10 essential apps you should install on your new PC

Getting a new computer is always exciting. You have a shiny new machine with a much faster processor and maybe even a powerful GPU for all your latest games. It’s enthralling using a new PC for the first time, but as much as we love Windows 11, we know the experience isn’t perfect out of the box.

Thankfully, the ecosystem of apps on Windows is pretty much never-ending, so there are plenty of ways to make that experience better. Here are ten apps you should check out if you want your shiny new PC to be even more useful to you.

10 HWiNFO

Monitor your PC’s performance

This one may not be for everyone, but if you’re pushing your PC hard, it’s a good idea to have it handy. HWiNFO, as the name suggests, lets you see detailed information about the PC you have. You can learn all about the CPU and its underlying technologies, along with the GPU and other components.

Related

How to check CPU temperature in Windows 11

CPU temperature is a crucial indicator of your PC health and CPU performance

Most notably, though, HWiNFO also gives you insights into how that hardware is being used, so you can see usage percentages for each core on your CPU, as well as for the GPU, and you can even check the temperature of each component and whether it’s thermal throttling. This can be crucial for identifying key points on your PC that may be causing it to perform below expectations, and just to help you maintain the overall health of the system in the long term.

9 O&O AppBuster

Get rid of all that bloat

Microsoft bundles a lot of apps with Windows 11, on top of a bunch of shortcuts that appear on the Start Menu by default. Plus, if you’ve bought a laptop, there are probably many more apps you don’t need included.

To get rid of all that trash more easily, O&O’s AppBuster is a great solution. This tool offers a way to remove multiple apps that come with Windows 11, including modern apps and even some that are hidden from normal install methods. There isn’t much more to it, but being able to delete these apps you don’t need is a great way to save some space and resources on your machine and help it run faster.

8 Files app

A better file manager than File Explorer

Microsoft tried to modernize File Explorer quite a bit with Windows 11, adding support for tabs and a brand new commands bar that puts important actions just one click away. But really, if you want a modern File Explorer experience, the Files app is the way to go.

Files delivers a modernized UI done right, with all the features you’d expect from the regular File Explorer, but thoroughly refreshed. Even things like the Properties panel are completely modernized now, and they look great. The best part is the features it adds, though. Files has a dual-pane view, so you can easily browse two folders simultaneously to move files more easily. Plus, you can tag files with a number of preset and custom tags, so you can more easily find specific files in a folder that aren’t just based on a file type or date. You can even set Files to replace File Explorer as the default file manager, though this is an experimental feature that can have some problems.

Files is a free app, though there’s a paid version on the Microsoft Store if you want to support the developers.

7 Equalizer APO

Make everything sound better

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to listening to music, watching movies, or even listening to in-game audio. Speakers also have differences in responsiveness and range, so customizing the sound profile is important. Equalizer APO is an app that can do exactly that.

With Equalizer APO, you can apply a virtually unlimited number of filters to your audio outputs, so you can hear things the way you prefer, as well as apply incredibly detailed equalizer settings to change how each part of the sound spectrum sounds. It’s a more advanced tool than most people need, but if you want an audio experience tailored to your specific tastes, this is the way to do it.

6 Vivaldi (or other browsers)

Ignore Edge

Let’s be honest, Microsoft Edge is actually a solid browser, but the company has been cramming all kinds of useless features into it. If you want a fantastic browser, you’re going to have to find it online, and while many options are great for different things, my recommendation is Vivaldi.

Vivaldi is one of the lesser-known options, but it offers a ton of features that are actually useful and turn the browser into a productivity tool to the point where you might not need a lot of other apps. The browser itself has cool features like a split view allowing you to view as many sites as you want at a time without having to open multiple windows and organize them. But it also serves as an e-mail client, RSS feed reader, calendar, task list, notes app, and more. The sidebar interface makes it easy to use all these features without leaving your current page, and you can even add full websites to the sidebar.

Because it’s based on Chromium, all Chrome extensions work here, too, and if you want customization, Vivaldi also has in-depth customization options like no other browser, letting you remove, arrange, and personalize buttons to your heart’s content.

