10 Free Upgrades For Built-in Windows Apps

There’s nary request to instrumentality pinch Windows’ preloaded applications. These time-tested apps are each free — and unfastened source, too.

Windows comes loaded pinch a batch of applications, but to beryllium honest, they aren’t each the best. There are amended devices retired there, and you don’t person to walk immoderate money to get them. 

These are must-have applications I ever find myself installing connected immoderate caller PC –— they’re each free, unfastened source, and will instantly upgrade immoderate Windows experience. Even better, they tin boost your productivity astatine activity aliases conscionable streamline nan measurement you usage your PC astatine home.

Each of these is besides lightweight and bloatware-free: No annoying features that get successful your way, no ads bothering you, and nary dense exertion grinding distant slow while you hold for it to unfastened — conscionable a postulation of useful, community-created devices that respect you and do their jobs well. Now, this is what PC computing was meant to be.

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1. Everything

Everything is nan champion file-search instrumentality connected Windows, hands down. Unlike nan built-in record hunt characteristic successful nan Start paper aliases File Explorer, Everything finds, well, everything, successful an instant. And while those hunt results are conscionable for record names, it’s still an incredibly accelerated and lightweight measurement to find thing connected your PC. I find it perfectly indispensable.

Everything is nan champion Windows record hunt instrumentality — barroom none.

Chris Hoffman/IDG

2. PowerToys (especially PowerToys Run)

Microsoft PowerToys is an unthinkable postulation of devices I urge to everyone. There are so galore useful PowerToys in this package, and galore of them consciousness for illustration upgrades to built-in Windows experiences — for illustration nan “Advanced Paste” instrumentality that lets you person matter you transcript from Microsoft Word to Markdown formatting arsenic you paste it to FancyZones (which is fundamentally the Windows “Snap” feature on steroids).

But nan champion upgrade successful nan package conscionable mightiness be PowerToys Run. It’s an alternate launcher for Windows — you could usage it alternatively of nan Start menu, pressing a cardinal operation (like Windows+Space) to unfastened it.

And, dissimilar nan Start menu, PowerToys Run really respects your prime of default web browser and hunt engine, alternatively than forcing you to usage Bing and Edge. That’s logic capable to usage it, though it tin besides do truthful galore different things — specified arsenic uncovering notes successful your OneNote notebooks, switching to windows by their name, searching your browser history, and more.

PowerToys Run is nan launcher Windows should include.

Chris Hoffman/IDG

3. Open-Shell (but Start11 is much polished)

Don’t for illustration nan modular Windows Start menu? Open-Shell is a wholly free, open-source replacement that will activity good connected some Windows 10 and Windows 11.

That said, Open-Shell isn’t nan astir feature-filled application. Start11 is decidedly the best Start paper replacement — if you’re consenting to walk $10 to $15. (It’s nan 1 exertion I’m mentioning present that isn’t unfastened source, but it’s inexpensive and very polished.)

Whichever action you choose, you tin customize and personalize your Start paper — and you won’t spot ads aliases forced changes arsenic Microsoft keeps updating Windows and tweaking nan menu. It’s a awesome measurement to make Windows 11 behave much for illustration Windows 10, too.

4. EarTrumpet

Do you find yourself adjusting nan measurement of individual apps? I do — particularly erstwhile participating successful online meetings. Windows has this functionality, but it takes a fewer clicks and immoderate scrolling to find. 

EarTrumpet makes it overmuch easier. After installing it, you’ll get a convenient strategy tray icon wherever you tin entree exertion measurement sliders successful conscionable a azygous click. Simple.

EarTrumpet lets you power exertion volumes successful a snap.

Chris Hoffman/IDG

The Windows Snipping Tool is getting beautiful good, particularly connected Windows 11, wherever it besides has built-in surface signaling features. But ShareX is still much powerful — and it besides brings easy surface signaling to Windows 10.

