apps and settings with you. Here’s why they’re different and why they’re sometimes—but not always—a good choice.

便携式应用程序比传统应用程序具有一定的优势。 它们是轻量级的，它们使您可以在计算机之间移动，同时携带应用程序和设置。 这就是为什么它们与众不同的原因，以及有时(但并非总是)它们是一个不错的选择的原因。

如何安装常规应用 (How Regular Apps Are Installed)

To understand what makes an app portable, it might be helpful first to take a quick look at how traditional apps get installed in Windows. When you install an app in Windows, the installation files go to several different locations. The bulk of the app’s files are usually copied to a single folder somewhere in the C:\Program Files folder. Files that contain settings applying to all users of the app may get created in the ProgramData folder.

要了解使应用程序具有便携性的原因，首先快速浏览一下传统应用程序在Windows中的安装方式可能会有所帮助。 在Windows中安装应用程序时，安装文件会转到几个不同的位置。 该应用程序的大部分文件通常复制到C：\ Program Files文件夹中的某个文件夹。 包含适用于该应用程序所有用户的设置的文件可能会在ProgramData文件夹中创建。

Settings that are particular to different user accounts on the PC are stored in files created in the hidden “AppData” folder inside each accounts user folder. Most apps create entries in the Windows Registry that may also hold various configuration settings. And many apps take advantage of shared code libraries that get installed with things like the .NET framework and Visual C++ Redistributables.

PC上特定于不同用户帐户的设置存储在每个帐户用户文件夹内隐藏的“ AppData”文件夹中创建的文件中。 大多数应用程序在Windows注册表中创建条目，这些条目也可能包含各种配置设置。 许多应用程序都利用共享代码库，这些代码库随.NET框架和Visual C ++ Redistributables一起安装 。

There are distinct advantages to this separation of functions. Multiple apps can share information contained in Registry entries or shared code libraries, preventing unnecessary duplication. Storing user-specific settings in one place and system-wide settings in another means that apps can take better advantage of lots of different Windows features designed for a multi-user system. For starters, each user can rely on their own settings being loaded when they start the app just because they are signed in with their own Windows account. Features like file and share permissions are built on this structure. And, having all program settings saved to designated areas makes backing up your system more reliable.

这种功能分离具有明显的优势。 多个应用程序可以共享注册表项或共享代码库中包含的信息，从而防止不必要的重复。 将特定于用户的设置存储在一个地方，将系统范围的设置存储在另一个地方，意味着应用可以更好地利用为多用户系统设计的许多不同Windows功能。 对于初学者来说，每个用户在启动应用程序时都可以依靠自己加载的设置，因为他们使用自己的Windows帐户登录。 文件和共享权限等功能都建立在此结构上。 而且，将所有程序设置保存到指定区域可以使系统备份更加可靠。

那么，什么是便携式应用程序？为什么我要使用一个？ (So, What’s a Portable App and Why Would I Use One?)

A portable app is simply one that doesn’t use an installer. All the files required to run the app reside in a single folder, which you can put anywhere on the system. If you move the folder, the app will still work the same. Instead of installing a portable app, you typically download it as a ZIP file, extract that ZIP to a folder, and run the executable file for the app. If the app allows you to save settings, those settings are saved in files right inside the same folder.

便携式应用程序就是不使用安装程序的应用程序。 运行该应用程序所需的所有文件都位于一个文件夹中，您可以将其放在系统上的任何位置。 如果移动文件夹，则该应用程序仍将运行。 通常，您无需安装便携式应用程序，而是将其下载为ZIP文件，然后将该ZIP解压缩到一个文件夹中，然后为该应用程序运行可执行文件。 如果该应用允许您保存设置，则这些设置将保存在同一文件夹内的文件中。

The most significant benefit of using portable apps is self-evident—they’re portable. Stick them on a USB drive, for example, and you can carry them around from computer to computer. They won’t leave any footprint on the PCs you run them on. Everything, including any settings you’ve saved, is saved right in the portable app’s folder on the USB drive. It’s very similar to the way things worked back in the days of MS-DOS and Windows 3.1.

使用便携式应用程序的最大优势是不言而喻的-它们是便携式的。 例如，将它们粘贴在USB驱动器上，然后就可以在计算机之间随身携带它们。 它们不会在您运行它们的PC上留下任何痕迹。 一切，包括您已保存的所有设置，都将直接保存在USB驱动器上便携式应用程序的文件夹中。 它与MS-DOS和Windows 3.1时代的工作方式非常相似。

Portable apps can be helpful even if you aren’t moving between computers, though. For one thing, they leave a smaller footprint on your PC. They tend to be lighter weight than most installable apps just by virtue of not having to be installed. You can sync them (along with their settings) to your other PCs using something like Dropbox. Or, you can just use an app once without having to worry about it leaving cruft on your system.

