windows apps & utils you'll want after a new install

those apps you want to install everytime you reset a system, at least I do, feel free to suggest other programs and I'll check them out!

appexpertimenter
appexpertimenter List by appexpertimenter , last updated 
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  1. Git icon
     Like

    Git is a free & open source, distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • Linux Mobile
    • Haiku
  2. Rufus icon
     Like

    Formats USB drives to various file systems and creates bootable USBs from ISOs. Supports MS-DOS/FreeDOS bootable sticks and offers BIOS or UEFI options.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Rufus screenshot 1
    Rufus screenshot 2
    Rufus screenshot 3
  3. Ideal for creating bootable USBs and SD cards, ensuring safe, cross-platform use. Open-source, lightweight, and portable with a user-friendly interface.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    balenaEtcher screenshot 1
    balenaEtcher screenshot 1
    balenaEtcher screenshot 2
    +1
    balenaEtcher screenshot 3
  4. SuperF4 icon
     Like

    SuperF4 kills the foreground program when you press Ctrl+Alt+F4. This is different from when you press Alt+F4. Alt+F4 only asks the foreground program to exit, allowing it to decide for itself what to do. Read more...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
  5. Cross-platform, free media player supports multimedia files, DVDs, streaming, offers hardware acceleration, 4K, lossless audio, and more.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • AppImageHub
    • Apple Watch
    • Snapcraft
    • Google Chrome
    • Apple TV
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Kindle Fire
    • Haiku
    • Android TV
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    VLC Media Player screenshot 1
    VLC Media Player screenshot 1
    VLC Media Player screenshot 2
    +4
    VLC Media Player screenshot 3
  6. Notepad++ icon
     Like

    Free open-source code editor and Notepad replacement supporting multiple languages, featuring high speed, low resource usage, privacy focus, and plugin extensibility.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Notepad++ screenshot 1
    Notepad++ screenshot 1
    Notepad++ screenshot 2
    +10
    TextFX plugin menu
  7. reditr icon
     Like

    Reditr is a desktop application developed for Reddit that uses an intuitive column design with fast browsing for your endless entertainment needs.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
  8. f.lux icon
     Like

    Software that makes the color of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Main Window
    Color Presets
    Color Effects
    +5
    Color Changing
  9. Signal icon
     Like

    An encrypted messaging app focused on privacy, supporting texts, calls, photos, videos, files, and group chats, with no ads or trackers.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • Ubuntu
    • Debian
    Signal screenshot 1
    Signal screenshot 1
    Signal screenshot 2
    +4
    Signal screenshot 3
  10. Gajim icon
     Like

    The goal of Gajim is to provide a full featured and easy to use XMPP client. Gajim works nicely with GNOME, but does not require it to run. It is released under the GNU General Public License.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Xfce
    • Flathub
    Gajim roster
    Gajim tabbed chat
    Gajim group chat
  11. HexChat icon
     Like

    HexChat is an IRC client based on XChat for Linux icon XChat for Linux , but unlike XChat it’s completely free for both Windows and Unix-like systems.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • MacPorts
    • XQuartz
    HexChat screenshot 1
    HexChat screenshot 1
  12. Discord icon
     Like

    A versatile platform for text and voice communication, featuring topic-specific channels, customizable moderation, and smooth low latency interactions.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Epic Games Store
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
    Desktop UI
    Desktop UI Color Customization
    Cross Platform Video Chat and Screensharing
    +8
    Phone UI
  13. Connect GOG GALAXY 2.0 with multiple platforms and unite all your games and friends scattered across them in one powerful app.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    GOG GALAXY screenshot 1
  14. itch.io icon
     Like

    Indie-focused digital marketplace and community platform offering customizable pricing, game hosting, stats tracking, asset sales, and manageable app downloads.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Epic Games Store
    itch.io screenshot 1
    itch.io screenshot 1
  15. Steam icon
     Like

    Steam is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute a wide range of games and related media entirely over the internet, stretching from one-man independent efforts to some of...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • SteamOS
    Steam Store
    Steam Community
    Library
    +1
    Big Picture Mode
  16. KiTTY icon
     Like

    KiTTY is an opensource terminal emulator, forked from PuTTY icon PuTTY , that adds many extra features to the original software.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    transparency settings
    send to tray
  17. Previously available as a freemium program, it's now available as a free beta. The non-beta version is now merged with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. The program itself works similarly to EMET; it tries to prevent your programs from being exploited.

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Beta screenshot 1
    Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Beta screenshot 1
    Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit Beta screenshot 2
  18. Simple tool to configure Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) which can configure network activity on your computer.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Main Window
    Right Click on an Application
    Setting - General
    +2
    Setting - Rules
  19. WireGuard icon
     Like

    Simple, fast VPN tunnel utilizing state-of-the-art cryptography, minimal codebase for security, supports cross-platform use, offers IPv4/IPv6, and ease of deployment.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • FreeBSD
    • OpenWrt
    • Termux
    WireGuard screenshot 1
    WireGuard screenshot 1
    WireGuard screenshot 2
    +1
    WireGuard screenshot 3
  20. OpenVPN Connect provides flexible VPN solutions to secure your data communications, whether it's for Internet privacy, remote access for employees, securing IoT, or for networking Cloud data centers.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    OpenVPN Connect screenshot 1
    OpenVPN Connect screenshot 2
    OpenVPN Connect screenshot 3
  21. FileZilla icon
     Like

    Open-source FTP client supporting FTP, FTPS, and SFTP with features like large file transfers, site management, and cross-platform because of FileZilla Server.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • ReactOS
    • Haiku
    FileZilla screenshot 1
    FileZilla screenshot 1
  22. Enhance privacy with a secure, portable browser that hides your IP and encrypts connections on multiple platforms, maintaining anonymity.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • OpenBSD
    • Tor
    Tor Browser screenshot 1
    Tor Browser 10.0.3 is now based on the new version of Firefox for Android.
    Tor browser for android alpha
  23. GnuPG icon
     Like

    GnuPG allows to encrypt and sign your data and communication, features a versatile key management system as well as access modules for all kinds of public key directories. GnuPG, also known as GPG, is a command line tool with features for easy integration with other applications.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    • Xfce
    • OpenPGP
    GnuPG Shell running GnuPG on Windows
  24. WinGPG icon
     Like

    An open-source system tray utility for Windows, giving you quick access to your GnuPG keyring at any time with the ability to encrypt, decrypt and sign files on the fly.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • OpenPGP
    The key creation dialog with calendar for choosing an expiration date, if desired
    Windows Explorer context menu integration
    The "PIN Entry" dialog that asks for a key's passphrase
  25. Open Shell is a fork of the Classic Shell project for Windows that getting back the classic start menu to modern versions of Microsoft Windows.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Open Shell screenshot 1
    Open Shell screenshot 1
    Open Shell screenshot 2
    +2
    Open Shell screenshot 3
  26. Windows package manager for software updates, requiring no registration, prioritizing privacy with no tracking, and featuring a command-line interface.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Chocolatey screenshot 1
    Chocolatey screenshot 1
    Command Line Interface
  27. 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
  28. Locate files and folders by filename on Windows instantly, displaying all items on NTFS volumes and mapped network drives. Supports 19 languages.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Locate files and folders by name instantly.
  29. A lightning fast and flexible keystroke launcher for Windows. No installation required (portable). Extensible with Python3 plugins.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    smart search
    customizable interface
    math expressions evaluator
    +2
    base converter
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