Useful apps for Windows
Additional resources: https://www.softpedia.com/ https://www.majorgeeks.com/
The latest Windows update with a redesigned Start menu, Widgets integration, Xbox gaming features, and tighter security requirements, built with modern hardware in mind.
Windows 11 is a personal computer operating system released by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems.
Alternatives:
Ubuntu
Secure and encrypt entire partitions or devices, including system drives, with automated, real-time protection and enhanced security measures.
VeraCrypt is a free open source disk encryption software for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Alternatives:
Windows BitLocker
Windows Backup and Restore (formerly Windows Backup and Restore Center) is a component of Microsoft Windows introduced in Windows Vista and included in later versions that allow users to create backups and restore from backups created earlier.
Back up your files to another drive and restore them if the originals are lost, damaged, or deleted.
Windows Security (known as Windows Defender Antivirus before Windows 10 May 2020 Update, Windows Defender before Windows 10 Creators Update, or Microsoft Defender Antivirus before Windows 11) is an anti-malware component of Microsoft Windows.
Windows Defender is built into Windows to help guard your PC against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software in real time. Windows Defender features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against malware when it's detected, minimizes interruptions, and helps you stay productive.
Alternatives:
Sophos Home,
ESET NOD32 Antivirus
Analyse suspicious files, domains, IPs and URLs to detect malware and other breaches, automatically share them with the security community.
VirusTotal is a free service that analyzes files and URLs for viruses, worms, trojans and other kinds of malicious content.
Alternatives:
MetaDefender,
Jotti's malware scan,
VirSCAN
Based on the success of our 
PhrozenSoft VirusTotal Uploader, Phrozen Software is proud to introduce Winja, which provides even greater malicious file scanning and monitoring capabilities.
Winja is a free application for Microsoft Windows that lets you find potential malware on your system. It uses the scanning engine of virtually all antivirus products in the market to give you a very precise idea of the risk posed by a particular file. To do this, Winja first uses the
VirusTotal public API to submit the fingerprint of a file. If this fingerprint exists, Winja returns the existing analysis report. If not, Winja sends the unknown file to VirusTotal servers for scanning.
In Windows, you can use Windows Firewall to block or unblock certain applications, but it doesn’t offer an easy-to-use interface for its advanced features. Firewall App Blocker makes the process very easy!
In Windows, you can use Windows Firewall to block or unblock certain applications, but it doesn’t offer an easy-to-use interface for its advanced features. Firewall App Blocker makes the process very easy! Simply drag and drop the application you wish to block into the FAB window, or browse the hard disk to find it. That’s it!
Alternatives:
Comodo Free Firewall,
BiniSoft Windows Firewall Control,
simplewall,
SpyShelter
Tired of unchecking unrelated offers while installing software?
Have you ever felt, while installing software, that the installer tries to push additional unwanted programs at all cost? Ever missed a checkbox, and spent hours afterwards removing adware? Ever opened your browser.
Unchecky aims to keep potentially unwanted programs out of your computer. Unchecky automatically unchecks unrelated offers, both saving you mouse clicks and making it less likely to miss a checkbox of an unwanted offer.
SUMo stands for Software Update Monitor. Thanks to SUMo you'll be able to keep your PC up-to-date by using the most recent version of your favorite software !.
Cmder is a software package created out of pure frustration over the absence of nice console emulators on Windows. It is based on amazing software, and spiced up with the Monokai color scheme and a custom prompt layout, looking sexy from the start. Think about cmder more as a software package than a separate app. All the magic is happening through
ConEmu. With enhancements from
clink.
Windows Terminal is a new, modern, feature-rich, productive terminal application for command-line users. It includes many of the features most frequently requested by the Windows command-line community including support for tabs, rich text, globalization, configurability...
The Windows Terminal is a new, modern, fast, efficient, powerful, and productive terminal application for users of command-line tools and shells like
Windows Command Prompt,
PowerShell, and
Windows Subsystem for Linux. Its main features include multiple tabs, Unicode and UTF-8 character support, a GPU accelerated text rendering engine, and custom themes, styles, and configurations.
Alternatives:
Fluent Terminal
Windows Task Manager is a task manager application included with Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems that provides detailed information about computer performance and running applications, processes and CPU usage, commit charge and memory information, network...