ShareX is packed pinch useful features. It tin return a scrolling screenshot of a document, aliases grounds a video and prevention it arsenic an animated GIF. It lets you annotate images — and you tin moreover configure it to automatically upload nan images you seizure to a server erstwhile you’re done. It’s a superior power-user instrumentality for capturing screenshots.

Greenshot, different classical screenshot tool, is still a awesome prime for speedy screenshots. However, it’s nary longer actively updated for illustration ShareX.

6. Sumatra PDF

Sumatra PDF is an incredibly lightweight app for viewing PDF files. It launches pinch lightning accelerated speed, and it’s a bully minimal tool. It doesn’t see nan superior information features Adobe uses to “sandbox” PDF code, but it doesn’t request to. Instead, Sumatra PDF stays unafraid by refusing to support scripting and different precocious archive features that make PDFs much for illustration web pages than accepted documents.

In different words: If you want to complete an interactive authorities shape pinch built-in code, you’ll want different PDF reader. But if you conscionable want to publication a PDF archive nan old-fashioned way? Sumatra PDF is cleanable — and fast.

Sumatra PDF helps you debar those PDFs getting mislaid successful a heap of browsers, too. It tin moreover publication eBook files!

For elemental and minimal archive viewing, Sumatra PDF is nan best.

Chris Hoffman/IDG

7. NanaZip (or 7-Zip)

7-Zip is a classical free record archiver instrumentality — a nag-free replacement to WinRAR and WinZip. It tin unfastened astir thing you tin propulsion astatine it, including RAR files, 7Z files, and TAR files. But 7-Zip is getting a small agelong successful nan tooth, and it shows — nan interface conscionable feels outdated.

That’s 1 logic why I prefer NanaZip, which is based connected nan aforesaid underlying 7-Zip code, but offers a much modern interface that feels astatine location connected nan latest type of Windows. More importantly, NanaZip automatically updates itself, dissimilar 7-Zip, ensuring you’ll ever person nan latest information patches installed without micromanagement.

8. Notepad++

The classical Notepad exertion is overmuch excessively basic. On Windows 11, it’s much powerful pinch features specified arsenic tabs — but it besides asks you to motion successful pinch your Microsoft account. It’s weird.

Notepad++ is a awesome upgrade. This lightweight matter editor has tabs — moreover connected Windows 10 — and it sports syntax highlighting for programming and scripting. It’s useful moreover if you conscionable request to tweak HTML regularly, for illustration I do, and nan Find and Replace characteristic useful well. Plain and simple, it’s packed pinch useful features that will travel successful useful for erstwhile you request to activity pinch plain-text files.

Notepad++ is nan champion plain-text editor for Windows PCs.

Chris Hoffman/IDG

9. Paint.NET

Microsoft is making Paint much powerful, but if I americium being honest, it is starting to consciousness for illustration an AI image procreation playground. Paint.NET, connected nan different hand, is an unthinkable instrumentality and a concealed limb I’ve utilized my full career: a wholly free, easy, and lightweight measurement to quickly edit images and screenshots.

Paint.NET is packed pinch features that Paint doesn’t have, and it feels much for illustration a instrumentality for getting image activity done. 

Microsoft’s bundled Media Player app is fine, but VLC media player is moreover better. It tin play astir immoderate type of video aliases audio record you propulsion astatine it — nary configuration necessary. It’s also jam-packed pinch useful features, but you don’t person to usage them. Out of nan box, it’s conscionable a simple, applicable media player.

And if you still person a section euphony library? MusicBee is nan champion library-style subordinate for managing that MP3 collection.

More classical Windows-tweaking apps

There is nary request to settee for a PC that doesn’t activity precisely really you want it — sometimes, each you request to return your PC to nan adjacent level is knowing wherever to look for nan correct apps. For much ways to amended your Windows experience, cheque retired this guideline on the easiest measurement to instal apps connected a caller Windows PC.

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