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Windows10's market share is increasing slowly but steadily over time. This December ittouched 33% which means that over one-third of world's computers now arerunning Windows 10.

Beit the fluent design, multiple desktops or return of the Start Menu, Windows 10has taken many right steps, but, also few wrong ones in areas of privacy andupdates. One area where Microsoft has done a commendable job is improving thenative apps.

Edge is now way better than IE, there is native PDF support through Edge, support for Multiple desktopsand the list goes on.

Now nobody has to hunt for an alternative app like a PDFreader or image editor as the built-in apps are more than enough for such basictasks.

However, there are still some parts of Windows 10 where we need improvement. Aspects of the OS with which users interact daily such as Windows Explorer, file operations(move/copy/rename), installing/uninstalling apps are still somewhat the same as before.

So, today we will talk about fifteen apps that will improve your Windows experience and help you in accomplishing daily tasks in a much quicker way.

1. Clover

Apps Every Mac User Should Have

Windows Explorer has got a design upgrade in Windows 10, but, functionality wise it's still the same. Clover is an app which adds the much-needed features to Windows Explorer. Tabs, Bookmarks, enhanced keyboard shortcuts are some of the highlights of the long list of features this app has.

Plus, it integrates seamlessly with Windows, so you will not notice any out of the place visual changes.

Qttabbar is another alternative app for Clover. It is much more powerful and offers a hugenumber of options to customize it as per your needs.

2. Unchecky

Every

Our next app keeps a vigilant look at all the programs we install on our computers. Many of the freeware or shareware type programs often contain sneaky little tick boxes during installation which silently install the advertiser's app or make changes to your system like changing the default homepage, adding a toolbar or even changing the default browser.

While most such additional programs are just annoying and can be uninstalled easily, there are some potentially harmful ones too which can install a rootkit or keylogger. Unchecky saves you all this hassle by alerting you whenever any programs try to pull such a stunt and automatically unchecks any such check-boxes.

And it's simple to use. Just install it and let it run in the background. No need to mess with any settings.

3. Ditto

Ditto is an awesome clipboard manager for Windows 10 which supercharges the clipboard functionality. A clipboard manager is particularly useful for someone who works with a lot of text and documents.

It has happened to me many times, I copy a draft of an article from one app, close it, only to find out that it hasn't been copied after pressing Ctrl+V. And the real horror is realizing I haven't saved the draft anywhere.

Clipboard manager like Ditto saves all your copied text as Historyso one can easily find any particular bit of info even if they have overwritten or lost it. Other useful features include the ability to sync clipboards of two different PCs, a stats meter and of-course, keyboard shortcuts.

4. Everything Search

One of the parts of Windows 10 that has taken a nosedive compared to the previous version is the Search function. It's hit-and-miss for many users as it doesn't return the results expected and most of the time resort to web search through, yes, you guessed it, Bing. Very helpful indeed.

While you can fix the Search, Everything Search is a better app for this. Its response time to a search query is nearly instant and the results are pretty accurate as well. Plus you can run it without installation and has some really cool additional features.

It can search an external FTP server, you can exclude specific folders from search and even search a remote PC over the web.

5. Jdownloader 2

It's known to everyone that Windows doesn't have its own downloader app and the de-facto alternative to it is Internet Download Manager(IDM), which is a paid.The free alternative is Jdownloader 2, which performs same as IDM, has morefeatures and is open-source.

One unique feature of Jdownloader is the supportfor plugins which can do various things such as controlling it remotely over Web and solving captchas on its own.

It also supports premium accounts of many file-sharing sites so you can download without any limits. If you have time and patience to learn, you can automate JDownloader through Javascript too.

6. TreeSize

Ever wondered what is hogging storage space on your PC? You don't download a ton of things still you are running out of disk space. To solve this Windows 10 has Storage Sense feature is which frees up disk space periodically by deleting temporary and old files.

You can tweak what it does by going to Settings>System>Storage>Storage Sense.

While the Modern Storage setting does visually show which folder is taking up the maximum space, you can't see individual files or do any operations. TreeSize shows you this info in much more detail including the number of files and sub-folders.

Plus, the directory-style menu is easier to understand than that of Windows 10. Finally, there are plentyof options to customize and filter how you want to view the storage data.

