With this list of the best Windows software, you’ll find the apps you need for just about every purpose and most of them are free! We’ve taken the time and effort to weed out the redundant apps and featured the software that we would personally use. We hope you enjoy it.
Browsers
 |
 |
 |
| Firefox |
Google Chrome |
Opera |
| Now, Firefox is faster and more customisable than ever! |
Minimal and functional browser lets you browse without distractions. |
Opera turbocharges your browsing experience. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
| Google Chrome Canary |
| Google Chrome Canary is the most cutting edge build of the Google Chrome browser. Find out why you should use it. |
| Download |
Downloaders
Communication
 |
 |
 |
| Skype |
Pidgin |
Trillian |
| Who doesn’t know Skype? |
Multi-protocol instant messaging client. |
The ultimate multi-protocol instant messenger. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| TweetDeck |
Seesmic |
Oovoo |
| Connect to Twitter and Facebook from your desktop. |
One app to rule Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ping.fm, YouTube. |
Crystal clear video chat with up to 6 people simultaneously. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
| Thunderbird |
Gmail Notifier |
| The ultimate desktop email client. Helps you organise your inbox. |
Simple desktop notifier that informs you of new unread emails. |
| Download |
Download |
Security
 |
 |
 |
| AVG Antivirus Free |
Avira AntiVir Personal Free |
avast! Free Antivirus |
| Free basic computer security. Read our review. |
Reliable, thorough free antivirus app. |
Most feature-packed with a high-detection rate. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| Comodo Internet Security |
Sophos Anti-Rootkit |
Sandboxie |
| A free security download that takes the crown hands down.. Read our review. |
On-demand root-kit scanner. Read our review. |
Sandboxie not only protects your browser but also proactively covers all aspect of your operating system from being changed by any program. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| Malwarebyte’s Anti-Malware Free |
Spybot – Search & Destroy |
Microsoft Security Essentials |
| Solid, free protection against adware, spyware, dialers, scareware, etc. Read our review. |
Effective spyware detection and removal. |
MSE runs surprisingly quietly and efficiently in the background. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
| SUPERAntiSpyware |
ThreatFire |
| Detects and removes a variety of spyware and malware. Read our review. |
Real-time malware threat detection analyser. |
| Download |
Download |
Password Managers
 |
 |
 |
| KeePass |
Sticky Password PRO 5.0 |
SafeWallet |
| Open source secure, encrypted password manager. |
Sticky Password is a very simple yet functional password manager for Windows. Read our review. |
Works on Windows and Mac. Supports Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile and Palm Web OS. $14.99. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
| 1Password |
| Everything you would need in a password and identity manager. |
| Download |
Hard Drive Tools
 |
 |
 |
| TrueCrypt |
WinDirStat |
Teracopy |
| Secure your hard drive with on-the-fly-encryption. |
Tells you everything about your hard drive statistics. |
Must-have copy tool. Avoid copying bad files and resume broken transfers. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
Data Recovery
Defragmenters
 |
 |
 |
| Defraggler |
MyDefrag |
Auslogics Disk Defrag |
| A much more efficient defragmenter for NTFS and FAT32 file systems. Read our review. |
A mixed bag. Pleases both novice and technical users with its ability to run scripts. Read our review |
Great defragmenter that even allows you to defragment single files and folders. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
| IObit Smart Defrag |
| A free defragmentation program and jack of almost all trades with one great feature – speed! Read our review. |
| Download |
Compression/Extraction
 |
 |
 |
| 7-Zip |
Universal Extractor |
IZArc |
| Great file archiver and decompressor. |
Extract files from virtually any type of archive. |
Create and extract archives directly in Windows Explorer. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
Utilities
 |
 |
 |
| CCleaner |
Glary Utilities |
Revo Uninstaller |
| The go-to cleaning tool for almost everything! Read our review. |
Privacy protection, performance accelerator, disk cleaning tool and more! |
