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 1
    Rufus screenshot 2
    +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
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • 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
    f.lux screenshot 1
    Main Window
    Color Presets
    +6
    Color Effects
  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
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Ubuntu
    • Debian
    Signal screenshot 1
    Signal screenshot 1
    Signal screenshot 2
    +6
    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
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • SteamOS
    Steam screenshot 1
    Steam screenshot 1
    Steam screenshot 2
    +4
    Steam Store
  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 1
    OpenVPN Connect screenshot 2
    +1
    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
    • Flathub
    • Tor
    • OpenBSD
    Tor Browser screenshot 1
    Tor Browser screenshot 1
    Tor Browser 10.0.3 is now based on the new version of Firefox for Android.
    +1
    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. Command-line tool for managing Windows applications with no registration, centralized audits, automatic package creation, offline support, disk space optimization, and synchronization.

    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
    • Docker
    • Opera
    • Chocolatey
    • Mono
    • Brave
    • AppImage
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Bitwarden screenshot 1
    Bitwarden screenshot 1
    Bitwarden screenshot 2
    +11
    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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