Windows Task Manager is a task manager application included with Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems that provides detailed information about computer performance and running applications, processes and CPU usage, commit charge and memory information, network activity and statistics, logged-in users, and system services. The Task Manager can also be used to set process priorities, processor affinity, forcibly terminate processes, and shut down, restart, hibernate or log off from Windows.
A free, powerful, multi-purpose tool that helps you monitor system resources, debug software and detect malware.
A free, powerful, multi-purpose tool that helps you monitor system resources, debug software and detect malware.
Alternatives:
Process Explorer
Autoruns shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys.
This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and when you start various built-in Windows applications like Internet Explorer, Explorer and media players.
AltDrag allows you to move and resize windows much easier. When you have it running you can simply hold down the Alt key and then use your mouse to drag any window, and it doesn't matter where in the window you click.
AltDrag gives you the ability to move and resize windows in a new way. After starting AltDrag, you can simply hold down the Alt key and then click and drag any window.
Alternatives:
Taekwindow,
AlwaysMouseWheel,
MoveInactiveWin
Manage files effortlessly with a graphical interface offering offline access, dark mode, ad-free usage, and zip support, optimized for Windows.
File Explorer, previously known as Windows Explorer, is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface for accessing the file systems. It is also the component of the operating system that presents many user interface items on the screen such as the taskbar and desktop.
Efficient file archiver offering superior compression and encryption. Supports multiple formats such as TAR, ZIP, with a unique self-extracting feature.
Universal Extractor 2 is an unofficial updated and extended version of the original UniExtract by Jared Breland. It brings several hundred changes including community-wanted ones such as a batch mode, auto-updater and scan-only-functionality.
Universal Extractor 2 is a tool designed to extract files from any type of extractable file. Unlike most archiving programs, UniExtract is not limited to standard archives such as .zip and .rar. It can also deal with application installers, disk images and even game archives and other multimedia files.
Listary is a revolutionary search utility for Windows that makes finding your files and launching applications blazing fast, for casual and power users alike!.
Listary is a search utility for Windows that makes finding your files and launching applications blazing fast, for casual and power users alike!
Alternatives:
Launchy,
Wox Launcher,
Keypirinha
Open-source password manager storing passwords, notes, and attachments offline with AES-256 encryption, browser extensions, cross-platform support, and TOTP.
KeePassXC can store your passwords safely and auto-type them into your everyday websites and applications. KeePassXC is a community fork of
KeePassX, the cross-platform port of
KeePass for Windows. Every feature works cross-platform and was thoroughly tested on multiple systems to provide users with the same look and feel on every supported operating system. This includes the beloved Auto-Type feature.
Pwgen is a small, GPL'ed password generator which creates passwords which can be easily memorized by a human.
PWGen is a professional password generator capable of generating large amounts of cryptographically-secure passwords—“classical” passwords, pronounceable passwords, pattern-based passwords, and passphrases consisting of words from word lists. PWGen for Windows: https://pwgen-win.sourceforge.io/
Open-source browser with Gecko engine, supporting HTML add-ons and providing privacy features like Enhanced Tracking Protection and third-party cookie blocking.
Seriously private browsing. Firefox shows you how many data-collecting trackers are blocked with Enhanced Tracking Protection.
Firefox Lockwise makes the passwords you save in Firefox secure and available on all your devices.
Mozilla Monitor alerts you if we know your information is a part of another company’s data breach. Add-ons: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/
uBlock Origin (uBO) is a CPU and memory-efficient wide-spectrum content blocker. It blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, popups, annoying anti-blockers, malware sites, etc., by default using EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Peter Lowe's Blocklist, Online Malicious URL Blocklist, and uBO...
An efficient blocker add-on for various browsers. Fast, potent, and lean.
Alternatives:
Adblock Plus,
AdGuard
The Tor software protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, it prevents the sites you visit from learning...
The
Tor software protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location, and it lets you access sites which are blocked. The Tor Browser lets you use
Tor Expert Bundle: https://www.torproject.org/download/tor/ ProxAllium: https://github.com/DcodingTheWeb/ProxAllium
Cross-platform email client providing POP/IMAP support, robust filtering, multiple accounts, and chat. Extendable via add-ons with RSS/Atom, etc.
