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Getting a new laptop or is a pretty exciting time. Usually, it means you have something much faster and more powerful to do the things you love, but of course, that means you also have to set it up all over again with the apps you need the most. And these can vary a lot, but there are a few things everyone needs, and you might not even know you need them right away.
So, if you just got yourself a brand-new machine, we’ve rounded up all the apps you’ll want to install right away. We have these in no particular order, but they’re all very useful in one way or another.
Related
The first 10 things to do with your new Windows 11 PC
Got a new laptop recently? Here are the first things you should do on your Windows PC to make it work better for your needs.
PowerToys
Dozens of tools in one
Many of you have pobably heard of PowerToys, as it’s a revival of the app of the same name that existed in the 90s and early 2000s, and it’s a suite of various tools that power up your Windows experience. It’s actually developed by Microsoft itself, with significant contributions from the open-source community. It’s not included in Windows, but for how useful it is, it probably should be.
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The ultimate guide to using PowerToys
Windows may not be perfect, but Microsoft gives you the tools to make the experience better with PowerToys. Here’s everything you need to know.
Among the tools included in PowerToys, my personal top pick has to be FancyZones, which gives you a much better way to organize your open apps by snapping them into customizable areas. It’s far more efficient than using the built-in Snap Layouts feature in Windows 11, and it’s basically indispensable for my workload. But there are also tools like Image Resizer, which can resize images in bulk, or Mouse Without Borders, which lets you share your mouse across PCs. There are nearly 30 utilities available in PowerToys, making this an extremely versatile and valuable tool.
Microsoft PowerToys
A collection of tools for advanced Windows users, PowerToys is a great way to work more efficiently on your PC.
Vivaldi (or another browser)
Microsoft Edge isn’t for everyone
Microsoft’s own Edge browser gets a little more hate than it really deserves, but it’s still a browser tha tisn’t really for everyone. As time has gone on, Microsoft has loaded it with all kinds of bloat and features many don’t really need, so an alternative is very much necessary for some people.
In my opinion, if you’re getting a different browser, it should absolutely be Vivaldi, and I’ve written at length about why. With all the features Vivaldi offers, you can speed up your workflow that much more. One of my favorite features is the fact that it has a built-in email client, which makes it a lot easier to stay on top of all my inboxes. It also has a RSS feed reader which I use get the latest news as quickly as possible (which is pretty important for me, as you might imagine). But there’s a lot more, with things like tab stacks, split view, workspaces, and an incredible degree of customization.
Related
5 reasons Vivaldi should be your web browser
You may not have heard of it, but Vivaldi is the best web browser for a few reasons. Here are some of my favorites.
I highly recommend Vivaldi, but the most important thing is that you get a browser, so I’ll link a few of the popular choices below:
- Vivaldi
- Mozilla Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Brave
- Opera GX
Beeper
The messaging app
A list of essential apps has to include a messaging app of your choice, and very often you’ll see Discord recommended. But why not get the ap that brings all your messaging services together instead? That’s Beeper, and it’s one of the easiest apps to recommend, in my opinion.
Beeper is built on the Matrix protocol, which can bridge existing services like Facebook Messenger, Discord, Twitter DMs, and more under a single roof, with a consistent and unified UI. Unlike other all-in-one messaging apps, Beeper isn’t just a web wrapper for each service. It has a custom, beautiful UI and notifications that actually work properly. It also manages to support most of the features you’d expect, like quoting and editing messages, sending media files, and seeing typing indicators.
Related
Beeper hands-on: This might be my favorite app ever
Beeper recently opened its doors to the public, and in just a week, it became my favorite messaging app. I can’t wait to see where it goes.
If you need a messaging app, it absolutely should be Beeper.
Beeper
Microsoft 365
Your productivity suite
Depending on who you bought your PC from, it’s possible that it already comes with the Microsoft 365 suite of apps installed, but if it doesn’t, then it’s probably one of the first things to do once you have a new PC. The Microsoft 365 suite includes the Office apps you’re already familiar with, like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, plus a few others that are useful for plenty of things.
