Must-have Apps After Fresh Windows install

Since the first thing we do after installing Windows, is to connect to the internet and check for drivers and stuff, I prefer using Firefox over the default Edge browser for noticeably better browsing.
Firefox is just the best all-around browser so far.

And since we have lots of work to be done in the browser, we better off getting rid of annoying ads and popups; And uBlock Origin is up to the task.

*Just remember to whitelist your favorite websites to support them.

When it comes to the downloads part, we have to have the best download manager that will help us manage and speed up the downloads. For this, EagleGet got you covered! Free, simple, integrates with Firefox and Chrome, and lightening fast!

Speaking of downloads, we should have a dedicated client for the growing file format: Torrent. qBittorenet is literally all you need: safe, open-source, easy-to-use and fast with minimal design.

Unzipping, compressing, or extracting archived files of various format is almost a daily action for any computer user. The free open-source PeaZip will do the trick just perfectly.

( 7-Zip might be better option for some people, but I opted for PeaZip for its GUI which makes it easier for inexperienced users)

Now we should replace some of the boring and slow Microsoft's programs. For all in one media player solution, I picked up PotPlayer: The greatest video player on Windows (Full Stop)!

in my opinion, the best image viewer that will definitely blow Microsoft's Windows Photo Viewer.
You could also consider, the open-source, cross-platform, elegant viewer: nomacs

E-documents/E-books or PDFs are very common formats too. Viewing them on Windows is way better with Sumatra PDF.
You could also consider the free, more feature-packed PDF reader: Xodo

For productivity we all need an office suite, Microsoft Office seems to the best functional, most mature, modern, advanced one out there.

MS office offers free license for 4 years for students, and that's why I've included in this list which is intended to offer only free packages.

LibreOffice seems to be the best MS office alternative right now. it's got big community and a relatively rapid development going on.

If you're worried about viruses and malware, the free version of Avast will take care of your PC's security fairly enough.
Be warned that using an AntiVirus can eat up much of resources in background. You DON'T NEED an AntiVirus if you know and understand what you're doing with your machine.

Microsoft is often accused of violating privacy issues, ShutUp10 is a tool that helps you turn off the possible ways/features that Windows 10 uses to spy on users.