Main points
- Google Chrome, Steam and VLC are must-have applications to enhance your Windows computer experience.
- Discord, Zoom, and Snagit are must-have apps for communicating, increasing productivity, and capturing screenshots.
- Ditto Clipboard, WinDirStat, GIMP and LibreOffice provide useful functions for copying and pasting, managing storage, image editing and office work.
Windows computers are valuable tools for work and play. While they come with some key applications pre-installed, where PCs really shine is when third-party software is added.
Every time I clean-install Windows on my computer or buy a new computer, I launch my default web browser and download a few key applications (including my web browser of choice) to enhance the overall functionality of my computer. I usually have over 11 apps installed, but the ones I’ve summarized below are the ones I absolutely can’t live without. If you’re a Windows user looking to get more out of your computer, try these essential apps (listed in no particular order) and thank me later.
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1 Google Chrome
Experience fast, secure, and customizable web browsing
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Google Chrome
Fast, secure, and free web browser that offers extensive customization with extensions.
I choose to use Google Chrome as my web browser. It’s the first thing I install on every computer I own (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.). If you don’t like Google Chrome, there are plenty of other browsers to choose from, but only Microsoft Edge comes pre-installed on Windows. This means that if you’re like most people who decide to give up on Edge, you’ll need to install your favorite browser, and Chrome is a safe bet.
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2 steam
Access a vast library of games, from indie to AAA titles
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steam
A comprehensive gaming platform offering thousands of games with both free and paid options.
I use Windows computers primarily for gaming, and Steam is a central part of that. Almost all the PC games I own are on Steam, with a few exceptions from Epic, Ubisoft, and EA. From Valve first-party games like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike to other AAA and indie games, they’re all on Steam (often at a discount), making Steam a must-have for all PC gamers.
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3 visible light communication
Easily play almost any video or audio format
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VLC media player
A free and open source media player that supports almost all file formats without the need for additional codecs.
Of course, Windows comes with its own media player, and it’s gotten better and better over the years, but I still like VLC’s versatility compared to other products. You can play almost any file format, no matter how obscure. If you want to watch a random video file, VLC will most likely play it without any problems. It is also a small, lightweight software that does not take up much space on your system. If you haven’t tried VLC yet, it’s time to download it and give it a try.
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4 Disharmonious
Join the community and chat with friends across devices
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Disharmonious
A free messaging app for your community and friends, offering cross-platform text, voice and video chat.
If you play games on your computer like me, you probably need a way to chat with your friends. Sure, Steam has built-in voice chat, but the server capabilities provided by Discord are far superior. It’s also free to download, so you can use it, create your own server, and chat with your friends without spending a penny. It’s also available on mobile devices, so you can communicate between gaming sessions on the go.
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5 skyrocketing
Host and attend meetings with advanced collaboration tools
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Zoom application
A video conferencing tool that offers a basic free plan with limited-time meetings and a premium plan with expanded features starting at $14.99/month.
PCs are not just for playing games. They are also productivity and work machines. Zoom is the conferencing platform of choice for many companies, so installing it is a necessity. Thankfully, while it’s not exactly a fun app, it does have a lot of cool features that other video conferencing platforms lack. If you pay for a Zoom One membership, you get access to even more features. Since the pandemic, I haven’t owned a computer without Zoom, and you probably don’t want to either.
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6 7-zipper
Quickly compress and extract files with high compression ratio
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7-zipper
Free file archiver with high compression ratio that supports various formats, including its own 7z format.
You can open ZIP files using Windows’ built-in tools, but you may find that functionality is missing. That’s why I use 7-Zip, I find it easier to use when opening ZIP files, not to mention it’s faster and has a better interface. Isn’t it gorgeous and exciting? No, not at all, but it does its job well and is definitely worth using on your Windows PC.
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7 Snajit
Capture and annotate screenshots for detailed communication
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SnaIt by TechSmith
A screen capture tool that makes sharing and annotating easy, starting at $62.99.
This is another application designed to replace the built-in Windows utilities. Windows snipping tools are fine for most people, but Snagit offers so many extra features that it’s worth buying and installing, especially if you work in a field that requires frequent screenshots (all the screenshots in this article are Captured with Snagit). It features scroll capture, easy-to-navigate capture library, video recording, text recognition, and more. It’s not free, but a convenient trial lets you see if it’s right for you.
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8 Ditto clipboard
Save and manage your clipboard history for efficient workflow
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Ditto clipboard
Free clipboard manager that saves your clipboard history for easy access and management.
Windows only keeps the most recent item you copied on the clipboard, and for some people, that’s enough. Personally, I like to keep a history of what I copy and paste in case I need them again, and Ditto is the perfect tool for the job. I’m using Clipy on Mac but it’s not available on Windows. I found that Ditto offers many useful features and is very easy to use. If you do a lot of copy and paste work, Ditto is a game changer that must be installed on your PC.
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9 WinDirStat
Identify and manage large files to free up disk space
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Windista
A free and open source utility for analyzing disk usage and cleaning disks.
Have you ever found that your computer is running out of storage space and you’re not sure what’s taking up all that space? WinDirStat scans your computer’s drives, showing you all the large files taking up space, and you can then decide which files can or should be deleted to free up space. Although I installed WinDirStat on a new installation of Windows, I tend to use it more as the installation goes on, when space is at a premium.
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10 GIMP
An open source alternative for photo and graphics editing
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GIMP
A free, open-source image editor that offers a feature set comparable to advanced tools.
Everyone loves Photoshop. Not everyone likes to pay for Photoshop. If you fall into the latter category, GIMP is a perfectly acceptable Photoshop alternative that includes many of the same features and is completely free. I find its interface a little clunkier than Photoshop, but once you get used to it, it’s a worthy alternative that I’ve relied on over the years.
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11 free office
Free suite of productivity tools compatible with major file formats
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free office
Free, open source office suite that provides a powerful set of productivity tools compatible with other major office formats.
Like GIMP, LibreOffice is a powerful free alternative to expensive applications. In this case, you get an entire suite of office software designed to replace Microsoft products. You can download LibreOffice to work with documents, spreadsheets, and other files without having to pay for Word, Excel, etc. If you’re used to using Microsoft Office, its smooth interface should make you feel right at home. If you’re tired of paying for Office, give LibreOffice a try; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.