There are some things I just could not do without, when I transitioned from macOS to a Windows machine. This is my must install first list.
First off lets look at the apps I installed for security
Free antivirus with real-time protection, minimal resource usage, Game mode optimization, AI threat detection, and easy setup with customer support.
My computer currently has a free 6-month subscription to an anti-virus/total security solution. When it ends, I will be looking at Bitdefender as it has a family plan available.
AdwCleaner is an easy-to-use OS security utility that allows you to get rid of adware on your computer in seconds, by quickly scanning the system.
AdwCleaner from Malwarebytes is a must have to look for and remove malware. It can compliment your security solution.
Veteran VPN with military-grade encryption, unrestricted access, vast servers in 43 locations, high-speed connections, and a strict no-logs policy.
I do pay for my subscription, but we all need a VPN app. I just like this one, which I did use in macOS.
NextDNS protects you from all kinds of security threats, blocks ads and trackers on websites and in apps and provides a safe and supervised Internet for kids — on all devices and on all networks.
I'm actually pretty new to this world of DNS Resolvers, and went with NextDNS as it also blocks trackers. I find it faster than using 1.1.1.1 from CloudFlare. Maybe coz it's because I'm the UK, but sometimes the page loads get stuck. So yeah, NextDNS it is... for now.
What I selected to replace iTunes and QuickTime Player
Full-featured media player known for ease of use, skinnable design, advanced audio visualizers, supports plug-ins, playlists, and music library.
I absolutely adored Winamp back in my early days of computing. Having learned of an update for Windows 10/11, I quickly installed it. I didn't use iTunes (yuck) as I would listen to music from my Plex server using Plexamp. Good news, though. I can listen to my music collection using Winamp. Whoop, whoop.
Versatile media player supporting multiple video formats, wide codec range, subtitles, hardware acceleration, OpenGL output, and intuitive CLI controls.
An obvious and popular choice as an alternative to QuickTime Player is VLC. Don't get me wrong, I do like it. But on macOS, I switched to IINA for it's minimalistic interface. With that in mind, MPV became my first choice as an alternative to QuickTime Player.
Some of these could fall into UI and Utilities, but seriously, this selection really upped my productivity game.
Dedicated to make your workflow flow more seamlessly. Aimed at being more than an app launcher, it searches, integrates and expands on functionalities. Flow will continue to evolve, designed to be open and built with the community at heart.
Spotlight on macOS is very useful and, while I don't consider myself a keyboard warrior, it has helped me be more productive to quickly load files and launch apps. I did find it a bit slow and moved to Alfred. It just quadrupled my productivity. Yes, on Windows, you can hit the WIN key on the keyboard and start that way. But I did more than launch apps and Flow Launcher is the closest I will ever get.
Locate files and folders by filename on Windows instantly, displaying all items on NTFS volumes and mapped network drives. Supports 19 languages.
Used within Flow Launcher to expand its file and folder search abilities.
ClipClip is a Windows clipboard manager software that will revolutionize the way you use copy and paste. It allows you to view your clipboard and analyze the content, so you can later edit it and organize as per your preferences.
A two-in-one app for me. First off is the clipboard manager where you can also save. snippets. macOS did not have one so I used ClipMenu, then Clipy. Windows does have a built-in clipboard manager, but I just never did get on with it.
The other bonus is that it can take screenshots too! If it didn't, I would have downloaded ShareX. ClipClip doesn't have as much functionality as ShareX (such as reading QRCodes), but it does what I need to quickly annotate screenshots.
Free and open-source tool for screen capture and recording; enables file uploads, annotation, dark mode, 4K support, and customizable themes.
I like ShareX, I really do, as it is Open Source, unlike ClipClip. What's holding me back is that I'm keeping tabs on how much I install on my machine. But it is absolutely brilliant and feature packed with GIF/Video recording, more annotation options for screenshots, building up a list of actions after taking a screenshot, etc. If you don't care for a clipboard/snippet manager and can work with Window's built-in tool, then get hold of ShareX. It's totally worth it.
Multi-platform document viewer supporting PDF, EPUB, comics and images with annotation tools, sidebar navigation, signature verification, and text-to-speech.
I wanted a lightweight document viewer like Apple's Preview. Installing Acrobat Reader is a bit overkill. SumatraPDF is a good equivalent, but I needed something that can also work with forms.
Microsoft OneNote, part of the 
Microsoft 365 Copilot, is a digital notebook application that gives people one place to gather notes and information. It also offers shared notebooks, syncing between multiple computers and devices via Windows...
I know, I know. There's Joplin as a good alternative and I refuse to touch Evernote with a 10-foot bargepole. The thing is, Joplin is Markdown based (see here for more info), so it is limited when apps like OneNote and Evernote gives you a canvas to play with. I do use OneNote on my tablet with a pen, so it totally satisfies my requirements.
This is the main bit where I tried my best to bring what I miss from macOS
Set of open-source tools enhancing Windows with features like FancyZones, PowerRename, and Keyboard Manager. Lightweight and ad-free.
The first thing to install to enhance Windows. Even I know that! :-)
The Quick Look feature from Mac OS X, which allows users to preview file contents quickly by pressing the Space key, is missed. Windows doesn't have this feature. While alternatives like WinQuickLook and Seer exist, the decision was made to create a new version because the...
Oh my goodness. I can't live without the quick preview using the space bar on macOS. Yeah, you can add a preview pane to the list view in Windows, but it ain't up to snuff - when working from a NAS drive that has a folder loaded with images it's slooooow. And yes, I know you can use PowerToys Peek, but it's very limited in comparison and a little janky. To be fair QuickLook is not as smooth as the real deal, but this is the closest you'll get.
Efficiently uninstall software and remove unnecessary files and registry entries on Windows, offering both free and pro versions with advanced features.
On macOS, I would use App Cleaner to try removing any artifacts left behind after an install. Knowing Windows has plenty of artifacts, I tried Geek Uninstaller, but my anti-virus kept getting in the way, so I settled with Revo. It is a freemium product, so will see how it goes.
Efficient file archiver offering superior compression and encryption. Supports multiple formats such as TAR, ZIP, with a unique self-extracting feature.
I know that Windows and macOS has built-in compression, but I do prefer to use .7z files. Being a cross-platform app there's no learning curve. It is such an efficient utility which does not consume system resources.
Free open-source tool offers secure, end-to-end encrypted file and message sharing over local networks across major desktop and mobile operating systems.
My favourite equivalent to AirDrop. It is so easy to use when sharing files with family (mix of iOS and Android) as well as between my devices. And, yeah, I did use it on my macOS device as I do use an Android phone.
Command-line tool for managing Windows applications with no registration, centralized audits, automatic package creation, offline support, disk space optimization, and synchronization.
So there you have it. You've got an insight into the applications I used on macOS and the selection of apps to help me transition into the world of Windows.
No comments so far, maybe you want to be first?