Thunderbird is a free email application that’s easy to set up and customize - and it’s loaded with great features! Add-ons: https://addons.thunderbird.net/thunderbird/ WarnAttachment: https://addons.thunderbird.net/thunderbird/addon/warnattachment/ Minimize on Close: https://addons.thunderbird.net/thunderbird/addon/minimize-on-close/ TBTray: https://github.com/sagamusix/TBTray ThunderbirdTray: https://github.com/TheGuardianWolf/ThunderbirdTray
Alternatives:
eM Client,
Microsoft Mail and Calendar,
Postbox,
Microsoft Outlook,
PopMan
Organize your schedule and life’s important events in a calendar that’s fully integrated with your Thunderbird or Seamonkey email. Manage multiple calendars, create your daily to do list, invite friends to events, and subscribe to public calendars.
Organize your schedule and life’s important events in a calendar that’s fully integrated with your
Thunderbird or SeaMonkey email client. Manage multiple calendars, create your daily to do list, invite friends to events, and subscribe to public calendars. From Thunderbird 74 onwards Lightning does not exist as a separate add-on but is integrated into Thunderbird. CardBook: https://addons.thunderbird.net/thunderbird/addon/cardbook/
Alternatives:
Outlook CalDav Synchronizer
Task manager with sync, reminders, recurring tasks, list sharing, color-coded organization, suggestions, subtasks, daily planning, notes, and GTD support.
Microsoft To Do makes it easy to plan your day and manage your life.
Alternatives:
Lightning Calendar,
GeeTeeDee
Date Reminder reminds you of recurring or nonrecurring events, like birthdays, bills to pay, appointments etc... The program can be run from the Startup folder with an option to show only, if there are any alerts for this day.
Date Reminder reminds you of recurring or nonrecurring events, like birthdays, bills to pay, appointments etc...
A combination of alarm clock, world clock, timer, and stopwatch. Set alarms and reminders, check times around the world, and time your activities, including laps and splits.
A combination of alarm clock, world clock, timer, and stopwatch. Set alarms and reminders, check times around the world, and time your activities, including laps and splits.
Alternatives:
TTclock
A simple yet powerful calculator that includes standard, scientific, and programmer modes, as well as a unit converter. It's the perfect tool to add up a bill, convert measurements in a recipe or other project, or complete complex math, algebra, or geometry problems.
A simple yet powerful calculator that includes standard, scientific, and programmer modes, as well as a unit converter. It's the perfect tool to add up a bill, convert measurements in a recipe or other project, or complete complex math, algebra, or geometry problems. Calculator history makes it easy to confirm if you've entered numbers correctly.
Alternatives:
SpeedCrunch,
Qalculate!
Free global communication through video, voice, and instant messaging, plus competitive rates for mobile and landline calls. Available on multiple devices.
Skype makes it easy to stay in touch. Talk. Chat. Collaborate.
Alternatives:
Zoom,
Whereby,
Jitsi Meet
Sophisticated text editor for code with sleek interface, multi-select tabs, side-by-side definitions, and swift variable renaming using multiple selections.
A sophisticated text editor for code, markup and prose. ST package manager: https://packagecontrol.io/
WinMerge is an open source differencing and merging tool for Windows. WinMerge can compare both folders and files, presenting differences in a visual text format that is easy to understand and handle.
WinMerge is an Open Source differencing and merging tool for Windows. WinMerge can compare both folders and files, presenting differences in a visual text format that is easy to understand and handle.
Alternatives:
Diffinity,
Beyond Compare
grepWin is a simple search and replace tool which can use PCRE regular expressions to search for strings of text within files. grepWin adds an entry to the shell context menu to easily search selected folders.
A free, open-source viewer for Windows, supports PDFs, eBooks, Comics, with a simple, fast, and portable design prioritized for ease of use.
Sumatra PDF is a free PDF, eBook (ePub, Mobi), XPS, DjVu, CHM, Comic Book (CBZ and CBR) reader for Windows. Sumatra PDF is powerful, small, portable and starts up very fast.
Alternatives:
Xpdf,
Foxit PDF Reader,
Adobe Acrobat Reader
WinDjView is a fast, compact and powerful DjVu viewer for Windows with tabbed interface, continuous scrolling and advanced printing options. It uses the free DjVuLibre library to decode DjVu documents. DjVu is a web-centric format and software platform for distributing documents...
WinDjView is a fast, compact and powerful DjVu viewer for Windows with tabbed interface, continuous scrolling and advanced printing options, based on free DjVuLibre library.
Alternatives:
DjVuLibre
Free and open-source office suite with advanced word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, vector graphics, math formula editor, and database tools.
LibreOffice is a free and powerful office suite, and a successor to
Apache OpenOffice.
