7-Zip
File management
Free archiver that opens ZIP, RAR, 7z and more.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, Linux
Software & Tools for Windows
Discover essential Windows apps, system utilities, networking tools, developer software, IT tools and professional software for your Windows PC.
We link to official developer websites and app stores. We do not host third-party installers.
Explore Windows Tools
Networking
Tools for troubleshooting connections, analysing traffic, testing networks and managing remote systems.
IT Engineer
Tools IT engineers use for diagnostics, remote support, recovery, bootable USBs, disks and administration.
Sysinternals
Official Microsoft utilities for investigating processes, startup, networking, disks, memory and security on Windows.
System Utilities
Everyday utilities that make Windows easier to use, plus the useful tools already built into Windows.
Cybersecurity
Tools for network analysis, security testing, monitoring, forensics and auditing on Windows, for authorised security work.
Development
Code editors, IDEs, version control, languages, API and database tools, containers and terminals for Windows.
DevOps
Version control, containers, orchestration, infrastructure as code, cloud CLIs, CI/CD and monitoring on Windows.
Diagnostics
Tools for checking CPU, memory, storage, processes, startup, logs, hardware and performance.
USB & Recovery
Bootable USB drives, disk imaging and recovery tools.
Remote Access
SSH, remote desktop, remote support and terminal access for Windows.
Setting up a new Windows PC?
Get a checklist of trusted essentials: security and passwords, a browser, office and PDF tools, media, utilities, cloud storage and backup. Windows already includes good tools for many jobs, so we only suggest what adds something.
Essential apps
Start with these on a new Windows device.
Bitwarden
Password managers
Open-source password manager with a generous free plan.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Mozilla Firefox
Browsers
Independent, privacy-focused browser from the non-profit Mozilla.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Rufus
USB & ISO tools
Creates bootable USB drives from ISO files quickly and reliably.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows
VLC media player
Media
Plays almost any video or audio file without extra codecs.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Steam
Gaming
The largest PC game store and launcher.
Free
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux
Visual Studio Code
Development
Lightweight, extensible code editor for almost any language.
Free
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux
LibreOffice
Office
Full free office suite: documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux
Popular apps
7-Zip
File management
Free archiver that opens ZIP, RAR, 7z and more.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, Linux
Bitwarden
Password managers
Open-source password manager with a generous free plan.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Mozilla Firefox
Browsers
Independent, privacy-focused browser from the non-profit Mozilla.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Rufus
USB & ISO tools
Creates bootable USB drives from ISO files quickly and reliably.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows
VLC media player
Media
Plays almost any video or audio file without extra codecs.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
1Password
Password managers
Polished password manager for families and businesses.
Paid
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Adobe Acrobat Reader
PDF tools
The standard PDF reader with forms and signatures.
Freemium
Available for Windows, macOS, Android, iPhone & iPad
Adobe Photoshop
Photo & video
Industry-standard photo editing and compositing.
Paid
Available for Windows, macOS, iPhone & iPad
Free apps
7-Zip
File management
Free archiver that opens ZIP, RAR, 7z and more.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, Linux
Bitwarden
Password managers
Open-source password manager with a generous free plan.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Mozilla Firefox
Browsers
Independent, privacy-focused browser from the non-profit Mozilla.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Rufus
USB & ISO tools
Creates bootable USB drives from ISO files quickly and reliably.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows
VLC media player
Media
Plays almost any video or audio file without extra codecs.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Discord
Gaming
Voice, video and text chat for communities and friends.
Free
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
GIMP
Photo & video
Powerful free image editor and Photoshop alternative.
Open Source
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux
Google Chrome
Browsers
Fast, widely compatible web browser with sync across all your devices.
Free
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Open-source apps
Apps whose source code anyone can inspect.
7-Zip
File management
Free archiver that opens ZIP, RAR, 7z and more.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, Linux
Bitwarden
Password managers
Open-source password manager with a generous free plan.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Mozilla Firefox
Browsers
Independent, privacy-focused browser from the non-profit Mozilla.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Rufus
USB & ISO tools
Creates bootable USB drives from ISO files quickly and reliably.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows
VLC media player
Media
Plays almost any video or audio file without extra codecs.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
GIMP
Photo & video
Powerful free image editor and Photoshop alternative.
Open Source
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux
Notepad++
Development
Fast text and code editor with syntax highlighting.
Open Source
Available for Windows
OBS Studio
Photo & video
Record your screen and stream live.
Open Source
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux
Trending apps
Ventoy
USB & ISO tools
Copy multiple ISO files to one USB and choose which to boot.
Open Source
Available for Windows, Linux
Microsoft PowerToys
Productivity
Official Microsoft utilities that add power-user features to Windows.
Open Source Editor's pick
Available for Windows
Anki
Education
Flashcards with spaced repetition to remember anything.
Open Source
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Brave
Browsers
Chromium-based browser that blocks ads and trackers out of the box.
Open Source
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone & iPad
Categories
Browsers3 appsSecurity & privacy20 appsPassword managers3 appsOffice4 appsProductivity13 appsDevelopment35 appsIT tools28 appsNetworking16 appsGaming5 appsMedia7 appsPhoto & video17 appsCloud storage3 appsBackup5 appsFile management7 appsPDF tools3 appsUtilities8 appsEducation5 appsCAD & Engineering9 appsUSB & ISO tools5 appsCommunication6 apps
Setup recommendations
Pick what you use this device for and we'll build a checklist.
Everyday useStudentBusinessGamingDeveloperIT professionalDesignerSecurity & privacyProductivityAI / Machine Learning
Choosing tools for work or study? IT Engineer / IT Support tools, Network Engineer tools, System Administrator tools, DevOps Engineer tools or software for your course.
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TablePlus
Development
A native database client for many database engines.
Freemium
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux
Cisco Packet Tracer
Networking
Network simulation for learning networking.
Free
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux
Unity
Development
A widely used game engine.
Freemium
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux
GNS3
Networking
Build virtual network labs.
Open Source
Available for Windows, macOS, Linux