Install On Guard · Windows

Steps checked August 17, 2026

Install On Guard on Windows

Run the signed installer to install and open On Guard. Then, in the app's setup checklist, click "Install" for the Guard Engine and approve the Windows permission prompt. Sign in and finish setup; Windows needs no per-app permissions beyond that.

Time
About 2 minutes
You need
  • A 64-bit PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11.
  • An account that can approve a Windows permission (UAC) prompt.
  • An email address, or a Google account.
Download for Windows

Heads up: The installer is signed by Stay On Guard, Inc. If Windows SmartScreen still shows "Windows protected your PC" (it can for a new publisher), click "More info", check that the publisher reads Stay On Guard, Inc., then "Run anyway".

On this page

Step 1

Get the app

  1. Download the Windows build from the downloads page. Opens in a new tab

    A single Setup.exe file.

  2. Run the installer.

    Setup is silent — no wizard, no options. It installs for your user, adds Start-menu and desktop shortcuts, and opens On Guard.

Step 2

Run the setup checklist

Three intro panes, then "Start setup" opens a checklist that completes itself top to bottom. Two rows need you.

  1. Read the intro and click "Start setup".

    "The internet is engineered against you." → "Here's how it works." → "You brought the resolve. Here's the system."

  2. "Started Up" completes on its own.

Install the Guard Engine

Required

This step is separate from Setup.exe. "The Guard Engine is an on-device service that powers the anti-algorithm. Your system may ask you to approve a background service. That's the engine."

  1. Click "Install".

  2. Approve the Windows permission prompt (User Account Control).

    The prompt names Stay On Guard, Inc. It registers and starts the OnGuardEngine service, which runs your defense in the background.

  3. "Connect to Guard Engine" and "Check for Updates" then run by themselves.

    If you dismissed the prompt, the row says "The On Guard service isn't running yet. Approve the Windows permission prompt if it appears, then retry." — click "Retry install".

If you skip this: The in-app checklist cannot finish without the engine — it is what watches the screen and enforces site blocking.

Sign in to On Guard

Required

  1. On "Sign in to On Guard", tap "Sign in".

    Your browser opens On Guard's sign-in page; the app waits with "Reopen browser" in case you close it by accident.

  2. Choose "Continue with Google", or enter an email and password and tap "Create an account" (or "Sign in" if you already have one).

    One account covers every device you install On Guard on. Sign in with Apple is available on iPhone and iPad, not on desktop.

  3. Return to the app — the checklist finishes with "All Set!" — "You are on guard and ready to go."

Step 3

Windows permissions

There are none to grant beyond the one prompt above. Screen capture on Windows needs no OS permission, and site blocking runs inside the Guard Engine service — so the Permissions card you see on other platforms does not appear here.

Start at login

On by default

  1. Nothing to do — On Guard starts hidden in the notification area when you sign in to Windows, and the Guard Engine service starts on its own.

    The switch is in Settings → About → "Start at login" (also visible under Task Manager → Startup).

The tray icon

Good to know

  1. Closing the window hides On Guard to the notification area; it keeps running.

    The tray menu's last item is "Close window", not Quit — the guard is designed to stay up.

Step 4

Invite an ally

Defense is live. One thing makes it count: someone in your corner.

  1. On the "You're on guard." screen, tap "Invite an ally".

    "Go to dashboard" skips it. You can invite allies any time later from Allies in the app.

  2. In "Invite your allies", tap Share or Copy link and text it to the people you want in your corner.

    One link works for all of them and stays valid for 7 days. "New link" makes a fresh one and retires the old.

  3. Your ally opens the link, and that's it — they get the check-in texts, never the details.

Step 5

Take the walkthrough and start your trial

On your first dashboard visit, "See how it works first." offers a two-minute walkthrough — "See how it works" or "Maybe later". Then the trial card.

  1. Read the "Your guard is up. Keep it up." card and pick Yearly or Monthly.

    The card appears over the dashboard on your first visit, after the walkthrough offer.

  2. Tap "Start 30-day free trial".

    You are not charged during the trial. Cancel any time from your store or billing account.

  3. Or skip for now — defense keeps running while you decide.

    The dashboard then reads "Not activated": "You skipped activation. Defense is still running while you decide. Start your trial to keep it."

Step 6

Confirm it is working

  1. Open the dashboard: the header should read "On guard" — "Real-time defense is running on this device."

    "Off guard" or "Update needed" means something still needs attention; the Permissions card at the top of the dashboard says exactly what.

  2. Check the Permissions card: every row should show "On".

    A row marked "Action needed" (red) is required for full defense; "Recommended" (amber) is advisory. Each has a "Turn on …" button that opens the right Settings pane.

  3. Optional: Settings → "Test your guard" → "Open the tests" (on builds that include it).

    The Block test fires the real chain on a decoy page and sends the TEST text to your own phone; the Feed test fires the real nudge on a demo feed. Test runs never count toward your history.

Step 7

Updates and uninstall

  • Updates are automatic: On Guard checks on launch and every few hours, downloads in the background, and applies when the window is closed. Settings → About shows the version, "Last checked", and "Check for updates now".
  • You can also remove it from Windows Settings → Apps; the in-app uninstall is the one that tells your allies first.
  • Uninstall from inside the app: Settings → Danger zone → "Uninstall On Guard". The sheet shows who will be notified and the exact message they get, then "Send & uninstall" turns defense off, tells your allies, and removes On Guard completely. Your allies knowing is the point.

Windows questions

Windows SmartScreen blocked the installer.

Click "More info". If the publisher reads Stay On Guard, Inc., click "Run anyway". SmartScreen can flag a correctly signed installer while a new publisher builds reputation.

The checklist says the On Guard service isn't running yet.

The Windows permission prompt was dismissed or timed out. Click "Retry install" and approve the prompt when it appears.

Where did the window go?

Closing it hides On Guard to the notification area (bottom-right, near the clock). Click the tray icon to bring it back. Defense keeps running either way.

Steps checked August 17, 2026 against the shipping app. If a screen no longer matches, email team@stayonguard.app.