I'm that kind of person who would reinstall their operating system without noting down all the apps that were there. But then again it helps me discover new stuff more often and keep the PC clean. This list mostly covers open source and multi platform apps, but there are also handy exceptions for Windows only.
Foreword A: If your Windows is freshly installed: Ninite offers you a swift start on a blank slate and the most (but not all) popular apps are already there.
Foreword B: A lot of free, open source apps make their home at GitHub, this site can be confusing sometimes. The instructions and downloads are usally under README.md when you scroll down. However that's not always the case and the download is on the right at Releases, with the green circled Latest. After you clicked that, pay attention to the Assets that are executable for say, Windows, in that case you're looking for x.exe, windows.zip/7z or x64.zip/7z.
Foreword C: If you're using a Linux distro, you're not going to download the apps right off the provided links but the app manager/store provided by the distro. Make sure that Flatpak and Flathub are enabled for the widest app catalogue Linux has ever witnessed. I mark apps available on Flathub with a 🐧, and a asterix(*) next to it if not, then you should refer to the linked sites. Also: You can run Windows apps with these handy Bottles.
A PC without 7-Zip ain't a PC. Save tons of space by compressing files and folders you don't need right now and/or archive them on safe storage. This also means you can shorten both upload and download time whenever you share stuff to your friends and family. And: Encrypt your archives for maximum privacy.
Ever wanted to host your own radio station? Look no further. Set up Azuracast on any computer with a cool looking domain name and you're good to go.
Windows 11 comes with anti-privacy presets and bloatware. Put an end to that with just a few clicks.
When you own a e-reader like Amazon Kindle, calibre is your swiss pocket knife: You can deliver e-books aquired someplace else than Amazon, edit and optimize e-books, etc.
It doesn't seem like it, but Dualshock 4 and Dualsense controllers are very nice for PC gaming. The catch: reliable, native support is a rare sight and it's mostly up to you to make it work. When you start DS4 for the first time, let it install ViGEm, HidHide and FakeInput on the welcome window. After a reboot and having said controller(s) paired via bluetooth, DS4 opened (better yet, autostart), you're ready to rock!
However there may occur double input issues. Symptoms being: Button icons shift between xbox/playstation/pc like mad, input works half/doubled than it's supposed to. That is a common issue with Dualsense connected with USB. Reason: either a broken native driver, or a game launchers (such as on Steam) input manager you shall disable. If it still doesn't work, use Hidhide Tip: Only update HidHide if you must. Having to restart 2 times and set it up again is meh.
Blue light can be annoying, along with it keeping you awake in late hours when it shouldn't. f.lux is here to help you and you won't even notice it: f.lux progressively lowers the blue light in each minute when it's getting late.
Use AI for frame interpolation aka turn 30fps videos into 60fps and beyond.
A simple music player, but i explain to you why i put it under utilities in just a second: Foobar2000 is also a mad good tag editor and transcoder tool. Tenthausands Opus files of mine came from this amazing app and the automated tagging/cleanup features also help me save time.
Important: If you're gonna make and edit Opus files on Foobar, please do this: File > Preferences > Advanced > Tagging > Opus > header gain > Leave null. This will save you a lot of headache.
The one imagine manipulation tool ever. Honorable mention: Paint.net It's much easier to use however it's not 🐧.
NVIDIA Shadowplay/AMD ReLive unfortunately aren't a thing on Linux. Until now: This person took matters into their own hands - and delivered.
My first pick for thermal diagnostics around the computer. Check wether the GPU ran too hot during a game, tune your fans looking at min and max of the mainboard sensor, etc
Share files between other devices in the same LAN, abuse your phone as computer mouse, etc.
A password manager that only stores the passwords in the PC you trust. Tip: Use Syncthing if you want to sync them between your devices. Tip2: Do NOT use the same password between platforms, ever, thanks.
The first address when you get your drawing tablet. Honorable mention: FireAlpaca: I implore you to give both a try, unless you are on 🐧 because it's still not on Flathub.
Do you have a subscription and/or own content on Amazon Audible? Do you want to really own the audiobooks and show a middle finger to DRM, so you could listen to them virtually everywhere? You have come to the right viva la revulotion.
A open source alternative for FL Studio.
Wallpaper Engine, but it's FOSS and $0. You can insert any pretty looking website/local index.html, video, gif. Some examples:
Say you upgraded to SSD but don't want to reinstall Windows, this is your next address: cloning. Unfortunately, the latest version forces you to enter your email and register online, so i picked a older version for you that does not.
MG's Note: To get to the free version. During installation, you need to check personal use > and agree to use the software only for personal, non-commercial purposes. Then, you will need to uncheck register this installation of Macrium Reflect.
MS Office but without the moneys and subscriptions. This has the best DOCX compatiblity to date.
Finally for desktop! This is a IDE for JS, TS, HTML, CSS and many more. Also comes with a live preview so you don't have to hit refresh anymore to check whether a piece of code does/nt work.
A open source alternative to TeamViewer. You can connect to your pals through the internet from the get go thanks to relay servers run by volunteers.
Lightweight video editing tools. Most of my shitposts come from there.
Soulseek is a P2P network in which people share things, download things, or both. The things we talk about better not be protected works, but hard to find abandonware. Nicotine+ is the ideal client to access said network.
Self hosted cloud gaming compatible with the Moonlight client. Let your big PC do the rendering while you game on a cheap laptop or next rooms TV. Comfy!
A decentralized cloud solution and imo the easiest and zero cost to date. Make your device a server, or client, or better yet, both.
Your YouTube and Soundcloud downloader. Follow the instructions on the site, it's totally worth it. I recommend opus for music and webm for videos, YouTube natively use these. Only use mp3 when you must, because the conversion to that worsens both quality and file size.
You want to AI enhance a image but everyone on Google wants your money, home address or both? Don't worry, Upscayl is one of the good guys.
Ventoy is boot software that resides in your very USB Drive. Put 10 or so Linux/Windows ISOs in your USB drive, boot from it and Ventoy buddy let's you select any of the 10 ISOs you did put there. The 1 ISO per USB age is over.
If your router supports Wireguard, and you have stuff like NAS at home, come grab a hot beverage and sit down. Wireguard is your own and personal VPN tunnel that connects your phone or laptop to your home network, no matter what public wifi/mobile data you're on. It's literally as if you are at home: You can use your NAS worldwide without having to open ports and exposing it to the internet.
Caution: Only use QR code if you can and delete every single config file when everything is said and done. You do NOT want to get them on wrong hands.
A beginner friendly app to host and test websites on your very PC.
Probably the most advanced player out there for locally saved music if you're still into that kind of thing.
hourly music from every animal crossing game, including every season. town tune customization, rain sounds, k.k. slider music, offline mode, and more!
🐧: Get the browser extension instead
You want to stargaze, but you live downtown and swim in light pollution? Don't worry, Stellarium is here.
A music player for Linux that is the closest to MusicBee.
Emulator for GameCube and Wii. I recommend using the beta branch as stable is way too outdated.
Remember Coolmathgames? Rewind 20 years and play good old Flash games.
A easy to use Northstar installer, updater, launcher, and mod-manager. Northstar is a community mod for Titanfall 2 that also houses servers.
The servers for old Call Of Duty games are long dead, but that didn't stop some people from hosting their own. Compatible with your Steam and "Girl that Fits" copies.
open-source Nintendo Switch emulator written in C#
Play Zelda Ocarina of Time natively on PC! Enjoy those 120 fps if you got that kind of monitor, along with mods like the famous Randomizer.
N64 emulator without the donation popup that holds you hostage for several seconds.