Designed to remove unwanted programs effectively. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| Synergy |
TeamViewer |
Dexpot |
| Share your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers via network. |
The easiest way to request for remote assistance. Remotely control your computer. |
Create, organist and switch between multiple virtual desktops. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| VirtualBox |
Virtual CloneDrive |
ImgBurn |
| Cross platform virtualisation software that allows you to run virtual PCs. |
Mounts and creates ISO (virtual) disk images. |
Lightweight CD/DVD/HD DVD and Blu-ray burning application. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| Everything |
Unlocker |
Launchy |
| Enable instant search in Windows! Read our review. |
Frees up problematic locked/used files that cannot be deleted. |
Cross platform multifunctional application, document, folder launcher. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| DisplayFusion |
Fences |
Rainmeter |
| Manages multiple monitors and adds features like multi-monitor taskbars, titlebars, etc. |
Organises your desktop and hides icons that are not in use. |
Desktop customisation app that adds informational applets to your desktop. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
| Soluto |
| Soluto is a very simple application to help speed up boot time on your Windows PC. Read our review. |
| Download |
File Synchronisation
Video
 |
 |
 |
| Freemake Video Converter |
Format Factory |
Handbrake |
| Convert between almost any video file format for specific devices. |
Media converter that supports all popular video, audio and image formats. |
Open source, multithreaded video transcoder for serious video encoding enthusiasts. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| SopCast |
Youtube Download HD |
Freemake Video Downloader |
| Watch broadcasted TV through the internet. |
Free tool to download and save YouTube video to your hard drive. |
Lets you download videos from YouTube, DailyMotion and other sites. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| VLC Media Player |
Gom Player |
Media Player Classic |
| The one and only video player you’ll ever need. |
An alternative, feature-packed media player. |
Extremely lightweight media player that’s basic but functional. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| Boxee |
XMBC |
Hulu Desktop |
| Watch thousands of TV shows from Boxee on your desktop. |
Award-winning open source media center for your HTPC. |
Optimised desktop client for streaming Hulu. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
Audio
 |
 |
 |
| CopyTrans TuneSwift |
Audacity |
EvilLyrics |
| Copy your iTunes library from one computer to another withou hassle. Read our review. |
Free, open source, cross-platform, powerful audio editor. |
Automatically find and add lyrics to your songs. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| CDex |
Doubletwist |
Spotify |
| Rip and encode your audio CDs exactly. |
Copy music to almost any device: Android, BlackBerry, PSP, etc. Read our review. |
Listen, enjoy and share songs and playlists with friends. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| Foobar2000 |
MediaMonkey |
Songbird |
| The most advanced audio player for Windows with support for all popular audio formats. |
Fantastic music manager with an intelligent tag editor. |
Open source customisable music player that can sync to your phone or MP3 player. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
| Winamp |
iTunes |
| The ultimate skinnable music player. |
Apple’s very own entertainment hub and access to the iTunes Store. |
| Download |
Download |
Productivity
 |
 |
 |
| Foxit Reader |
doPDF |
STDU Viewer |
| Lightweight and fast PDF reader with annotation and form filling capabilities. |
Print driver to help you create PDFs from any file by printing it as PDF. |
Document viewer that supports DjVu, XPS, CBR, CBZ, and a lot more formats. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| XMind |
Blumind |
FreeMind |
| Intuitive and powerful collaboration and mind mapping tool. |
Lightweight and simple app to create mind maps. |
Java-based free mind mapping software. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| Lingoes |
Mnemosyne |
LibreOffice |
| Desktop dictionary and text translator with support for over 80 languages. |
Open source, cross platform flash card study tool. |
