There are so many windows applications out there; thus, identifying the essential apps for your laptop or desktop can be an overwhelming task. Some of these apps require a subscription, whereas some are free.
Windows applications usually are developed by the Microsoft team, some enterprising individuals, or even open-source communities.
These apps range from safety, utility, entertainment, among others. Your PC apps decide how if you enjoy using your device. Thus, selecting the finest of the lot is crucial, one of them is professional antivirus software which is an app that helps scramble your data. Later on, in this review, we will look at antiviruses. We will see which brands the market has to offer today.
In this review, a couple of the essential applications discussed are genuine old-timers that have been available on Windows PC since the earlier days of Windows 95, which has been over two decades since then. Some of these apps are more recent and are meant to be cross-platform.
The 5 Most Essential Windows Applications Include:
An Internet Browser
Having an internet browser on your Windows device is a no-brainer. The range of internet browsers available for the Windows platform is quite widespread, including; the inherent Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome.
Without a doubt, Google Chrome is the finest of the lot. This browser is super speedy and includes conveniences such as searching for images in the inbuilt Google search engine.
With Google Chrome, you also get various browser extensions such as an ad blocker, and also there is a sync option meaning you can access the same data on a different device. Also, Chrome allows you to cast your screen to Chrome Cast-ready devices such as smart TVs and projectors.
An Office Suite
Chances are that you will need a suite that lets you view presentations, spreadsheets, and documents. There are many office suites available, including WPS Office Suite, Libre Suite, and perhaps the most common one, Microsoft Office.
MS Office is an all-in-one document, spreadsheet, and presentation tool. You can get this tool either free or at a premium; Office 365 has additional features.
Microsoft office maximizes your work potential by helping you scan documents, edit them, and even has an in-built cloud service, MS OneDrive, that allows you to access the same documents on any device anywhere worldwide. Once you have mastered MS Office basics, you will be flying through documents with so much ease.
An Anti-Virus Software
With our ever-changing world, online threats are becoming more potent. This implies that having credible antivirus software is essential—MS Windows ships with an out-of-the-box ant-virus software Windows Defender formerly Microsoft Security Essentials.
You can rely on Windows Defender for your day-to-day security needs. However, for more potent security threats or for deep-scanning endeavors, you need more comprehensive software such as Kaspersky Labs, Norton, or McAfee Antivirus.
McAfee, for instance, scans your PC for threats both online and offline. Online scanning includes an inbuilt Web Advisor that lets you know if a site is safe or not. When offline, this software can scan all your registries and delete malicious and obsolete entries.
A Media Player
Thanks to the ubiquitous nature of streaming apps today, such as Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify, you most likely don’t save video and audio files on your device. However, you should retain a media player on your device for when you need to watch or listen to something offline.
MS Windows ships with an in-built media player, the Windows Media player, which is, for the most part, capable of handling your day-to-day media playing requirements.
However, there are some video and audio formats that Win Media Player cannot execute, and this is where the VLC Media Player comes in. VLC is a free but comprehensive media player that saves you the hassle of modifying video and audio codecs since it functions seamlessly.
File Compressor and Extractor
Windows can be able to extract simple zipped files, but anything that requires anything out of the ordinary necessitates the installation of a more potent file compressor and extractor.
Perhaps the most common third-party compressor and extractor are WinRAR. This application is the gold standard for extracting and compressing tasks. The application is small, non-intrusive, and can be installed in minutes. Using this app is also very simple and straightforward.
Final Thought
To sum it all up, there are many essential apps for the Windows platform, and we have illustrated some of the above. However, it’s not compulsory to use them; you can always find other alternatives that work for you.
