Have a new laptop but don’t know what to install in the first place? Check our list of the most useful apps you will need on your PC.
Antivirus
Good antivirus for Windows now is not a whim, but a need. The system has pre-installed protection, but it continually receives not the highest ratings from third-party labs. At the same time, antivirus solutions from such companies like McAfee or Avast are often among the leaders in popular tests like AV-TEST. And these companies have free products that provide a decent level of protection. You can also check Antivirus-review.com to find a good solution that will meet your requirements.
Browser: Google Chrome
Perhaps, it is the web browser that owns the title of the most popular PC program. Ironically, standard Windows browsers proved to be the weak spot of the system. Advanced users abandoned them because of mistakes, rare updates, and questionable convenience. The new Edge browser, which replaced Internet Explorer, has improved the situation. But it was never able to match the market leader, Google Chrome. First, Chrome supports a wide range of useful extensions that complement its features. Second, it is a cross-platform app that synchronizes user data with mobile devices.
BitTorrent-client: uTorrent
The browser is not suitable for downloading large programs, videos, and other files of large size: the download can break at any moment, and progress will be lost. There are other applications designed for this purpose, which quickly download files of any size, so you shouldn’t be afraid of connection problems. A good example is a uTorrent program. It combines high speed and rich features to customize downloads.
Media player: VLC
Windows Media Player digests most basic formats, but may not be able to handle some of the videos available on disk and the Web. In such a case, it is worth trying the VLC player as an alternative. This simple but powerful player is a cross-platform media bomb that plays a huge number of multimedia formats, including DVDs and video streams.
Musical Player: MusicBee
If you’re still listening to music downloaded to a hard drive, you need a good music player. Winamp was once the best option, but after it was resold, the future of the project was in doubt, and users had to look for a replacement. It’s not easy to choose a clear favorite. But if you’re looking for a quick, beautiful, and functional player, look at MusicBee.
Its capabilities include importing tracks from iTunes, playing podcasts and web radio, synchronizing playlists with Android, a mini-player, replaceable skins, a media library, an equalizer, and plugins for new features.
Graphic Editor: Paint.NET
A graphic editor is an indispensable tool of photographers and designers that can be useful to any other person. If professionals use Photoshop and similar programs, Paint.NET will be enough for simpler tasks. This lightweight and a minimalistic editor will come to the rescue when you need to crop an image, resize it, adjust colors, or mark it.
Cloud Drive: Google Drive
A cloud drive solves two critical document challenges: making files available to different users and devices and backing them up. One of the best services in this category is Google Drive. It is easy to use, offers 15 GB to store documents in the cloud for free, and integrates with most Google office services.
Archiver: 7-Zip
One day you may find an archived document that you will not be able to open without a particular program. Therefore, it is better to install 7-Zip on the computer. This utility must resolve all problems with reading and creating any file archives on the PC.
PDF editor: Foxit Reader
You can open a PDF file for reading in any modern browser. But what if you want not only to read the contents of the document but also to edit it: add comments or convert to another format? A PDF editor is suitable for this purpose. For example, Foxit Reader, which offers a middle ground between functionality, ease of use, and speed.
Shades Regulator: F.lux
The tiny but useful F.lux utility adjusts the colors of the display at the time of day. All you have to do is specify your location and lighting conditions. By evening, F.lux will reduce the brightness and intensity of blue light, which is known to suppress sleep hormone production. It will help you to stick to the correct mode and reduce the eyestrain.
