Even for those who aren’t an enormous techie, you most likely learn about all the massive, mainstream apps which might be elementary to how we use our PCs. I’m speaking Word, Outlook, Chrome, Slack, Dropbox, and so forth. You know, proper?
But there are numerous, many, many superior free apps on the market that may significantly enhance your PC and your workflows, unlock new instruments and options, and simply make your PC expertise higher total.
If you wish to wring just a little extra out of your PC, listed here are a few of the greatest hidden gem apps which might be tremendous helpful and obtainable at no cost.
Ferdium for centralizing all the online apps and providers you utilize in a single place
Ferdium
If you could have a number of completely open browser tabs for all of the totally different internet apps you utilize each day, then you may make issues simpler for your self by organizing them with Ferdium. (Have you heard of Rambox or Franz? Ferdium is like these besides open-source and completely free.)
Ferdium helps you to run separate tabs for tons of of internet providers, together with chat apps (like Messenger, Telegram, WhatsApp, and so forth.) and social apps (like Slack, Discord, and so forth.) in addition to e mail apps, calendar apps, media apps, AI chatbots, and extra. All of these apps can reside proper inside Ferdium, letting you consolidate all of that to 1 place.
I really like Ferdium for the way it fences all the things off into its personal app. I now not have to succeed in for my telephone to examine WhatsApp or make amends for Teams notifications or pull up Gmail or Google Calendar. It’s all only one click on away on my PC and it’s much less distracting total.
PDFgear for PDF modifying, changing, merging, annotating, and extra
PDFgear
PDFgear is a kind of diamonds within the tough, one which we’ve been evangelizing for a while now. But simply because it isn’t as well-known as others doesn’t imply it isn’t a superb PDF editor.
If you’ve ever been pissed off by how troublesome it’s to discover a high-quality offline PDF editor that doesn’t cost you for private use, then PDFgear is the top aim you’ve been on the lookout for. This app is tremendous succesful at modifying PDFs, whether or not by way of annotations or direct file modifying.
It works with textual content, photos, and graphics. It can merge PDFs collectively. It can convert PDFs into totally different file varieties. It can do absolutely anything else you’d wish to do with a PDF. It even has a built-in AI assistant that may search, summarize, assist with modifying, and extra.
SitApp for growing higher posture
SitApp
If you’re employed or recreation at your PC for hours at a time, then maintaining good posture and proper back health is one thing that’s nicely definitely worth the effort. But perhaps all you actually need is a delicate prod everytime you begin to slouch, by which case you may benefit vastly from SitApp.
SitApp is a helpful app that makes use of your webcam to research your posture and detect while you’re slouching — and if you end up, the app reveals just a little pop-up reminder to let you recognize. It additionally tracks your posture historical past so you possibly can compete towards your self to see how lengthy you possibly can preserve good posture. My document is 92% over eight hours. How about you?
BreakTimer for normal break reminders
BreakTimer
If you’re at all times in your PC, good posture isn’t the one factor to fret about. It’s necessary to rise up and stroll round, relaxation your eyes, drink water, stretch, and perhaps even train. But it’s simple to overlook to do all of that, particularly for those who lock onto a process or get absorbed right into a recreation.
BreakTimer sits within the background and periodically reminds you to take a break. You can customise the alerts to no matter frequency you need, nonetheless lengthy you need the breaks to be, which days you need them to be lively on, and extra. It’s easy however life-changing — and free!
Mouse Without Borders for utilizing one mouse and keyboard with a number of PCs
Wish you would management a number of computer systems with one set of mouse and keyboard? One approach to do this is to purchase a KVM change and undergo the trouble of setting it up. Or you would simply get Mouse Without Borders.
Mouse Without Borders is a Microsoft Garage challenge that was put collectively by developer Truong Do throughout his off-hours, and it really works fantastically nicely for controlling as much as 4 PCs with a single mouse and keyboard. It’s not good, nevertheless it’s fast, simple to make use of, and completely free, making it a terrific various to {hardware} KVMs.
4K Video Downloader Plus for downloading movies wherever on-line
4K Download
Lots of video downloader instruments have come and gone over time, helpful for while you wish to save movies from YouTube, Facebook, and different websites. But most of these instruments finally flip into malware, decelerate to a crawl once they acquire too many customers, or just die off in a single day and go away you dry and forsaken.
On the opposite hand, 4K Video Downloader Plus works virtually flawlessly, stays recurrently up to date, and doesn’t undergo from malware infections, all in a quick and light-weight package deal. What extra may you ask for?