5 Beeper

One messaging app to rule them all

Normally, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a social app as something everyone needs to install, but Beeper is special. You’ve probably heard about it before, but it’s a service that brings together all major messaging services into one app with a unified, cohesive user interface. That includes Discord, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Twitter DMs, WhatsApp, and more.

There have been “all-in-one” apps in the past, but they’re usually just a wrapper for each service’s web client. Not here. This gives you a proper user interface that looks great for every service, you get fully-functioning notifications, and you have options like marking conversations as low priority or archiving them. These options even sync with the original services in some cases, so chats I had muted in WhatsApp were marked as low priority automatically in Beeper.

Until recently, Beeper had a waitlist, but now, anyone can join, and I frankly can’t stop singing its praises.

4 Ninite

Keep your apps updated easily

Once you’ve installed a bunch of apps on your PC, keeping them all updated can be difficult, but Ninite makes this easier. Ninite provides a repository of useful apps, such as browsers, management tools like WinDirStat, and much more. Not only can you install these apps, but Ninite also ensures that these apps are always up-to-date with the latest versions, so you don’t even have to open them for them to check for updates and install them. Everything is managed automatically in the background so you always have the latest and greatest.

Ninite is a simple app, but it makes your life that much easier, so it gets an easy recommendation from us.

3 Start11

The Start menu on Windows 11 isn’t for everyone, so many developers have taken it upon themselves to make the experience better, and Start11 v2 is one of the best options around. Start11 does a ton, including customizing the look of both the Start menu and taskbar, but the productivity features are what make it really special.

There are a lot of layouts to choose from for your Start menu, including Windows 7 and 10 if you prefer those, but you also have some amazing options to enhance the Windows 11 style design. This, paired with the ability to create groups, tabs, and pages of apps and folders can make the Windows 11 Start menu an absolute powerhouse, giving you access to any file or app you want more quickly than ever.

Explaining all the features of Start11 would take far too long, but you can check out our review to learn more. The app does cost $7, but it’s really easy to recommend.

2 StartAllBack

A great alternative to Start11

If you’re more focused on the old style of Start menu, StartAllBack is an excellent alternative to Start11 that restores the Windows 7-style Start menu with modern flare, and it looks great even in 2024. Especially with its smooth animations, I love using the Start menu in StartAllBack.

But what helps it stand out to me is actually what it does to File Explorer. StartAllBack lets you bring back the ribbon menu from Windows 10, which contained a ton more actions compared to the commands bar on Windows 11. Plus, all these options have had their icons updated to match Windows 11, so nothing feels out of place and it’s like it was always meant to be this way. And if that’s not enough, the app also forces dark mode for every part of File Explorer, like the file transfer dialog and Properties window (if you have dark mode enabled, of course).

StartAllBack is a bit cheaper than Start11, but it’s just as great in its own right.

1 PowerToys

The best productivity tool for Windows 11

This may come as a surprise, but the best tool to make Windows 11 better is actually made by Microsoft itself, at least in my opinion. PowerToys isn’t just one tool, though, it’s a whole suite of tools that can enhance your workflow in different ways.

There are over 25 tools in PowerToys right now, and more get added every so often. My absolute favorite has to be FancyZones, which makes it super easy to manage multiple windows on very large or ultrawide monitors, so you can see a lot more content side-by-side. It’s so easy to create custom layouts and snap your windows into them that it makes Windows 11 itself feel rudimentary. But that’s not all. There are a ton more tools, like one that pins any window above all others, one that makes it easy to rename files in bulk, or one that can resize multiple images to a specific size.

There’s so much you can do with PowerToys that it would be impossible to dive into all of it, so you really need to check it out.

Make your Windows experience the best it can be

What apps are essential for anyone to use can vary from person to person, but the apps on this list are beneficial to just about anyone, and they can enhance Windows 11 in great ways. We recommend checking them all out to see how they can make your life better. For me, apps like PowerToys, Beeper, and Vivaldi are indispensable now, but you might find your own favorites here.