7. AnyDesk

Remote connection to a computer may not fare on the list of tasks an average user does often. However, it can be very useful in times when you need to help or get help for a problem. For remote connections, Windows Remote Desktop protocol is thesuperior to other solutions out there.

Though, it has a major limitation that it's available only on Pro edition of Windows. Plus to use it you need to fiddle with the IP addresses and host-names.

AnyDesk is the free app which comes close to the performance of Windows RDP and is simple to use like TeamViewer. It also has iOS, Android and Linux apps and even works cross-platform.

8. Speccy

If you have ever felt ill-informed when someone asks how much RAM your PC has or what processor it has, you can go to Control Panel>System and Security>System and find out.

However, if they ask what frequency you RAM isrunning or what GPU it has, you will again go back to being ill-informed.

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Knowing your PC's hardware helps in troubleshooting as well as gauging its capability for running certain apps and games. This way you don't go on sending angry emails to tech support stating that your new Dell AIO can't run PUBG on 4K because you don't know it has GT 1030.

Speccy provides detailed info of each component of your PC and also shows the temperatures of critical parts like CPU and GPU. Finally, you can also share the specs of your PC in text or INI format for genuine help with a problem or bragging rights.

9. Odrive

With Windows 8, Microsoft gave a lot of thrust to promoting OneDrive by integrating it natively with Windows and even offering the now-defunct unlimited cloud storage plan. OneDrive, as a cloud service is comparatively good, though there are many who use other cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox.

However, adding a desktop app for each cloud service you use becomes cumbersome and Odrive is the app which solves this problem. An all-in-one universal sync client which supports over 20+ cloud services and allows you to finely control how and what files get synced.

10. ShareX

Taking a screenshot of Windows has long been done by the humble PrtScr button or the Snipping Tool which was introduced in Windows Vista. Recently, in the Windows 10 Creators Update, a new shortcut got added, Win+Shift+S.

Third party apps for taking screenshots are dime a dozen, however, ShareX is our favorite pick. The reason being, it's free, feature rich and can be useful to both a newbie or a pro user. Plus the automation features built in are really awesome. Want to add today's date to screenshot, have it numbered and upload to Gdrive?

You can do it. Want to add a black border and watermark to screenshot, upload it to Imgur and generate a short URL? You can do that too. Need I say more!

11. Smooth Video Playback

VLC is the undisputed king for video playback on Windows. It's simple to use, has plenty features and plays almost all video formats out there. Still, if you are a movie buff or like binge-watching your favorite TV shows, you will love SVP.

Smooth Video Playback or SVP 4 converts any video to 60 FPS and higher in real time. This makes the video appear more smooth and fluid, especially ones which involve a lot of action. Sadly, the free version of SVP 4 doesn't work with VLC and you will need to use(How-To) either MPC-BE or MPC-HC player.

However, if you fork out $15 for pro version, you get support for online videos, streaming over Chromecast and a bunch of other features.

12. X-Mouse Button Control

Windows settings for configuring mouse are limited to just switching mouse buttons and at best changing how the cursor looks like. If you yearn for more customization to match your Hotkey Game, XBMC(not to be confused with the media player) will give your mouse buttons multitasking superpowers.

With XBMC, you can configure what the mouse buttons and scroll wheel does in an application and add up to 10 layers to each app, which can be switched by a hotkey.

To put that into perspective, you can configure a three-button mouse to do 300 different things per application. And that's not counting scroll wheel!

13. BleachBit

Windows 10 has gotten a lot better at housekeeping by cleaning up after itself to prevent junk build up. Disk Clean-up does the job effectively by deleting all the temp and old files.

CCleaner has long been the alternative go-to app for this job, but, recently it was discovered to riddled with a malware which affected millions of users.

BleachBit is an open-source alternative which does the same thing and even overwrites the empty space so nothing can be recovered. It is also useful for cleaning files of a specific app like your browser, as opposed to Disk Clean-up which deletes everything.

14. Sizer

Windows 10 allows you to arrange open apps either side-by-side or stacked by right-clicking on Taskbar. Or you can resize them freely to arrange them as per your liking.