It also includes the classic version of Outlook, which is in many ways a preferable experience to the new web version. There are other tools, like Microsoft Access for managing and creating databases, or Publisher for designing things like business cards or pamphlets. You do have to pay a monthly or annual fee for Microsoft 365, but it’s worth it, especially considering it also gives you 1TB of cloud storage in OneDrive.
Microsoft 365
MalwareBytes
You can’t be too careful
Windows has gotten better at protecting you from most threats on the internet, but extra protection is never a bad thing. So if you don’t want to rely on Microsoft Defender, you’ll want a different antivirus, and one of the easiest options to recommend is MalwareBytes.
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Best antivirus for Windows 11
Protecting your data is always important, and when the built-in Windows security fails, these antivirus programs are your best bet.
MalwareBytes has one of the best detection engines around, and it’s great for removing all kinds of malware, including potentially unwanted programs (or PUP), which are programs that sometimes get installed by other software as part of some partnership. The free version doesn’t include real-time protection, but running a MalwareBytes scan every now and then is always a good idea and it can help your PC run that much more smoothly.
Malwarebytes
Spotify
Because who doesn’t love music?
Checking off another one of those obvious options, you’ll probably want a music streaming service, too, and Spotify has generally been the go-to for most people on Windows. Apple Music is also available, and so are a few other options, but Spotify is still the more reliable option if you’re not on an Apple device.
Describing Spotify is preaching to the choir, but as a very quick recap, just about any song you want to listen to is available on it, from all-time classics to the latest hits, and you can listen to them time and time again as long as you’re online (or pay for premium and download them to your device). Spotify is also a big podcast platform these days, so it’s a great way to listen to your favorite shows.
Spotify
Bitwarden
Security starts with you
Everyone knows they should se an antivirus like MalwareBytes, but what many people fail to realize is how much of their security starts with the user. There’s a good chance you’ve been overlooking the importance of a password manager, which can help you remember all the passwords for your different services and keep them stored in a secure location that’s much safer than having a bunch of sticky notes around your screen.
While there are plenty of password management solutions, a few of them have started requiring you to pay. Bitwarden, thankfully, still has a fully-featured free tier that makes it easier to keep all your passwords organized and use them when you need them without compromising your security. If you’re not using a password manager yet, now is the time to do it.
Bitwarden
Steam
We had to include it
Another one of those obvious ones that have to be on any list, Steam is the go-to platform for game distribution on PC. Almost any game you’d want to play is available on Steam, especially with the huge indie scene that Steam has been fostering for years. Some of the best games in the world these days are coming from indie developers, and more oftne than not, they’re on Steam before they’re on any console or other platforms.
Of course, gaming isn’t everyone’s thing, but if you have even an inlging of an itch to try some games, Steam is the wy to do it.
Steam
Epic Games Store
Who can say no to free games?
Steam may be the best platform for gaming on PC, but Epic Games has been trying its absolute best to take that spotlight away. And while it hasn’t really succeeded, there is one big thing in Epic Games’ favor here — every week, you can download a new game for free, which makes it easy to build up a large library without spending a dime. We’ve had some big titles available for free, too, including Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Dragon Age: Inquisitionand Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
And all that is not to mention Fortniteone of the most popular games in the world, which is only available through the Epic Games Store nowadays. That alone makes this a must-have for a lot of people.
Epic Games Store
Ninite
Easily install any missing apps
We’ve got a pretty good collection of apps here already, but if anything is still missing from your PC, that’s a job for Ninite. This lightweight app has two main features. First, it lets you easily download a wide range of popular apps, including many of the ones we’ve mentioned above, like Steam and MalwareBytes. It has many more, though, such as other antivirus programs, important runtimes like Java and .NET, and messaging apps like Discord (no Beeper, though, sadly).
The best part is that you don’t just install these apps one by one. You can select all the ones you want, and Ninite will install all of them in one go, making things as seamless as possible. And it gets even better, because Ninite can also manage updates for those apps, so you don’t have to do it manually in each app. It’s simply a very useful app.
Ninite
Enjoy your new PC
With these apps on your PC, you’re now fully ready to make full use of it. If you’re looking for a few more apps that may have flown under your radar during your initial set up, we’ve also compiled a list of must-have third-party apps. Some of them overlap with this list, but there’s a good bit more to be found on that list, including some more obscure picks.