Foobar2000 for dependable music playback
Foobar2000
Are you within the minority of people that haven’t but jumped aboard the Spotify practice? Do you could have a big MP3 assortment as an alternative? And are you utilizing Windows Media Player to hearken to it? If so, then I’ve a present for you: Foobar2000, a easy and light-weight music participant.
Windows Media Player has its foibles in terms of managing massive music collections, organizing playlists, customizing the interface, changing between file codecs, and providing every kind of different superior options. Foobar2000 does all of it plus extra, and it’s been round since 2002, and it’s been fully free for that total time.
This streamlined music participant went from tremendous well-liked to obscure over the past decade or so, and as of late it’s type of a hidden gem once more. Its interface is barebones out of the field, nevertheless it additionally has deep customization choices that allow you to make it actually your individual.
MPC-BE for hassle-free video playback
MPC-BE
Back within the day, there was an open-source app referred to as Media Player Classic that was a light-weight but improved various to Windows Media Player for enjoying video recordsdata. MPC ceased growth in 2006, however the challenge has been forked a number of occasions since.
MPC-BE (brief for Black Edition) is my most well-liked successor. It’s nonetheless free and open-source, and it nonetheless carries ahead the streamlined ideas that made Media Player Classic so well-liked. You don’t need to fiddle round with codecs — it simply works and it doesn’t bathroom down your system. It’s one of many best open-source PC apps.
EarTrumpet for controlling quantity on a person per-app foundation
Jon Martindale / IDG
If you constantly discover that some apps are approach too loud or approach too quiet even when your system quantity appears positive, then you definitely want EarTrumpet. This fast and simple utility helps you to individually regulate the quantity of any audio supply that’s enjoying in your PC.
From browser home windows to social apps, from native audio to on-line, EarTrumpet offers you fine-tuned management over your PC’s audio output. It may even allow you to decrease the quantity of everybody in a Discord chat moderately than having to do it one after the other.
EPKL for altering your keyboard format or customizing particular person keys
EPKL
Here within the US, practically each keyboard has the standard QWERTY layout that came out in 1874. But this basic keyboard format has drawbacks, like inefficient typing and a higher susceptibility to repetitive pressure accidents. That’s why folks have been transferring away from it.
Fortunately, even when you have a QWERTY keyboard, you don’t have to make use of the QWERTY format itself. Thanks to EPKL, you possibly can simply change over to Colemak, Dvorak, or no matter different keyboard format you need with out having to purchase a particular keyboard.
Alternatively, you need to use EPKL to maneuver particular keys round and even rebind sure keys to carry out totally different actions. And for those who’re feeling devilish, you possibly can even use it to prank your folks and make them suppose their keyboard is borked. (Just you should definitely allow them to off afterwards, as this one may stump the much less tech-savvy for hours.)
Files for an improved and more practical various to File Explorer
Files
Are you bored with File Explorer’s shortcomings? Then don’t delay and set up Files straight away. This open-source Windows file supervisor feels acquainted but comes with a number of superior options, like dual-pane searching, tags for recordsdata and folders, a greater preview system, customized keyboard shortcuts, seamless cloud integration, and extra.
Everything for a sooner and extra highly effective method to search your Windows PC
Voidtools
If you are feeling just like the built-in search in Windows is as ineffective as it’s monolithic, you aren’t alone. Fortunately, you don’t need to put up with its subpar capabilities.
Everything by Voidtools is a much more succesful search device, in a position to not solely discover something in your system by its title or file kind but additionally by its contents. Content looking takes so much longer, in fact, nevertheless it’s tremendous efficient — and for those who search usually (i.e., by title or file kind), it’s considerably sooner than Windows’ search.
Cryptomater for encrypting your information, each domestically and within the cloud
Skymatic
“Not your keys, not your coins” is a cryptocurrency expression that highlights the significance of defending your information. If you aren’t cautious together with your recordsdata, you would lose greater than you anticipate — and your private information is just as protected as you make it.
Cryptomator is a free resolution that provides an extra layer of security to your files using encryption. It works with any recordsdata, regardless of the place you retailer them, whether or not domestically in your PC or on-line within the cloud. It successfully locks down your information in order that even when somebody have been to achieve entry, they wouldn’t be capable to do something with what they discover.
