Windows is a great operating system, but it doesn’t always feel that way out of the box. The actual magic comes from third-party apps that help fix various Windows annoyances, let you customize the look and feel, and add features Microsoft forgot to include. Over the years, I’ve curated a list of such apps that I always install on a new PC.
Winhance
Free your PC from the bloat
It’s no secret that Windows PCs have a bloatware problem, so before I install anything I actually want, I use Winhance to remove all those useless pre-installed apps. I simply have to select everything I don’t want and Winhance runs a script to uninstall those apps. For me, this involves getting rid of Edge, OneNote, Copilot, Clipchamp, OneDrive, and any tools from the manufacturer.
Beyond this, Winhance also makes it easy to manage all the privacy and performance-related settings from one place. It’s way simpler than diving into the Settings app or the Control Panel and finding everything. And my favorite thing about Winhance is the option to apply all recommended settings at once. One click and it’s done.
- OS
-
Windows
- Price model
-
Free
It’s a free, open-source Windows tool that helps you take full control of your PC. With just a few clicks, it declutters unnecessary apps, fine-tunes system performance, and lets you customize Windows the way you want, making your experience smoother, faster, and more personal.
Windhawk
Make Windows look your way
Windows 11 looks modern out of the box, but it isn’t exactly flexible. If you want to do things like resize the start menu, move the taskbar to the top, force File Explorer to show folder sizes, or enable dark mode for all Win32 menus, you can’t do that — at least not easily.
Windhawk is a free, open-source tool that feels like an app store for Windows mods. You can simply grab different modules you want and apply them with a few clicks. I use them to style the Start menu, make the taskbar transparent, apply macOS-like minimize animation, and add an internet speed meter to the taskbar. Windhawk saves me from installing different apps for each thing, which is what makes it special.
- OS
-
Windows
- Developer
-
Ramen Software
Windhawk is a free, open‑source Windows customization platform that lets you install lightweight mods to tweak the taskbar, Start menu, File Explorer, and other UI behaviors with minimal system impact.
PowerToys
The utilities that should be built-in
This one probably needs no introduction. PowerToys is a free app from Microsoft that brings so many useful features to your Windows PC. It offers a color picker tool, better snap layout options, a bulk image resizer tool, key remapping, spacebar previews, and a lot more. It’s one of those tools that has made several single-purpose apps obsolete.
My favorite thing about it is that it keeps getting better. Every few weeks, you can expect PowerToys to add a feature you always wanted Windows to offer. Power Display lets you manage monitor brightness and contrast from the taskbar. Light Switch lets you switch between light and dark mode based on a schedule. There are plenty more tools like these. So yes, if Windows ever limited me to one app install, this would be it.
- OS
-
Windows
- Developer
-
Microsoft Corporation
- Pricing model
-
Free, Open-source
Microsoft PowerToys is a set of free Microsoft Windows utilities for power users to tune and streamline their Windows experience for greater productivity.
Scolect
Finally, a screen time tracker for Windows
As someone who works from home, measuring my productivity is important. I need to know where my time is actually going. Unlike macOS, though, Windows doesn’t include a dedicated screen time tracker that tells you which apps you’re using the most.
Scolect fills that gap. It’s an open-source tool that runs in the background to track which apps you’re using and for how long. It automatically sorts apps into categories — productivity, entertainment, social media, and browsing — so you can easily tell whether you’ve been productive or distracted. You can even set app timers to limit how long you spend on specific apps each day.
- OS
-
Windows
- Price model
-
Free
Scolect is a free app that tracks your app usage and screen time on Windows.
LocalSend
Move files hassle-free
LocalSend is a free app that lets you transfer files between your PC and almost any device you can think of. Yes, Windows already has Nearby Sharing for PC-to-PC transfers and Quick Share for Android, but both are painfully slow. LocalSend is an all-in-one tool that works with iPhone, Mac, Linux PC, and even an Android TV.
As long as your PC and the other device are on the same network with LocalSend installed, you can transfer files, photos, videos, ZIP archives, and even text. Blip does the same thing, and it works even when both devices are not on the same network. I personally prefer LocalSend, though, because it’s slightly faster.
- OS
-
Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, and Google TV
- Price model
-
Free
LocalSend is a free, open-source file transfer app that uses your local network to send files instantly and reliably between Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices without needing the internet.
Ditto
A clipboard that doesn’t forget things
Clipboard history is arguably one of the most productive Windows features. But once you actually start using it, it doesn’t take long to realize how limited it is. It can only hold 25 items at once, clears on every reboot, lacks a search option, and doesn’t support keyboard shortcuts.
Ditto is a clipboard manager that fixes all those complaints. It stores everything you copy, lets you search through your clipboard history, and supports hotkeys for pasting specific snippets quickly. Even the clipboard window is completely customizable. All these things make Ditto feel like a clipboard Windows should’ve built.
- OS
-
Windows
- Price model
-
Free, Open-source
- Developer
-
Scott Brogden
Ditto is a powerful Windows clipboard manager that remembers everything you copy and lets you paste it later with a quick shortcut.
