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
1.
AVG AntiVirus Free v18.4 / 18.5.3059 Beta
Use the AVG Anti-Virus System to reliably protect your computer.
1888082
2.
Avast Free Antivirus 18.5.3931Pick
Free antivirus for home use - scans for viruses, worms and Trojans.
1200361
3.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 3.5.1.2522Pick
An easy-to-use, effective application to detect and remove malware.
150778
5.
Sophos Virus Removal Tool 2.6.1
Free tool to remove viruses, spyware, rootkits, Conficker, and other threats from your PC.
12553
6.
Trend Micro Ransomware File Decryptor 1.0.0.1667
Free anti-ransomware tool that decrypts files encrypted by ransomware.
1956
Free Audio Software
DOWNLOADS
1.
K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 14.2.5Pick
A large codec pack which includes audio and video codecs as well as related tools.
513235
2.
foobar2000 v1.3.19Pick
An advanced audio player for Windows that supports several audio formats.
148974
5.
Mp3tag 2.88a / 2.88d BetaPick
Edit metadata (ID3, Vorbis Comments and APE) of common audio formats.
92796
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.
820473
2.
OpenOffice.org 4.1.5Pick
Comprehensive Office Suite that includes a word processor, spreadsheet, drawing app, and more.
174067
4.
EssentialPIM Free 7.66Pick
Free powerful PIM that features calendaring, notes keeping and contacts storage.
75745
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.
274924
2.
TestDisk 7.0 / 7.1 BetaPick
Recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again.
118933
3.
YUMI 2.0.5.7Pick
Create a Multiboot USB Flash Drive containing multiple operating systems, antivirus utilities, more.
88578
4.
Ultimate Boot CD 5.3.8Pick
Bootable CD that allows you to run diagnostic tools from CD/DVD/Bluray ROM drives.
58699
5.
Tweaking.com Windows Repair 4.0.20
All-in-one repair tool to help fix a large majority of known Windows problems.
51583
9.
Windows Repair Toolbox 3.0.0.5
Free utility that helps you repair issues with Windows, remove malware, and optimize your computer.
19264
10.
FixWin for Windows 10 v10.0.1
Free portable tool designed to easily fix and repair any problems or issues with Windows 10.
19117
11.
WhoCrashed Free Home Edition 5.53
Reveals the drivers responsible for crashing your computer.
18487
12.
AVG Rescue CD for USB Stick 120.160420
Carry this must-have toolkit on your USB stick to repair infected machines.
17527
13.
Snail Driver 2.1.0 Lite
Free program designed to download and update device drivers automatically with one click.
15569
14.
F-Secure Rescue CD 3.16.73600
Securely boot up the computer and check the programs installed.
9877
15.
Microsoft Windows 10 Troubleshooting Tool 1.0
Free tool designed to automatically detect and repair many common issues with Windows 10.
8269
16.
SystemRescueCd 5.0.1Pick
A bootable system rescue disk to administrate and repair computer problems after a system crash.
3027
Free Graphics/Design Software
DOWNLOADS
5.
Synfig Animation Studio 1.2.1 / 1.3.8-89479 Dev
A powerful, industrial-strength vector-based open-source 2D animation software package.
104451
7.
Greenfish Icon Editor Pro 3.6
A professional freeware icon, cursor, animation and icon library editor.
87972
10.
IrfanView Portable 4.51Pick
A portable, advanced, fast, free image viewer/converter for Windows.
26046
Free Security/Privacy Apps
DOWNLOADS
1.
CCleaner 5.43.6522Pick
Remove junk files, free up hard drive space, and optimize your computer.
437948
2.
KeePass Password Safe 2.39.1Pick
Free password manager and generator to securely store your passwords and private credentials.
58102
3.
Malwarebytes AdwCleaner 7.2.0.0
Free tool to remove unwanted toolbars, adware, PUPs, and hijackers.
39742
4.
Comodo Firewall 10.2.0.6526
Keeps viruses, malware, worms, Trojans, hackers and other Internet threats from accessing your PC.
22274
10.
ShutUp10 v1.6.1396
Free tool that allows you to configure privacy and other security settings in Windows 10.
11292
Free Video Players/Editors
DOWNLOADS
1.
MPlayer for Windows 2018-03-28 (Build #138)
Award-winning OpenSource media player for Windows.
470702
2.
Video Edit Master 2.0Pick
A free video editor of any AVI (divx, xvid..etc) and MPEG video files with no quality loss.
399628
3.
VLC Media Player 3.0.3Pick
A free video player that can read DVDs, VCDs, MPEG, DivX, more without additional codecs.
381939
5.
Media Player Classic - Home Cinema 1.7.13Pick
A free audio and video player designed for Home Cinema usage.
118427
7.
PotPlayer 1.7.12248 / 1.7.12624 BetaPick
Advanced multimedia player that supports hardware acceleration, 3D, subtitles, more.
28700
8.
Stremio 3.6.5 / 4.0.21 Beta
Organize and watch HD movies, HD television, or your favorite videos on your computer.
24448
9.
OpenShot Video Editor 2.4.1
Full-featured, easy to use, free video editor that supports 3D animation, compositing, transitions, and more.
24085
10.
CherryPlayer 2.4.6Pick
Free versatile media player and manager that also supports streaming multimedia and live broadcasts.
8046
Quick and Dirty Must-Have Apps
DOWNLOADS
1.
Sysinternals Autoruns 13.82Pick
View and manage auto-start programs, services, BHOs, scheduled tasks, more.
143863
3.
VideoCacheView 2.98Pick
Extract video files from the cache of your web browsers and save them to local disk.
122802
6.
Everything 1.4.1.895 / 1.4.1.901 BetaPick
Desktop search tool to locate files and folders by name instantly.
54917
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.
50237
9.
Microsoft Process Explorer 16.21Pick
Shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.
43828
10.
Win Toolkit 1.6.0.11Pick
Tweak your Windows operating system and customize its installation.
28245
12.
USB Device Tree Viewer 3.1.7.0
View detailed information about USB ports and hubs on a computer in a tree view format.
14392
13.
WinUSB 3.6.1.2
Easily create a Windows bootable USB drive using any DVD or ISO with Windows 10, 8 or 7 distributions.
9293
New / Updated: FILES
File Association Fixer Tool v1.0New
A light-weight, portable application designed to automatically fix broken file associations caused by malware, viruses, etc.
PDF Merge Split Free for Mac v1.1.0New
Free software to merge multiple PDF files, extract, and split PDF pages on Mac computers.
Ashampoo WinOptimizer 2018 v16.00.11
The ultimate free tool to tweak, optimize, and clean your computer to keep your system stable and secure.
500th Video Converter v1.2
Free video converter and burning software to convert, extract videos, and save audio files.
Microsoft OneDrive 18.091.0506.0007
A desktop client for OneDrive accounts to easily manage and transfer files.