How long does it take to set up a new computer the way you like it? We’re talking about Windows here. Yes, we know the Mac has just about everything you need, not what you don’t.

It’s another matter when Windows figures out what you need and what you don’t. Well, we’re going to help you with that right now. Here are seven of our favorite apps to download on any new Windows installation.

IOBit Uninstaller or PC Decrapifier

Why is a program for removing other programs recommended in the first place? Windows 10 comes with a lot of software that you probably won’t need. With OEMs, things get worse and you don’t even have a choice. Download IOBit Uninstaller Free and run it.

When it opens, navigate to Windows Application on the left and select it. It will list any additional Windows applications that have been installed. Just select the ones you want to remove, then click the “Remove” button in the upper right corner. IOBit Uninstaller will do the rest. First download IOBit Uninstaller to clean up your computer.

Another great program that I wrote about earlier is PC Decrapifier, which also works well and has been around for a long time. Better to get rid of third-party malware.

Chrome, Firefox, or Brave

While Microsoft Edge is a powerful browser that is now built on top of Chrome, you are probably more comfortable using the Google Chrome browser or the Mozilla Firefox browser. In any case, it is advisable to have multiple browsers on your system.

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Some websites just don’t work correctly in some browsers. Each browser can interpret the code of a website in different ways, for example, how can you say the same thing to two different people, and each of them will hear something different.

Firefox and Brave are also great if you want to hide some of the search and web browsing from the Chrome browser with full monitoring and tracking. Firefox and Brave are trying to be more secure and privacy-focused than Chrome is currently.

Download Chrome, Firefox or Brave as the second most important program to give you the best window on the Internet.

7-Zip

Even if you have a gigabit internet service and terabytes of cloud space, you need a program to compress and decompress files. Because not everyone has that kind of bandwidth or space. Windows has its own compression utility, of course, but it can only be used for compressed files with the .zip extension.

We have experimented with comparing 7-Zip with Windows compression, WinZip and WinRAR and believe that 7-Zip is the best option. Download 7-Zip third to unzip any other programs or downloads you get from here.

KeePass or LastPass

You need a strong password. Safe as a place to block all the passwords you use every day. Storing them in a Notepad file is just not good. If a hacker breaks into your computer, he will find this file and get all your passwords in seconds. In a secure safe, passwords will be stored encrypted. So even if Johnny Hacker gets the file, he will need some serious industrial equipment to access them.

A good password safe will also be able to automatically enter your passwords across different sites. This allows you to create passwords that are nearly impossible to crack, but you don’t need to be a memory champion to remember them.

KeePass or LastPass are perhaps the most popular password safes. KeePass resides on your computer, so if you’re skeptical about storing everything in the cloud, use KeePass.

Download KeePass or LastPass as your fourth most important app to securely store any unique passwords you create.

VLC Media Player

When it comes to video playback, VLC Media Player is hard to beat. It can also play almost any video format. It can do this with CDs, DVDs, downloaded files, or even streaming files. It is also a capable audio file player.

You might not know that VLC can be used to convert videos from one file format to another. Check out our articles on how to create and manage music playlists for VLC Media Player, and how to use VLC with Chromecast. Download the fifth VLC Media Player to keep yourself entertained while you continue to customize your computer.

Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, or OpenOffice

Computers were meant for work, so at some point you’ll need to install an office suite. Microsoft Office is a big kid of course, but also look out for LibreOffice or OpenOffice As free and open source packages, they are very impressive.

Just remember to set them to automatically open and save in Microsoft Office file formats. This way, you can work with files from almost anyone. Download the sixth Microsoft Office, LibreOffice or OpenOffice to get started.

Antivirus and security

One might argue that you install such apps first, but given how good Windows 10’s built-in security is, it’s flexible. Be sure to learn how to protect Windows 10 by adjusting internal settings to get the most protection.

However, it would be nice if virus or malware cleaning tools like Malware Bytes were already downloaded and installed. If something happens, you can do something about it right away. Download MalwareBytes 7 to keep your PC safe.

What else should i install?

The above seven programs will cover the most basic needs of almost anyone. Your personal and business needs will determine which other programs you should receive.

Also keep in mind that all of these programs have alternatives. Most of the listed programs are free. If this is not the case, there are probably free alternatives.

A personal computer is just that; personal. There is no single correct configuration other than the one that works for you now. For even more free software recommendations, check out our article on the 99 Best Free Software.

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