即使您不在计算机之间移动，便携式应用程序也可能会有所帮助。 一方面，它们在您的PC上占用的空间较小。 仅由于不必安装，它们往往比大多数可安装的应用程序更轻便。 您可以使用Dropbox之类的设备将它们(以及它们的设置)同步到其他PC。 或者，您只需使用一次应用程序，而不必担心它会在系统上留下麻烦。

Sure, there will always be apps that you need to install. Either they’re just too big—or sophisticated—to run as a portable app, or they need to take advantage of Windows’ multi-user or security capabilities. But many apps come in both flavors, which means you can choose between an installer and a ZIP when you download it.

当然，总会有需要安装的应用程序。 它们太大或太复杂而无法作为便携式应用程序运行，或者它们需要利用Windows的多用户或安全功能。 但是许多应用程序都有两种风格，这意味着您可以在下载安装程序和ZIP时进行选择。

Of course, there are some downsides to using portable apps. Windows’ User Account Controls (UAC) don’t work for portable apps the way they do for installed apps, meaning that they are more subject to non-administrative processes. You could consider this one both an upside and a downside. The upside is that if you need a portable app, you can likely run it even if you’re on a network—say, at work—where you can’t install a normal app. The downside is that the IT department and any security protocols they’ve instituted might be less effective.

当然，使用便携式应用程序也有一些缺点。 Windows的用户帐户控制(UAC)不适用于可移植应用程序，不适用于已安装应用程序，这意味着它们更受非管理程序的约束。 您可以认为这既有好处也有缺点。 好处是，如果您需要便携式应用程序，即使您在无法安装普通应用程序的网络上(例如在工作中)，也可能可以运行它。 不利的一面是IT部门及其建立的任何安全协议都可能不太有效。

Another downside of portable apps is that they’re not typically built with multiple users in mind. This is likely not a big deal since you’re probably creating a portable drive that you can carry around just for yourself. But if multiple users do need to use an app, they’ll either all have to use the same settings, or you’ll have to have several copies of the app folder on your portable drive.

便携式应用程序的另一个缺点是，它们通常并不是在考虑多个用户的情况下构建的。 这可能并不重要，因为您可能正在创建一个可随身携带的便携式驱动器。 但是，如果确实有多个用户需要使用一个应用程序，那么他们要么全部必须使用相同的设置，要么必须在便携式驱动器上拥有多个app文件夹副本。

Lastly, if you’re running portable apps from a USB drive, you’ll want to take extra care to eject the drive properly instead of just pulling it out. Otherwise, you can corrupt the apps or cause settings not to be saved properly. You can even run into this problem on PCs that don’t handle USB drives well when they enter sleep or hibernation. It’s less of a problem on modern PCs than it was in the past, but there are still PCs today that don’t handle sleep well.

最后，如果您正在从USB驱动器运行便携式应用程序，则需要格外小心，以正确弹出驱动器，而不仅仅是将其拔出。 否则，您可能会破坏应用程序或导致设置无法正确保存。 在USB驱动器无法进入睡眠或Hibernate状态的PC上，您甚至可能会遇到此问题。 与过去相比，现代PC上的问题不再那么多了，但是今天仍有PC无法很好地处理睡眠问题。

That said, the advantages of portable apps usually outweigh the disadvantages—particularly if you move around to different PCs a lot.

也就是说，便携式应用程序的优点通常胜于缺点，尤其是如果您经常移动到不同的PC上时。

有哪些便携式应用程序可用？ (What Kinds of Portable Apps Are Available?)

If you think of portable apps as mostly system utilities tech support folk carry around, you might be surprised to find that there are all kinds of portable apps out there. You can read about a bunch of them in our guide to the best free portable apps for your flash drive toolkit. You’ll find system utilities, for sure, but also apps for just about every need you have—productivity, communications, graphics and image viewing, and a lot more.

如果您将便携式应用程序看作是大多数随身携带的系统实用程序技术支持，那么您可能会惊讶地发现那里有各种各样的便携式应用程序。 您可以在我们的闪存驱动器工具包最佳免费便携式应用程序指南中阅读其中的一些内容。 您肯定会找到系统实用程序，还可以找到满足您几乎所有需求的应用程序-生产力，通信，图形和图像查看等等。

In addition to all these standalone apps, you can also download application suites that you can install to a USB drive. These suites usually provide you with a Start menu-style launcher for accessing the apps, and some also coordinate app settings for you. Many of these suites boast hundreds of free portable apps to choose from, essentially allowing you to create a complete, portable workspace. PortableApps, CodySafe, and LiberKey are some of the more popular suites.

