10 Free Windows Apps Every New PC Needs in 2026

Setting up a new PC always follows the same pattern: install Windows, then spend the next hour installing the same handful of tools you install on every single machine. Here’s the actual list I reach for, all genuinely free, with no bloatware traps. For more, see our roundup of 18 best free alternatives to popular paid apps.

The Essentials

1. 7-Zip

Windows’ built-in zip support is fine for basic zip files, but 7-Zip handles every archive format you’ll actually encounter (RAR, 7z, TAR, ISO) and has been free and ad-free for over two decades.

2. VLC Media Player

Plays literally everything without hunting for codec packs. Still the first thing worth installing on a fresh machine if you deal with any video or audio files locally. Download it from VideoLAN’s official site.

3. Notepad++

Windows Notepad has improved recently, but Notepad++ still wins for anyone editing config files, scripts, or code casually — syntax highlighting, tabs, and a plugin ecosystem that’s still actively maintained.

4. PowerToys

Microsoft’s own free utility pack adds things Windows should honestly ship with by default — a proper window-snapping layout tool (FancyZones), a batch file renamer, a colour picker, and a genuinely useful “PowerToys Run” launcher. Grab it from the official Microsoft PowerToys page.

5. Everything (by voidtools)

Windows Search is slow because it’s trying to index file contents. Everything indexes just file and folder names using the NTFS Master File Table directly, which means search results appear instantly, even across huge drives.

Security and Maintenance

6. Malwarebytes Free

Not a replacement for real-time antivirus protection — see our roundup of the best free antivirus software for that — but an excellent on-demand second opinion scanner for when something feels off, or before you install anything from a source you’re not 100% sure about.

7. Windows Terminal

Free from the Microsoft Store, and a genuine quality-of-life upgrade over the legacy console host if you use Command Prompt, PowerShell, or WSL regularly — tabs, proper Unicode rendering, and GPU-accelerated text.

For Backup and Storage

8. Macrium Reflect Free

Full disk imaging without a subscription. If you’re doing any kind of system tinkering — driver updates, registry changes, BIOS flashes — having a recent full-disk image to roll back to is genuinely worth the ten minutes it takes to set up.

For Everyday Use

9. LibreOffice

If you don’t already have a Microsoft 365 subscription, LibreOffice handles Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file formats competently enough for the vast majority of everyday document work, entirely free. For other options, see our guide to free Microsoft Office alternatives.

10. ShareX

The most fully-featured free screenshot and screen recording tool available for Windows, with built-in annotation, GIF recording, and one-click upload to a dozen different destinations.

A Quick Note on Installing All of This Efficiently

If you set up new PCs often, it’s worth looking at a package manager like winget (built into modern Windows) to script the whole list in one go rather than downloading ten separate installers by hand:

winget install 7zip.7zip VideoLAN.VLC Notepad++.Notepad++ Microsoft.PowerToys voidtools.Everything Malwarebytes.Malwarebytes Microsoft.WindowsTerminal TheDocumentFoundation.LibreOffice ShareX.ShareX

Frequently Asked Questions

Are any of these apps actually adware in disguise?

Not the ones listed here — all have a long track record of staying genuinely free without bundled toolbars or nag screens, which is exactly why they’re still recommended years later.

Do I need Malwarebytes if I already have Windows Defender?

Yes, as a complement rather than a replacement — Malwarebytes Free is designed for occasional on-demand scans, not as a real-time protection layer, so the two don’t conflict.

Is winget worth learning if I’m not a scripting person?

Even just running winget install commands one at a time from a normal terminal window is faster than hunting for download pages, and it’s built into Windows 11 by default already.