Windows users who use Windows through multiple versions of Windows know that regardless of how many utilities Microsoft adds, there are always apps or utilities that will improve your experience. There were many great ones last year; this year, there are some new ones. Consider adding some (or all!) of these to your brand new system.
AFFINITYPHOTO
Adobe Photoshop is the best image manipulation app, however, you will be forced to subscribe to Adobe Photoshop. Affinity Photo can be installed on as much as you want. While this is fine for some users, it’s not recommended for everyone. Affinity Photo has a similar interface to Photoshop. Affinity Photo’s designers are continually adding new functionality.
1PASSWORD/LASTPASS
A good password manager will help you prevent identity theft. It will also allow you to track all the passwords that you’ve created over time. There are many excellent password managers available, but 1Password & LastPass are our top picks. Both will allow you to save passwords, add your ID and passwords to your apps automatically, and they will both suggest random combinations that will keep bad actors from guessing. You can experiment with both, and then choose the one that you like.
TREESIZE
Drive space is limited, and can quickly be used up. Before you know you know it, another app will take up space on your drive. TreeSize Free, a free app, is great for finding out what is taking up the largest space. Sometimes it can reveal things you don’t know about, like how much space is being occupied by your photo collection. It can also reveal files that are not needed and may be deleted to free up space.
LIBREOFFICEWRITER
LibreOffice Writer, if you prefer to use local clients to create your documents over a less-secure online text processor — and don’t want Microsoft Word — is an excellent option. This word processor, which is open-source, has been a high-quality, highly-utilized tool over the years.
MALWAREBYTES
When Windows 8 was still in use, I was attacked by drive-by spyware that prevented me from accessing my antivirus software and any executable files. Malwarebytes wouldn’t have allowed me to access my anti-virus software or any executable file. I would have been devastated. It was installed (and yes it started up despite the threat of malware), and I ran it twice. It found and eliminated all the malicious files from my system. I have kept a copy and run it every so often since then. It is one of most effective anti-malware software available.
VLC MEDIA PLAYER
VLC has had a 20-year-long history of media players. However, this open-source media program is still my first choice for a simple yet effective and user-friendly Windows player. It’s also available on Macs, iPhones Chrome OS, Android, Macs, and many other GNU/Linux platforms. It’s efficient, simple, works with a wide variety audio and video codecs.
AUDACITY
Podcasts are a big trend these days. Audacity will be a good choice if you’re an audio producer or want to become one. It has a variety audio editing tools that can be used to record, edit, and convert 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit, and 32bit audio. It also supports plug-ins. This free program allows you to preview the effects and gives you previews.
WOX
Wox is a great tool that allows you to quickly search the web and find files. Wox provides a Maclike launcher for Windows. This allows you quickly to search the web and locate files. It’s similar to Alfred on Mac, and provides a faster way to search the web than the built in Windows search. Wox also supports plugs which allow you to modify the search terms and translate languages right from within your launcher.
CLIPMATE
Clipmate has been an invaluable utility through many Windows versions. It can save and make available thousands of your clipboard saved clips instead of only the last one. Clipmate lets you edit and reformat saved clips. They can even be shared. Clipmate continues to be a practical tool for nearly everyone’s arsenal, even though Windows 10 now allows access to more than one clipboard save.