除了所有这些独立应用程序之外，您还可以下载可以安装到USB驱动器的应用程序套件。 这些套件通常为您提供“开始”菜单式启动器，用于访问应用程序，有些还可以为您调整应用程序设置。 这些套件中的许多套件都拥有数百种免费的便携式应用程序可供选择，从本质上讲，您可以创建一个完整的便携式工作区。 PortableApps ， CodySafe和LiberKey是一些比较流行的套件。

It’s worth taking your time to look over the different portable suites if that’s what you’re interested in. In some cases, portable apps are only available through a software suite like this. For example, PortableApps.com provides access to several hundred portable apps that you can download and install to your PortableApps disk. Many of these apps can only be installed to the PortableApps suite and don’t have a portable version you can use without the suite. PortableApps does offer the advantage of being able to choose exactly which apps you want to include. Other suites have all the portable apps bundled within the main download, so it’s an all or nothing prospect. But each suite may provide specific tools that you can’t find for other suites, so poke through what apps are available for each before making your decision.

如果您对此感兴趣，则值得花时间查看不同的便携式套件。在某些情况下，便携式应用程序只能通过这样的软件套件才能使用。 例如，PortableApps.com提供对数百种可移植应用程序的访问，您可以将其下载并安装到PortableApps磁盘上。 其中许多应用程序只能安装到PortableApps套件中，没有没有套件就可以使用的便携式版本。 PortableApps确实具有能够准确选择要包含的应用程序的优势。 其他套件在主下载中捆绑了所有便携式应用程序，因此前景不大。 但是每个套件可能会提供您在其他套件中找不到的特定工具，因此请在做出决定之前先仔细阅读每个套件可用的应用程序。

You’ll also find that when we recommend third-party utilities in many of our articles, we often choose to feature portable apps over installable ones.

您还会发现，当我们在许多文章中建议使用第三方实用程序时，我们通常会选择在可安装的应用程序中使用可移植的应用程序。

我可以将常规的可安装应用程序移植为便携式吗？ (Can I Make Regular Installable Apps Portable?)

It is often possible to make a regular app portable, but it can be a bit finicky and usually takes a bit of work. If the app is a very simple one—say a utility that obviously doesn’t need to be an installable app—it is sometimes possible to extract those files from the installer and transform them into a portable app using these instructions. This is by no means a method that’s guaranteed to work, but it may be worth trying.

通常可以将常规应用程序移植为便携式应用程序，但这可能有点挑剔，并且通常需要一些工作。 如果该应用程序非常简单(例如，显然不需要成为可安装应用程序的实用程序)，则有时可以从安装程序中提取这些文件，然后按照以下说明将其转换为可移植应用程序 。 这绝不是保证可以使用的方法，但是可能值得尝试。

Another option for making an installable app portable is to virtualize the app. This usually requires a good bit more setup, but essentially you’d create a portable virtual machine that can run the necessary operating system and the app (or apps) you need and then load that virtual machine onto whatever portable media you want. Portable VirtualBox is the most common tool for this, and we’ve got a great guide on using it to take virtual machines with you everywhere. VirtualBox itself is a free virtual machine offering from Oracle that can run on pretty much any desktop operating system. Portable VirtualBox is a wrapper for VirtualBox that turns it into a portable application you can install on a USB stick or external hard drive.

使可安装的应用程序可移植的另一种方法是虚拟化应用程序。 通常，这需要更多的设置，但是实际上，您将创建一个便携式虚拟机，该虚拟机可以运行必要的操作系统和所需的一个或多个应用程序，然后将该虚拟机加载到所需的任何便携式媒体上。 可移植VirtualBox是最常用的工具，我们已经为使用虚拟机随身携带虚拟机提供了很好的指导。 VirtualBox本身是Oracle提供的免费虚拟机，可以在几乎所有台式机操作系统上运行。 Portable VirtualBox是VirtualBox的包装，可将其转换为可安装在USB记忆棒或外部硬盘驱动器上的便携式应用程序。

Cameyo is another interesting virtualization option. Instead of running an entire virtual machine from your portable drive, you create a virtual machine on your desktop system. You then use Cameyo to record the installation of an app within that virtual machine. When it’s done, Cameyo creates a single executable file that you can then drag to your portable drive and run wherever you want. Cameyo is also free for home or small business users. If you’re curious about it, we’ve also got a guide on using Cameyo to create portable apps.

Cameyo是另一个有趣的虚拟化选项。 您无需在便携式驱动器上运行整个虚拟机，而是在桌面系统上创建虚拟机。 然后，您可以使用Cameyo记录该虚拟机中应用程序的安装。 完成后，Cameyo将创建一个可执行文件，然后您可以将其拖动到便携式驱动器并在所需位置运行。 Cameyo对家庭或小型企业用户也是免费的。 如果您对此感到好奇，我们还提供了有关使用Cameyo创建便携式应用程序的指南 。

No matter what method you choose, it’s worth exploring what portable apps have to offer. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of freedom and flexibility you get from knowing that with the USB drive hanging from your keychain, you can run all the critical aspects of your computing life.

无论选择哪种方法，都值得探索便携式应用程序所提供的功能。 知道钥匙链上挂着USB驱动器，您就可以运行计算生活的所有关键方面，这简直就是一种自由和灵活性的感觉。

翻译自: https://www.howtogeek.com/290358/what-is-a-portable-app-and-why-does-it-matter/