Minimalistic Windows Setup

This is a minimalistic list of applications that I have found to be necessary after freshly installing windows! Most of the applications included are open source unless there isn't an open source alternative.

Kristian Marku
Kristian MarkuList by Kristian Marku, last updated 
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  1. Web & Messaging

  2. Mozilla Firefox icon

    Mozilla Firefox

     Like

    You are going to need a web browser to download the rest of the software!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • Gecko
    Firefox Desktop (Light Theme)
    Firefox Desktop (Dark Theme)
    Firefox iOS (Light Theme)
    +7
    Firefox iOS (Dark Theme)
  3. uBlock Origin icon

    uBlock Origin

     Like

    To block ads and make browsing the web bearable!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Microsoft Edge
    • Vivaldi
    • Google Chrome
    • Pale Moon
    • Thunderbird
    • Opera
    • Node.JS
    • Chromium
    • Mozilla Firefox
    uBlock Origin screenshot 1
    uBlock Origin screenshot 1
  4. Bitwarden icon

    Bitwarden

     Like

    For all your passwords!

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Apple Watch
    • Snapcraft
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Vivaldi
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Microsoft SQL Server
    • Tor Browser
    • Safari
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flatpak
    • Cloudron
    • Opera
    • Chocolatey
    • Mono
    • Brave
    • Mozilla Firefox
    • Docker
    Bitwarden screenshot 1
    Bitwarden screenshot 1
    Bitwarden screenshot 2
    +10
    Bitwarden screenshot 3
  5. Thunderbird icon

    Thunderbird

     Like

    Check and manage emails!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    Thunderbird screenshot 1
    Thunderbird screenshot 1
    Thunderbird screenshot 2
    +8
    Thunderbird screenshot 3

  6. Office

  7. LibreOffice icon

    LibreOffice

     Like

    For all your documents and presentations!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Flatpak
    LibreOffice Writer on Linux
    LibreOffice Calc on Linux
    Main menu (old version)
    +8
    LibreOffice Writer on Windows 7
  8. Standard Notes icon

    Standard Notes

     Like

    End-to-end encrypted note-taking with offline access, unlimited sync across devices, tagging, passcode and biometric security, plus advanced premium privacy features.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Standard Notes screenshot 1
    Free version.
    Cross-platform sync and end-to-end privacy
    +4
    Extensions and Themes

  9. Media

  12. Tools

  14. Windows Update Blocker icon

    Windows Update Blocker

     Like

    To stop windows from timing updates incorrectly!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Windows Update Blocker screenshot 1
  16. W10Privacy icon

    W10Privacy

     Like

    To stop windows phoning home!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    W10Privacy screenshot 1
    W10Privacy screenshot 1
    W10Privacy screenshot 2
    +1
    W10Privacy screenshot 3
  17. Okular icon

    Okular

     Like

    To read your pdf files and more!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Snapcraft
    • Linux Mobile
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    Okular screenshot 1
    Okular screenshot 1
    Okular screenshot 2
    +2
    Okular screenshot 3
  18. PyWall icon

    PyWall

     Like

    To manage your firewall easily!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    GUI
    Context menu
  20. Filelight icon

    Filelight

     Like

    To identify what is taking storage space.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    • Mac
    Filelight screenshot 1
    Filelight screenshot 1

Comments

Darlene Sonalder
0

Nice setup here is a couple change I would personnaly consider : Replacing MPC-HC icon MPC-HC with Screenbox icon Screenbox , it's also open source and built with libvlc but with a more native Windows design.

Replacing PeaZip icon PeaZip with NanaZip icon NanaZip which is also a maintained 7-Zip fork but with a more native Windows design and better performance when last tested.

LibreOffice icon LibreOffice is my favorite Office suite but ONLYOFFICE icon ONLYOFFICE has a better Windows themed interface so I would mention it too.

PDFgear icon PDFgear is a great free (as in free beer) PDF editor for Windows but unlike Okular it's not free as in freedom.

Gu