Over the years and through numerous new installations of Windows in all editions, versions, and variants, I have established a selection of free standard software. Much of it is even open source, which is even better.
Of course, this is a process based on experience, so the software selection changes from time to time. However, the following list has proven itself over the years and also includes information on what is best suited for whom.
I assume that the software will be used on Windows 10 or 11, on x64-based hardware.
System
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PowerToys | Useful extensions to the operating system, well integrated | https://aka.ms/installpowertoys | …for Poweruser | …for Poweruser |
| WMF Preview | Thumbnails of WMF files are generated and displayed | https://github.com/kareldonk/WMFPreview/releases | …when working with WMF or EMF files | …for Poweruser |
| 7-Zip | High compression archiver | https://7-zip.de/index.html | …for everyone | …anytime, anywhere |
Fernzugriff
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anydesk | Remote access solution via the provider’s server | https://anydesk.com/de | …for everyone | …anytime, anywhere |
| Teamviewer | Remote access solution via the provider’s server | https://www.teamviewer.com/de/ | …for everyone | …if Anydesk is not desired |
Hardware
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HWiNFO | Comprehensive hardware and sensor information | https://www.hwinfo.com/download/ | …for Poweruser | …anytime, anywhere |
| GPU Temp | The temperature of the GPU(s) in the tray area, color configurable | https://www.gputemp.com/ | …for Poweruser | …only for myself, if continuous monitoring is desired |
| Core Temp | Some system data in the tray area, colors configurable | https://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/ | …for Poweruser | …only for myself, if continuous monitoring is desired |
| Battery Percentage | Percentage battery charge in the tray area, color configurable | https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9pckt2b7dzmw | …for everyone | …only for myself, if continuous monitoring is desired |
| CrystalDiskInfo | Comprehensive information about all drives and storage devices | https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskinfo/ | …for Poweruser | …anytime, anywhere |
| CrystalDiskMark | Benchmark for Storage devices | https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskmark/ | …for Poweruser | …for Poweruser |
Overclocking
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS ROG Realbench | Realistic stress test for the entire system | https://www.majorgeeks.com/mg/get/asus_realbench,1.html | …for overclockers | …only when overclocking |
| OCCT | Realistic stress test for the entire system | https://www.ocbase.com/ | …for overclockers | …only when overclocking |
| Prime95 | Maximum CPU load and temperature | https://www.mersenne.org/download/ | …for overclockers | …only when overclocking |
| Unigine Heaven | GPU Stresstest | https://benchmark.unigine.com/heaven | …for overclockers | …only when overclocking |
| MSI Afterburner | Graphics card overclocking | https://www.msi.com/Landing/afterburner/graphics-cards | …for overclockers | …only when overclocking |
| Throttlestop | Some options for configuring the system / processor | https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-throttlestop/ | …for Poweruser | …only when undervolting |
Internet, Browser and E-Mail
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mozilla Firefox | The best internet browser | https://www.firefox.com/de/download/all/desktop-release/ | …for everyone | …anytime, anywhere |
| Mozilla Thunderbird | Slim email client with expansion options | https://www.thunderbird.net/de/thunderbird/all/ | …if Microsoft Outlook is not available or desired, and webmail is not an option | …für jeden |
| Ungoogled Chromium | Due to the proliferation of Chromium-based browsers, sometimes a necessary evil | https://ungoogled-software.github.io/ungoogled-chromium-binaries/ | …for everyone, to circumvent incompatibilities when websites do not function properly in Firefox | …for Poweruser |
| Tor | Access to the dark web | https://www.torproject.org/download/ | …for Poweruser and Privacy | …for Poweruser |
| JDownloader | Download stuff from anywhere | https://jdownloader.org/jdownloader2#selection=windows | …for Poweruser | …for Poweruser |
Extensions for Mozilla Firefox
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uBlock Origin | Adblock | https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/ | …for everyone | …anytime, anywhere |
| Privacy Badger | Track-Blocking | https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/privacy-badger17/ | …for everyone | …anytime, anywhere |
Messaging
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Desktop | WhatsApp for Windows computers. Requires a smartphone with WhatsApp running in tandem. | https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nksqgp7f2nh | …for everyone | …if desired |
| Telegram Desktop | Telegram for Windows computers. Requires a smartphone with Telegram running in tandem. | https://desktop.telegram.org/ | …for everyone | …if desired |
| Signal Desktop | Signal for Windows computers. Requires a smartphone with Signal running in tandem. | https://signal.org/de/download/windows/ | …for everyone | …if desired |
Multimedia
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K-Lite Codec Pack | Numerous codecs for your Windows Media Player of choice | https://codecguide.com/download_kl.htm | …for everyone | …anytime, anywhere |
| VLC | Extremely versatile media player | https://images.videolan.org/vlc/index.de.html | …for everyone | …if desired |
| iTunes | Media player and management of audio / Apple devices | https://www.apple.com/de/itunes/ | …for every user of Apple devices | …for every user of Apple devices |
| 3uTools | More possibilities for Apple devices | https://www.3u-tools.com/ | …for every power user with Apple devices | …for users of Apple devices, if desired |
| Fre:ac | Powerful audio converter | https://www.freac.org/downloads-mainmenu-33 | …for Poweruser | …if desired |
| mp3 Direct Cut | Edit MP3 files directly | https://mpesch3.de/index.html#dwn | …for Poweruser | …if desired |
| Handbrake | Powerful video converter | https://handbrake.fr/ | …for Poweruser | …if desired |
Network
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FileZilla | (S)FTP Client | https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1 | …for everyone | …if desired |
| WinSCP | SCP-Client | https://winscp.net/eng/download.php | …for advanced Users | …if desired |
| PuTTY | SSH and Telnet | https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html | …for advanced Users | …if desired |
| WireShark | Network analyzer | https://www.wireshark.org/download.html | …for Professionals | …if desired |
Office
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LibreOffice | The best free alternative to Microsoft Office | https://de.libreoffice.org/download/download/ | …for everyone | …if no other office package is planned or available, always |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader | The most compatible viewer for PDF files | https://get.adobe.com/de/reader/enterprise/ | …for everyone | …anytime, anywhere |
Graphic / Image Editing
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GIMP | The best free alternative to Adobe Photoshop and similar programs | https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ | …for everyone | …if desired |
| Inkscape | The best free alternative to Adobe Illustrator and similar programs | https://inkscape.org/release/ | …for everyone | …if desired |
Safety
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KeePass | A very good password manager with expansion options | https://keepass.info/download.html | …for everyone | …if desired |
Optical Media
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ImgBurn | The No. 1 free burning program | https://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download | …for everyone | …if desired |
| CDBurnerXP | An alternative burning program | https://cdburnerxp.se/de/download | …for everyone | …if desired |
Tools
| Name | Description | URL | Suitable… | I’ll install that… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notepad++ | A greatly enhanced text editor with numerous functions and possibilities | https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/ | …for everyone | …anytime, anywhere |
| Hex Editor MX | A hex editor with basic functions | http://hexedit.nextsoft.de/ | …for Professionals | …if desired |
| Rufus | Create bootable USB sticks | https://rufus.ie/de/ | …for everyone | …if desired |
| Balena Etcher | Write images to storage devices | https://etcher.balena.io/ | …for everyone | …if desired |
| ColorPic (It’s freeware up to v4.1, but not after that!) | Capture pixel colors in various formats | https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/colorpic.html | …for everyone | …if desired |