Windows Essentials

A new Windows installation is a great opportunity to start fresh and optimize your system for peak performance. But with countless apps available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right ones. In this guide, I'll introduce you to a carefully selected collection of essential tools that will transform your Windows experience.

MF
Muhammad FaragList by Muhammad Farag, last updated 
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
  1. Genie is an industry leading AI-powered scam detection tool that will scan and review text messages, emails, websites, and social posts trying to trick you. You’ll get instant advice on whether the message or site is potentially a scam, so you'll know if it’s safe.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Norton Genie screenshot 1
    Norton Genie screenshot 2
    Norton Genie screenshot 3
  2. Ente Auth icon
     Like

    ente's Authenticator app helps you generate and store 2 step verification (2FA) tokens on your mobile devices.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Flatpak
    • WebApps
    Ente Auth screenshot 1
    Ente Auth screenshot 1
    Ente Auth screenshot 2
    +7
    Ente Auth screenshot 3
  3. Web Browsing & Download Managers

  4. Vivaldi icon
     Like

    Highly customizable browser with built-in ad and tracker blockers, Chromium compatibility, advanced tab management, cross-device sync, and strong privacy features.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Android Auto
    • Flathub
    The only web browser powerful enough for you!
    Vivaldi on desktop Welcome screen
    Vivaldi on desktop Speed Dial
    +38
    Vivaldi v7.0 on desktop
Dashboard
  5. Brave icon
     Like

    Fast, secure browser with built-in ad block, privacy controls, and global tracking protections. Optimizes data, speed, and battery life.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    Brave screenshot 1
    Brave screenshot 1
    Brave screenshot 2
    +4
    Brave screenshot 3
  6. Open-source browser with Gecko engine, supporting HTML add-ons and providing privacy features like Enhanced Tracking Protection and third-party cookie blocking.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    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)
  7. With this app, you can easily download files from anywhere. Enjoy fast, free downloads with seamless browser extension support.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Brave
    • Chromium
    • Mozilla Firefox
    • Mac
    AB Download Manager screenshot 1
    AB Download Manager screenshot 1
    AB Download Manager screenshot 2
  8. The qBittorrent project aims to provide an open-source software alternative to µTorrent. Additionally, qBittorrent runs and provides the same features on all major platforms (FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, OS/2, Windows). qBittorrent is based on the Qt toolkit and libtorrent-rasterbar library.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • Cloudron
    qBittorrent screenshot 1
    qBittorrent screenshot 1
    qBittorrent screenshot 2
    +2
    qBittorrent screenshot 3
  9. Updates & Drivers

  10. Automatically updates and installs PC drivers to prevent crashes and enhance gaming with one-click updates, supporting extensive hardware compatibility.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    IOBit Driver Booster screenshot 1
    IOBit Driver Booster screenshot 1
  11. Patch My PC Home Updater is a free, user-friendly software designed to keep over 300 applications on your computer up-to-date. It automates the process of updating and installing apps, ensuring your system is secure and running smoothly without the hassle of manual updates1.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Patch My PC screenshot 1
    Patch My PC screenshot 1
    Patch My PC screenshot 2
    +2
    Patch My PC screenshot 3
  12. Multimedia

  13. PotPlayer icon
     Like

    This is the best comprehensive media player for Windows

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    PotPlayer screenshot 1
  14. FFmpeg icon
     Like

    Cross-platform multimedia framework performing decoding, encoding, transcoding, muxing, demuxing, streaming, filtering, and playback for nearly all media formats.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    FFmpeg screenshot 1
    FFmpeg screenshot 1
    FFmpeg screenshot 2
    +1
    FFmpeg screenshot 3
  15. Productivity

  16. AI-powered search and chat assistant centralizing data management, enabling fast cross-app searches, smart document interaction, content generation, and unified virtual spaces.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Curiosity Search screenshot 1
    Curiosity Search screenshot 1
    Curiosity Search screenshot 2
    +4
    Curiosity Search screenshot 3
  17. Free, lightweight PDF viewer available on multiple platforms. Features include annotation, form-filling, signing, cloud integration, and more.

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • ReactOS
    Foxit PDF Reader screenshot 1
    35 Languages
    Customize Tools
    +4
    Foxit PDF Reader screenshot 3
  18. Free open source office suite for everyone

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    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
  19. A Mail Client for everyone with lots of Featurs.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    Spark Mail screenshot 1
    Spark Mail screenshot 1
    Spark Mail screenshot 2
    +3
    Spark Mail screenshot 3
  20. NanaZip icon
     Like

    Free full featured Compress/Decompress program that is fully compatible with Microsoft new context menu

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    NanaZip Context Menu on Windows 11
    Light Mode
    Dark Mode
    +3
    Context menu (Older version)
  21. Security & Privacy

  22. 1.1.1.1 icon
     Like

    Experience quick, private browsing with this top DNS resolver. Enhanced by a VPN, it ensures your data remains protected and activity optimized.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    1.1.1.1 screenshot 1
    1.1.1.1 screenshot 2
    1.1.1.1 screenshot 3
  23. Bitwarden icon
     Like

    Open-source password manager with AES-256 encryption and device sync. Store and access encrypted logins across platforms like iOS and Android.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    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
  24. Tor icon
     Like

    Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Tor screenshot 1
    Tor screenshot 1
  25. Advanced AI-driven protection software that offers real-time defense against new and known threats using machine learning for superior threat detection.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Kindle Fire
    Malwarebytes Anti-Malware screenshot 1
    Malwarebytes Anti-Malware screenshot 1
    Malwarebytes Anti-Malware screenshot 2
    +8
    Malwarebytes Anti-Malware screenshot 3

Comments

Vivek Sharma
0

Please remove the IObit Driver Booster; you really should never use any 3rd party "driver fixer" programs. You should only get drivers from Windows Update or your OEM's software. IOBit software is just crapware.

Also, please remove Patch My PC and add Uniget UI instead, which is an open-source, completely free alternative.

Review by a new / low-activity user.
Darlene Sonalder
1

I would recommend somthing like Screenbox over PotPlayer because it's free and open source but not as bloated as VLC and integrate well with Windows themes. Also wouldn't recommend any IObit product at this point, they proved to be badware from the start.

Gu