Fan Control to regulate your PC followers
Fan Control
If you’re like me, you’ve most likely used quite a lot of software program fan controllers over time and at all times discovered them unintuitive, underwhelming, or irritating. If so, then I’ve some excellent news for you: Fan Control is a breath of contemporary air and the app you want.
This free app offers you simple management over all of the adjustable followers in your PC, from the rear exhaust followers to the CPU pump velocity to all the things in between. You can tie fan speeds to varied temperature sensors, apply totally different fan curves and set off factors, and even combine with third-party software program by way of plugins.
Fan Control’s interface is clear and customizable, however for those who need assistance getting began, the app has an assisted setup that aids in labeling and organizing your followers and their related sensors.
Microsoft PowerToys for unlocking further options and goodies in Windows
Jon Martindale / IDG
A employee is just nearly as good as their instruments, so why use Windows with out ensuring you could have entry to its full potential? There’s one thing referred to as Microsoft PowerToys, obtainable straight within the Microsoft Store, that freely unlocks new options and goodies.
I’ve written about my favourite PowerToys features that are pretty useful, together with enhancements to File Explorer, a batch renaming utility, an expanded clipboard, a quick-find device on your mouse cursor, a colour palette helper, and a lot extra.
Microsoft PC Manager for simplified upkeep of your Windows PC
Microsoft
If won’t really feel as cool to make use of as a few of the different area of interest third-party or solo-dev initiatives on this record, however Microsoft PC Manager is a extremely efficient system upkeep device.
It helps you liberate cupboard space, monitor reminiscence utilization, monitor system startup time (which you’ll velocity up with some tweaks), and reveals you lively apps for diagnostic functions when issues are appearing up.
WizTree for visualizing your disk area utilization and discovering massive recordsdata
Jon Martindale / IDG
With a number of drives full of enormous apps and recordsdata, it may be onerous to know simply how a lot area you could have left in your PC and the way a lot every current piece of information truly takes up. You may lose area when large recordsdata are forgotten in corners of your drives.
Disk analyzer instruments like WizTree are a good way to visualise your system’s information storage, making it simpler to know which apps to uninstall or which recordsdata to delete when it is advisable to liberate some further area. It’s quick, efficient, and simple to make use of — in addition to being totally free.
DDU for purging previous and unused drivers
DDU
It isn’t simple staying on high of your system drivers. But even for those who do sustain with putting in new drivers, you most likely don’t uninstall your previous drivers. Maybe the installer handles that for you… however perhaps it doesn’t. Even official uninstallers from AMD and Nvidia can miss them.
That means you would have a bunch of previous drivers nonetheless lingering round in your PC, and when previous driver recordsdata construct up over time, they will rear their heads at surprising occasions and trigger stability points.
Most full-blown driver uninstaller instruments, like Driver Magician, value cash. But there may be one which’s completely free: DDU, which stands for Display Driver Uninstaller. This simple utility strips your PC of unused graphics drivers, which might turn out to be useful for those who’re operating into graphics card issues that are seemingly impossible to troubleshoot.
HWMonitor for checking the well being of your PC and inside {hardware}
Jon Martindale / IDG
Want to regulate your PC elements and their normal well being? You can rapidly spot overheating, efficiency points, or different odd particulars with both HWMonitor or HWInfo.
Both instruments are unbelievable for monitoring your PC’s varied {hardware} elements and the way they’re working. HWMonitor is easier and simpler to familiarize yourself with, whereas HWInfo is extra superior with a extra complete overview of PC stats.
If you’d moderately simply regulate the temperatures of your processor and its cores, take a look at the ultra-lightweight Core Temp.
Parsec for streamlined distant desktop entry and management from wherever
Have you ever wished to make use of your PC remotely? I imply, even while you’re away from dwelling, it’d be nice for those who may “remote in” to your PC and use it from wherever, proper? With distant desktop software program, you possibly can!
Most distant desktop options are paid, and the free ones normally aren’t excellent. But as of late we’ve Parsec, a distant desktop device that was initially constructed to permit for distant gaming however has since expanded to change into a low-latency desktop sharing app.
In layman’s phrases, you need to use Parsec to hook up with your PC and function it such as you’re there, besides you aren’t. It’s equally nice for working in your passion coding challenge throughout your lunch break as it’s for enjoying your Steam video games from a resort whereas touring.
Parsec has a free Personal Use model that doesn’t include all options, nevertheless it does have all of the necessities: low-latency 60FPS desktop streaming; help for keyboards, mice, and gamepads; and encrypted connections.
Further studying: Great free apps that are already installed on your PC