The ultimate open source, cross platform personal productivity suite! |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
| Evernote |
Nitro Pro 7 |
| Sync notes and ideas with your phone, web and computer. |
The most awesome PDF editor, converter and reader. Read our review |
Download |
Download |
Readers
 |
 |
 |
| Calibre |
CDisplay |
ComicRack |
| The best ebook library manager. |
An image-viewing application optimized for DRM-free comic books and manga. Read our review. |
Another free comic book reader, supports the most popular formats for comics and mangas. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
Imaging
 |
 |
 |
| PhotoFiltre |
Photo Story |
PhotoWipe |
| Lesser-known but complete image retouching program. |
Create slideshows using your digital photos. Check out some online solutions. |
Remove unwanted objects from your photos easily! |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| FastStone Image Viewer |
Zoner PhotoStudio |
Picasa |
| All-in-one image browser, converter, editor and manager. |
Simple yet advanced photo manager and editor with sharing capabilities. |
Brilliant free photo editing software from Google. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
 |
| Paint.NET |
GIMP |
Inkscape |
| Extremely capable image editor by Microsoft. |
Open source, powerful image editor. Free alternative to Photoshop. |
Open source vector graphics editor. Free alternative to Illustrator. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
Gaming
 |
 |
 |
| ZSNES |
SNES9X |
MotioninJoy |
| A free PC SNES emulator with official ports for Linux, MS-DOS, Mac OS X, Windows and an unofficial port for the Xbox. Read our review. |
Another PC SNES emulator. Basically allows you to play most SNES and Super Famicom Nintendo games on your PC. Read our review. |
Allows you to connect your PlayStation controller to your PC. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
Download |
| |
 |
 |
| ePSXe |
Dolphin Emulator |
| Awesome PlayStation emulator with great compatibility and lots of customization options. Read our review. |
Dolphin Emulator has a fairly simple interface with all you need to get started with playing Wii games on your PC. Read our review. |
| Download |
Download |
What do you think of this list of the best Windows software? If we’ve missed your favourite Windows software, do let us know in the comments and we’ll consider adding it to the list. We would love for you to share this list with your friends and family, just use the sharing buttons below!
nasrullah
August 31, 2011
you have given a very good & essential information to me. But you have missed “Tuneup Utilities”. It is one of the useful software.
Miro
September 1, 2011
nasrullah, I do use TuneUp Utillities, too,and like it much, but it is a commercial software, unlike the software/freeware listed here.
Diana Stakey
August 31, 2011
Dear Dr. Chung,
Your Best Windows Software list includes many really worthwhile programs–some that may be new to seasoned users.
Disappointingly, to download any of them first requires that another piece of software called Allmyapps desktop client be installed. Don’t know about you, but I surely do not need any more add-ons to my desktop.
Getting around this is easy. Highlight and copy the name of a desired application from AllMyApps Web page, and then paste into a Google search box. Click on a reliable and well-known source. From there one can download just the particular software without any extras such as desktop attachments. I recommend this approach to everyone who wants software from Dr. Chung’s list!
Sincerely,
Diana
Jackson Chung
August 31, 2011
Dear Diana,
Thanks for the compliment. It’a also worthwhile to know that with an AllMyApps account, you can sift through all the these apps, add them to your AllMyApps list and then download and install them all at once.
I highly recommend THIS approach to everyone instead.
Sincerely,
Jackson
Dave
September 1, 2011
What is the point of copying and pasting every App, that would take quite a while, when all you need to do is download AllMyApps then click on what ever you would like to install and have them all installed one after the other until they are all installed. As for having another add-on for your desktop well just delete it once it’s done it’s work. I myself put all the Apps I install on to a portable Drive then they are there when needed and easy to update. AllMyApps is a good way to do it for people who do not no much about installing Apps.