Sizer a free app which allows you to set custom sizes for each open windows(apps) and bind them to a hotkey. This way you can effectively divide your screen space, pixel-wise to arrange multiple apps like I have shown in the image above.

15. Teracopy

Initially, I wasn't going to include Teracopy to this list, as I always felt it didn't offer that much of an advantage over Windows copy. But, that changed when I gave the upgraded version a try on Windows 10.

While copying 37 GB of game files to my NAS server took Windows over 10 mins, Teracopy did it in under 8 mins.

Of course, how quickly files are copied and written is heavily dependent on a variety of factors like disk type, system load, network link etc, Teracopy speeds it up most of the times and doesn't hang if you cancel or pause the task. Further, it can also check the integrity of copied files by checking their checksums.

A Word About Contributions

Almost all the apps that are on the list have a portable version available, which makes it easier to test the app without installing it. And many of them are made by few small independent developers in their free time.

So, if you find any of the above apps particularly useful, consider donating or purchasing the pro version.

Because while drafting the list, I came across many other useful apps like ShapeShifter, PC-Decrapifier, and FileBot, which have been abandoned or gone completely paid due to lack of donations and time from the developer.

With that said, if you know or use any other such apps do share them through comments.

See Next: How to Post Instagram Stories Longer Than 15 Seconds on Android and iPhone
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For Quick Navigation: What apps should I download for MacBook Pro?

What Apps Should I Download For MacBook Pro?

Well, we have characterized all the must-have applications for your MacBook Pro based on different categories like Productivity, Entertainment, Social & other user needs. Check them out & download the ones you found most suitable for your new Mac machine.

Productivity

1. Smart Mac Care

You must have heard or read this already, that keeping Mac clean & organized is the only way to maintain it on a longer run. In fact, a clutter-free Mac machine enhances productivity & helps to make the most out of it. For this purpose, you need a dedicated Mac optimization utility, Smart Mac Care that helps users to maintain the system’s health &

It boasts certain qualities like Malware Scanner, Web Protection, Junk Cleaner, Mac Uninstaller, Duplicate Finder, Memory Optimizer & more. You can refer our guide on How To Use The Software & What Essential Benefits It Offers? It’s one of the best apps for MacBook Pro to give your machine speed boost & have all-round protection!

Work

2. Dropbox or Google Drive

Both the cloud storage services are household names at this point. Chances are that you already know the merits of Dropbox & Google Drive. Having any of the cloud storage solutions, you can get quick access to all your files & folder. With Google Drive, you can work on documents, spreadsheets & presentations even without Internet. With Dropbox, you can synchronize the data of multiple computers at once place.

Both the universal cloud storage services have their own set of merits & disadvantages. If you ask us, Google Drive is a compelling choice as it brings 15GB of space along with best-in-class web apps. Whereas Dropbox is a good choice for users who don’t need extra web services, rather just simpler 2GB cloud storage.

Download Google Drive Or Dropbox

Security

3. Password

Hate trying to remember every single password for every account you’ve ever used? Well, 1Password is a top app for MacBook Pro, when it comes to storing all your passwords at one secured location in an encrypted vault. The vault gets locked with a single master login password for maximum security. The password manager keeps track of your security questions for different sites & helps you auto-fill them for a hassle-free process.

1Password is the best MacBook Pro app to install, as it works fantastically well for randomly generating strong, unique & secure passwords by auditing your existing passwords. So that, you don’t reuse any of them & keep altering them often for better security. 1Password offers 30-days free trial, after that you can spend $4 per month to continue using the service.

Photography

4. Duplicate Photos Fixer

Usually, it’s advised to keep at least 10% free space from your whole Mac storage, to ensure smooth working. If you are on your way to transfer your old photos to your new Mac, then make sure you keep your library duplicate-free. Finding & removing identical & similar photos can be a tedious & time-consuming task. But if you use a dedicated duplicate finder utility like Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro, you can organize & declutter your Mac in the easiest way possible.

The robust duplicate photo remover is known for its accurate detection & fast scanning engine. It can detect & delete both exact and similar photos within a few clicks. Since it supports, almost all popular image formats, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, TGA, & more. You can be ensured to reclaim the huge amount of disk space for smoother performance.

