ESSENTIAL FREE SOFTWARE
Following is a list of what we consider to be the best free essential software downloads in a variety of categories. Whether you're building a new computer, replacing your hard drive, or recovering from a crash and need to fix your PC, this list may prove handy to quickly get you up and running with the software you use most.
No need to waste valuable time searching for your must-have apps. Simply Bookmark This Page for future reference and share it with others if you find this list useful.
Feel free to offer your suggestions of other software we should add to this list by contacting us.
Note: Click a category to immediately jump to that section.
Free Antivirus Software
DOWNLOADS
2.
Avast Free Antivirus 18.1.2326Pick
Free antivirus for home use - scans for viruses, worms and Trojans.
1191842
3.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 3.3.1.2183Pick
An easy-to-use, effective application to detect and remove malware.
147200
5.
Sophos Virus Removal Tool 2.6.1
Free tool to remove viruses, spyware, rootkits, Conficker, and other threats from your PC.
12027
6.
Trend Micro Ransomware File Decryptor 1.0.0.1667
Free anti-ransomware tool that decrypts files encrypted by ransomware.
1543
Free Audio Software
DOWNLOADS
1.
K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 14.0.0Pick
A large codec pack which includes audio and video codecs as well as related tools.
510026
2.
foobar2000 v1.3.17 / 1.4 Beta 4Pick
An advanced audio player for Windows that supports several audio formats.
146173
5.
Mp3tag 2.86 / 2.86a BetaPick
Edit metadata (ID3, Vorbis Comments and APE) of common audio formats.
90462
Free Business/Organize Software
DOWNLOADS
1.
Free PDF to Word Converter 5.1
Easy to use utility that does swift conversions from PDF to Word.
815178
2.
OpenOffice.org 4.1.5Pick
Comprehensive Office Suite that includes a word processor, spreadsheet, drawing app, and more.
172813
4.
EssentialPIM Free 7.62Pick
Free powerful PIM that features calendaring, notes keeping and contacts storage.
74070
Free Software to Fix PC Problems
DOWNLOADS
1.
NTFS4DOS 1.8 (read/write NTFS from DOS)Pick
Allows full read/write access to NTFS volumes from DOS for AV or backup.
273644
2.
TestDisk 7.0 / 7.1 BetaPick
Recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again.
116930
3.
YUMI 2.0.5.3Pick
Create a Multiboot USB Flash Drive containing multiple operating systems, antivirus utilities, more.
86219
4.
Ultimate Boot CD 5.3.7Pick
Bootable CD that allows you to run diagnostic tools from CD/DVD/Bluray ROM drives.
57579
5.
Tweaking.com Windows Repair 4.0.13
All-in-one repair tool to help fix a large majority of known Windows problems.
49697
9.
WhoCrashed Free Home Edition 5.53
Reveals the drivers responsible for crashing your computer.
18135
10.
FixWin for Windows 10 v10.0.1
Free portable tool designed to easily fix and repair any problems or issues with Windows 10.
17693
11.
Windows Repair Toolbox 2.0.1.0
Free utility that helps you repair issues with Windows, remove malware, and optimize your computer.
17259
12.
AVG Rescue CD for USB Stick 120.160420
Carry this must-have toolkit on your USB stick to repair infected machines.
17241
13.
Snail Driver 2.0.1 Lite
Free program designed to download and update device drivers automatically with one click.
13906
14.
F-Secure Rescue CD 3.16.73600
Securely boot up the computer and check the programs installed.
9595
15.
Microsoft Windows 10 Troubleshooting Tool 1.0
Free tool designed to automatically detect and repair many common issues with Windows 10.
7602
16.
SystemRescueCd 5.0.1Pick
A bootable system rescue disk to administrate and repair computer problems after a system crash.
2538
Free Graphics/Design Software
DOWNLOADS
5.
Synfig Animation Studio 1.2.1
A powerful, industrial-strength vector-based open-source 2D animation software package.
103046
7.
Greenfish Icon Editor Pro 3.6
A professional freeware icon, cursor, animation and icon library editor.
86971
10.
IrfanView Portable 4.50Pick
A portable, advanced, fast, free image viewer/converter for Windows.
24993
Free Security/Privacy Apps
DOWNLOADS
1.
CCleaner 5.40.6411Pick
Remove junk files, free up hard drive space, and optimize your computer.
433585
2.
KeePass Password Safe 2.38Pick
Free password manager and generator to securely store your passwords and private credentials.
57448
3.
Malwarebytes AdwCleaner 7.0.8.0
Free tool to remove unwanted toolbars, adware, PUPs, and hijackers.
38434
4.
Comodo Firewall 10.1.0.6476
Keeps viruses, malware, worms, Trojans, hackers and other Internet threats from accessing your PC.
21662
10.
ShutUp10 v1.6.1395
Free tool that allows you to configure privacy and other security settings in Windows 10.
10520
Free Video Players/Editors
DOWNLOADS
2.
Video Edit Master 2.0Pick
A free video editor of any AVI (divx, xvid..etc) and MPEG video files with no quality loss.
396089
3.
VLC Media Player 3.0.0Pick
A free video player that can read DVDs, VCDs, MPEG, DivX, more without additional codecs.
378412
5.
Media Player Classic - Home Cinema 1.7.13 / 1.7.13.89 BetaPick
A free audio and video player designed for Home Cinema usage.
117401
7.
PotPlayer 1.7.8557 / 1.7.9229 BetaPick
Advanced multimedia player that supports hardware acceleration, 3D, subtitles, more.
24659
8.
Stremio 3.6.5 / 4.0.4 Beta
Organize and watch HD movies, HD television, or your favorite videos on your computer.
22683
9.
OpenShot Video Editor 2.4.1
Full-featured, easy to use, free video editor that supports 3D animation, compositing, transitions, and more.
21629
10.
CherryPlayer 2.4.6Pick
Free versatile media player and manager that also supports streaming multimedia and live broadcasts.
7126
Quick and Dirty Must-Have Apps
DOWNLOADS
1.
Sysinternals Autoruns 13.82Pick
View and manage auto-start programs, services, BHOs, scheduled tasks, more.
142727
3.
VideoCacheView 2.98Pick
Extract video files from the cache of your web browsers and save them to local disk.
121681
7.
Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder 2.0.10.13Pick
Small utility used to retrieve the CD Key used to install Windows as well as keys for other programs.
48975
9.
Microsoft Process Explorer 16.21Pick
Shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.
43500
11.
Win Toolkit 1.6.0.1 Pick
Tweak your Windows operating system and customize its installation.
26384
12.
USB Device Tree Viewer 3.1.3.0
View detailed information about USB ports and hubs on a computer in a tree view format.
13184
13.
WinUSB 3.6.1.0
Easily create a Windows bootable USB drive using any DVD or ISO with Windows 10, 8 or 7 distributions.
7984
New / Updated: FILES
Shortcut Virus Fixer 2.0
Fix the broken shortcut virus and hidden folder and files on your USB Drives.
FlashDevelop 5.3.2
Highly customizable lightweight script editor with extended support for class based languages.
WinSCP Portable 5.13
Portable SFTP and SCP client for Windows using SSH.
K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 14.0.0
A large codec pack which includes audio and video codecs as well as related tools.
K-Lite Codec Pack Full 14.0.0
Play all the popular audio and video formats.