Alternatives:
Microsoft 365 Copilot,
ONLYOFFICE,
WPS Office
An AI-powered proofreading tool supports over 20 languages, offering free and premium versions with extensive grammar checks across multiple apps.
LanguageTool offers spell and grammar checking.
Search is right there on your taskbar, ready to help you find whatever you’re looking for. Use the search box to find your apps, files, settings, help, and more on Windows—plus unlock the power of the web with quick access to online information like time zone conversions, fact...
Windows Search, formerly known as Windows Desktop Search (WDS) on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, is an indexed desktop search platform created by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows. Windows Search builds a full-text index of files on a computer. The time required for the initial creation of this index depends on the amount and type of data to be indexed, and can take up to several hours, but this is a one-time event. Searches are performed not only on file names, but also on the contents of the file (provided a proper handler for the file type is installed) as well as the keywords, comments and all other forms of metadata that Windows Search recognizes.
Alternatives:
Agent Ransack,
FileSeek,
DocFetcher
Locate files and folders by filename on Windows instantly, displaying all items on NTFS volumes and mapped network drives. Supports 19 languages.
Locate files and folders by name instantly.
FreeFileSync is a folder comparison and synchronization software that creates and manages backup copies of all your important files. Instead of copying every file every time, FreeFileSync determines the differences between a source and a target folder and transfers only the...
FreeFileSync is a folder comparison and synchronization software that creates and manages backup copies of all your important files. Instead of copying every file every time, FreeFileSync determines the differences between a source and a target folder and transfers only the minimum amount of data needed. FreeFileSync is Open Source software, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Alternatives:
Toucan,
DirSync Pro
QTranslate is a free translator for Windows. With this small utility, you simply select the text you want to translate and then press hot key (Ctrl+Q to show translation in the popup window or Double Ctrl click to show the translation in the main window).
QTranslate is a free translator for Windows. With this small utility, you simply select the text you want to translate and then press the hot key to show translation in the popup window. QTranslate also has the ability to speak text and perform a dictionary search. QTranslate translates text by using online translation services, so you need an Internet connection.
Alternatives:
Crow Translate,
EveryLang
GoldenDict is an open-source dictionary program for PC computers that gives translations of words and phrases for different languages. It allows use of several popular dictionary file formats simultaneously.
GoldenDict is a feature-rich dictionary lookup program. Lingvo dictionaries decompiler: https://github.com/nongeneric/lsd2dsl
Alternatives:
ABBYY Lingvo Dictionaries
Klavaro is a simple tutor to teach correct typing, almost independently of language and very flexible regarding to new or unknown keyboard layouts.
Klavaro is a simple tutor to teach correct typing, almost independently of language and very flexible regarding to new or unknown keyboard layouts.
Alternatives:
TIPP10,
Rapid Typing Tutor
Comprehensive photo management software for viewing, batch converting, editing and resizing images and creating thumbnail sheets.
XnView MP is a versatile and powerful photo viewer, image management, image resizer. All common picture and graphics formats are supported (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, WEBP, PSD, JPEG2000, OpenEXR, camera RAW, HEIC, PDF, DNG, CR2).
Alternatives:
FastStone Image Viewer,
ImageGlass
XnConvert is an easy image converter for graphic files, photos and images available on Windows, MacOSX and Linux.
XnConvert is a fast, powerful and free cross-platform batch image converter, It allows to automate editing for your massive photo collections, you can rotate, convert and compress your different images, photos and pictures easily, and apply over 80 actions (like resize, crop, color adjustements, filter, ...). All common picture and graphics formats are supported. You can save and re-use your presets for another batch image convert.
Free image editor for Windows, offering layer support, plugins, special effects, and portable use without installation. Lightweight and ad-free.
Paint.NET is image and photo editing software for PCs that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.
Alternatives:
Pinta
Free and open-source tool for screen capture and recording; enables file uploads, annotation, dark mode, 4K support, and customizable themes.
A powerful audio player for Windows and Android, supporting numerous codecs and audio interfaces, offering customizable skins, plugins, and advanced features.
Free and full-featured audio player with seamless, high-quality playback and comprehensive format support.
Alternatives:
foobar2000,
Audacious
The “RadioSure” gives you the smoothest radio listening experience. The main rule is: it should be simple, reliable and should just work.
RadioSure is the best Internet radio player.
Alternatives:
TapinRadio,
Screamer Radio,
odio
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