Mike
September 15, 2011
Does Respondent #5,”Dave”,expect us to blithely go downloading strange,unknown, Desktop Apps- [ ie,AllMyApps ],etc., without benefit of doing SOME Research to determine the mettle of said program?Toskip and hop, Willy-Nilly,down the path of potentially unwanted and annoying software?Much Less,ANOTHER ONE of those DownLoad Mgr.Toolbar-thingies that are an absolute Screaming/Shrieking -Blood-Curdling ,clinging Parasitical creature from “Alien” to Un-Install? I,however, am Extremely Familiar with the Black Arts of All the Tricks used to uninstall,Banish,etc., Said-Ware. I say,be Wary until you know better,or do you have knowledge of AllMyApps, #5 ? You didn’t really go into Much detail,at all……..Aside from acting compeletely Innocuous about AllMyApps……..And I can copy and paste pretty darn quick,for free,good soft.What say you,Dave?PS.#3-Diana Stakey-you wrote EXACTLY what I was thinking….WHILE I was thinking it-we should Talk-I like your approach INFINITELY better,and will have to side w/you in this matter…not to instantly become polemic and divide everyone,just stating my opinion…[ "Of Course,that's just my opinion,I could be wrong" ] -[Dennis Miller-or More correctly, perhaps his writing staff]
Jackson Chung
September 15, 2011
Hey Mike, sure you can definitely do as you please. It’s a free world.
I’d just like to clarify one thing though. AllMyApps does not force you to install toolbars or anything of the sort. It’s absolutely clean.
Mike
September 15, 2011
But Good Post,Dr. Chung ,I think you covered all the bases pretty well……
Mike
September 16, 2011
Thanks for the clarification,Dr. Chung-I will check it out !
Shady
September 23, 2011
You missed PeaZip in compression section, duplicate finder in Harddisk and mediacoder in video section. Good work anyway
Eddie
October 8, 2011
I hear ya, but still some of us are very anal about installing yet another program on our computers even if it is “clean”. I just don’t want another program on my machine if all it is going to do is let me download the program that I want in the first place.
Jackson Chung
October 9, 2011
Hey Eddie,
I’ve just swapped out the links and they now take you straight to the app’s website.
Eddie
October 10, 2011
That’s very cool of you to do. I hope I wasn’t sounding like a nag or anything. You have assembled a great list of software and we all appreciate it very much.
Jackson Chung
October 12, 2011
Absolutely not, Eddie. We highly appreciate and consider reader suggestions!
Keep on reading!
Osama Javaid
October 9, 2011
Mistake in the description of ‘audacity’ and description is not too good either.
Jackson Chung
October 9, 2011
Thanks! I’ve just corrected it
DeadlyDad
November 2, 2011
Jackson, this is a great list, but why on Earth did you skip NDN? There is simply no other Windows/Linux tool that can come close to the number, variety, and usefulness of the file management features that NDN has.
noel
November 21, 2011
Hey Jackson
just dwnldd some software from your “goodies” have yet to give them a really good run to see how they preform should be interesting ( a quick run of photowipe was brilliant ) also had no problem getting them dwnldd
on a different subject =music
prostopleer is an awesome site ,yeh ok from russia but the selection of music WOW and goggle it and the reviews all positive about no viruses
I’m thinkin full membership for a year at about 40 rubles a month (about $ 16 aud ) cheaper by the year
do you have any thoughts about this ? ( – or + ) ?
thank you for putting together a large amount of information +links + giveaways Keep on rockin in the free world
yeah
Starlight Dreamwalker
December 7, 2011
Hi Jackson
This is a good list but as with every list someone has a favourite that they feel should have been on the list, so don’t stay awake nights trying to outguess everyone ‘cos it just won’t happen!
However I am kind of curious about why people are talking about AllMyApps having to be used as a downloader ‘cos I’ve downloaded several apps by clicking directly on them in this list and I’ve been taken straight to each programs home page and downloaded them right from the source each time.
I somehow don’t understand where AllMyApps comes in anywhere, could you please enlighten me about this?
Thanks and all the best to you and yours and everyone everywhere
with respect and gratitude for all your generosity and good work
Starlight
Jackson Chung
January 6, 2012
Hey Starlight,
We removed the links to AllMyApps and added direct links.
shankar haritsa
February 8, 2012
I appreciate the splendid service provided by you, please keep it up!