Entertainment

5. VLC Media Player

VLC is another best app for MacBook Pro to install. It works perfectly well with minimal fuss, once you start using it. The media player can be used to play almost any audio/video files, you throw at it. While most of the users would probably only use it to watch media, but it also offers a decent set of features that most of the advanced users would enjoy. For instance, VLC offers lots of editing tools to help you adjust the file properties & for the enhanced watching experience.

Its interface may sound a bit intimidating to novices, but once a user gets used to it, then itis easy to access the various tools it offers. This best free app for MacBook Pro comes packed with a wide range of codecs, making it a universal player. If you are a power user with a huge media collection, VLC is absolutely worth your shot.

Health & Fitness

6. Time Out – Break Reminders

Several studies show that short bursts of regular movements throughout the day are better for your health than longer workout sessions. But in our busy lives, that’s not always an easy proposition to execute. Thankfully, there are some best apps for MacBook Pro like Time Out – Break Reminders, that helps users to remind when to take breaks. With Time Out, the app you can strategize how long each kind of break would last & the period between each break.

While you are on a break, a progress bar is shown to evaluate how long until it is over. You have the buttons to postpone or skip the break. Additionally, you can choose to display a notification, play a sound, speak some words or just run a script to remind it’s a time for a break.

Music

7. Audacity

If you’re looking forward to getting started with Podcasting or music recording, then Audacity is a great option to consider. An excellent app for MacBook Pro, Audacity is a free, open-source audio editing software that helps you make your recordings, remove digital noise, chop, combine & mix clips. You can rely on the audio editor to apply special effects, alter frequencies with Equalization, Bass & Treble.

Just install this free app for MacBook Pro, start importing different types of file formats, alter the audio files with multi-tracking editing options. Talking about the interface, Audacity features a huge selection of powerful tools to remove vocals for the music track, reduce noise & access other handy wizards for professional results.

Apps Every Mac User Should Have One

Social

Apps Every Mac Should Have

8. Flume

Can’t get enough of Instagram? Then you should definitely install Flume For Instagram on your machine. It’s an excellent app for MacBook Pro that provides an amazing social experience. You can upload high-resolution images & videos in square & non-square format. Besides this, you can use the utility to navigate your Insta feed, like, comment & more.

To use this best free app for MacBook Pro, just install it > log into your Instagram account & just like your smartphone, you can browse feed easily. Besides Flume, you can try using Photo Feed, App Insta for Instagram & Uplet to help you browse Instagram directly from your Mac machine.

Apps Every Mac User Should Have Free

Backup

9. Right Backup

From irreplaceable family pictures to the presentation you’re working on, every data is needed to be protected. Without a proper backup system in place, you can lose all those files in a blink of an eye. Fortunately, there are certain top apps for MacBook Pro, like Right Backup, that comes with an automatic 12-hour scheduler to update your stored data in every 12 hours. Since everything is stored in secured cloud space, you don’t need to worry about protecting your data on Mac.

Right Backup, an app for MacBook Pro comes compatible with multiple platforms, hence you can access your data anytime, anywhere from any device using the same Right Backup account. To get your lost data backup with the utility, all you need to do is log in with your account & start retrieving important files, photos, videos, documents in a few clicks.

Miscellaneous

10. iSkysoft PDF Editor

Apps Every Mac User Should Have Won

One of the best & widely used solutions for viewing & editing PDF files is iSkysoft PDF Editor. It’s a complete suite of PDF editing tools to help users manipulate texts, images, links & other elements without any hassles. You can use this best app for MacBook Pro to crop, rotate, extract, split, add watermarks, change background colors & do a lot more. Talking about the interface, iSkysoft has a simple & intuitive dashboard to make editing, organizing, reviewing, converting & protecting super-easy.

Users are allowed to download & use the free trial version to try all the features once before they spend money to get the premium version. It promises a 30-day money-back guarantee as well if a user comes unsatisfied. You can read more about this top app for MacBook Pro here!

This is just a small selection of some of the Best Apps For MacBook Pro. There are plenty of other applications & utilities out there for each work. If you’ve got any Favorites, leave us a note in the comment section below!

30 Free Macos Apps Every Mac User Should Have

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