Essential Software for Your
New Windows Laptop

The world's most popular browser. Fast, reliable, and works seamlessly with Gmail, YouTube, and Google Drive. The easiest choice for first-time users and compatible with virtually every website.

The best privacy-respecting alternative to Chrome. Firefox blocks trackers and ads by default, uses less memory, and is fully open-source. Excellent if you're concerned about your browsing being tracked.

A free, complete alternative to Microsoft Office. Includes Writer (Word), Calc (Excel), and Impress (PowerPoint). Opens and saves .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files — fully compatible with Microsoft Office documents.

A modern, completely free PDF reader and editor. View, annotate, edit, merge, split, and convert PDFs without paying or signing up. Far more capable than the old Foxit Reader that was previously included.

The essential free tool for opening ZIP, RAR, 7z, and ISO files — formats you'll encounter constantly when downloading software. Windows handles basic ZIPs, but 7-Zip handles everything else. Lightweight and completely free.

The legendary free media player that plays literally everything — every video and audio format, DVDs, streaming, even partially downloaded files. Windows Media Player cannot play most modern video formats; VLC solves this instantly.

Windows forgets everything you copy the moment you copy something new. Ditto saves your entire clipboard history so you can go back and paste anything from hours ago. One of the most immediately useful productivity upgrades available.

Windows Search is frustratingly slow. Everything by Voidtools indexes your entire drive and finds any file by name in milliseconds — as you type. No waiting. Once installed you will never use Windows Search again.

Press one hotkey and instantly launch any app, open any file, search the web, or run calculations without touching your mouse. The Windows equivalent of Mac's Spotlight search. Dramatically speeds up everyday computer use.

An official free toolkit from Microsoft packed with tools Windows should have included by default. FancyZones (snap windows anywhere), PowerRename (rename thousands of files at once), Color Picker, keyboard remapper, and much more.

The most powerful free screenshot and screen recording tool made for Windows. Capture any region, record video or GIFs, extract text from images with OCR, and auto-upload. Replaces the basic Windows Snipping Tool completely.

Windows gives you one volume slider for everything. EarTrumpet gives every running app its own independent volume control right from the system tray. Want music quieter while a video call stays loud? EarTrumpet makes it effortless.

The easiest way to move files between your phone and laptop — no cables, no cloud, no email. Works like Apple AirDrop but for all platforms. Same Wi-Fi = instant private file transfers between any devices.

A beautifully designed app that brings hundreds of hidden Windows settings into one clean interface. Startup management, gaming optimizations, visual tweaks, and privacy settings — all things normally buried deep in menus. No technical knowledge required.

An all-in-one tool to remove Windows bloatware, apply performance tweaks, and configure a clean system. Ideal for setting up a brand-new Windows install quickly and properly. Trusted by IT professionals worldwide.

On Windows 11 and miss the classic Windows 10 taskbar? ExplorerPatcher restores it. Move the Start button back to the left, bring back the familiar taskbar, and recover features Microsoft quietly removed. Free, open-source, regularly updated.

Allows a technician to remotely access and control your laptop to provide support from anywhere in the world. Faster and lighter than TeamViewer. Share your AnyDesk ID and a technician can connect and fix issues directly.

Use WhatsApp on your laptop with a full keyboard. Send and receive messages, photos, documents, and voice notes from your desktop. The native Windows app is faster and more stable than WhatsApp Web in a browser.

Built into Windows 10 and 11, OneDrive automatically backs up your Documents, Photos, and Desktop folders to the cloud. If your laptop is lost, stolen, or broken, your files are safe. 5 GB is free — just sign in and turn it on.

The AI assistant that has changed how people work, study, and troubleshoot. Write emails, explain how to use your laptop, fix a spreadsheet formula, translate text, summarise documents, or just ask it anything. Free via browser or the Windows desktop app.