Workrave is a free software application intended to prevent computer users from developing or aggravating occupational diseases such as carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injuries, or myopia.
The software encourages taking breaks and periodically locks the screen while showing an animated character, “Miss Workrave”, walks the user through various stretching exercises, urges them to take a coffee break and sets a daily work time limit after which it automatically triggers an action, such as suspend the machine.
The program is cross-platform and dependent on the GTK+ graphical widget toolkit as well as other GNOME libraries on Linux such as GNet . It is also available for Microsoft Windows.
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What is Workrave?
Workrave by Rob Caelers & Raymond Penners is open-source Windows software. The first release dates back to 2001. It is written in C++. Besides Windows, it is available for Linux.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (Inno Setup) installers for 64-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 1.11.5, released on October 14, 2026. The version history goes back to March 30, 2021: 12 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 2.2 releases a year. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 16,758 times. The source code on GitHub (rcaelers/workrave) has 1,842 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 6 of our languages.
Project description on GitHub: “Workrave is a program that assists in the recovery and prevention of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). The program frequently alerts you to take micro-pauses, rest breaks and restricts you to your daily limit.”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Updated in the last two months
- Also runs on Linux
- Mature project (since 2001)
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
In short: Workrave is an open-source Windows tool for 64-bit PCs. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is Workrave safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
B254EA3C43E337F1296290B7DA273ED29B1A7E381F53A12F5397B0635776AA9C· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the rcaelers/workrave repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Actively maintained10
- No dangerous workflows10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Static code analysis10
- Licence declared10
- Signed releases8
- Code review0
- Restricted token permissions0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Fuzzing0
- Security policy0
- Branch protection0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 12 versions ›12 versions over 6 years · about 2.2 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.11.5Latest | October 14, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 1.11.4 | September 25, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 1.11.1 | July 23, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 1.10.54 | October 16, 2025 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 1.10.53 | February 16, 2025 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 1.10.52 | September 25, 2023 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 1.10.50 | April 1, 2022 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 1.10.49 | January 5, 2022 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id Workrave.Workrave -echoco install workrave -yscoop install extras/workraveworkrave-windows-1.11.5.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- Rob Caelers & Raymond Penners
- Licence
- GPL-3.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/rcaelers/workrave
- Written in
- C++
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (Inno Setup)
- Other platforms
- Linux
- Version
- 1.11.5
- Released
- October 14, 2026
- First release
- 2001
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 12
- Updates / year
- 2.2
- Chocolatey downloads
- 16,758
- GitHub stars
- 1,842
- GitHub forks
- 232
- Website
- workrave.org
- winget ID
- Workrave.Workrave
- Chocolatey package
- workrave
- Scoop package
- extras/workrave
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Workrave free?
Yes. Workrave is open-source software under the GPL-3.0 licence.
Is Workrave safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Workrave with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Workrave be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Workrave run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Workrave?
The versions page lists all 12 versions with links to their official installer files, back to March 30, 2021.