7 Essential Software for Windows 10
Excited about that brand new computer? On the hunt for essential software for Windows 10? Here are a few tips to get you going. If you have recently purchased a new computer, or have reinstalled Windows 10 on an old one, you may be wondering about the software that you should install in order get the most out of it. I remember, I was in the same boat, once upon a time.
It took me a long time to get satisfied with my new laptop’s setup. That is why I have decided to create this guide to point you in the right direction. If it is software for Windows 10 that you are looking for, then, you have come to the right place.
Software for Windows 10
The one thing that we should put aside, of course, is that the setup that you, ultimately, end up having on your PC is entirely dependent on your tastes.This article is only intended as a guide and should, in no way, be taken as the gospel.
Microsoft Office
The Microsoft Office suite is, without a doubt, the most sought after software for Windows 10. Most computers come with the Microsoft Office pre-installed. However, should you reinstall the Operation System that is on your PC, getting the Office suite should be the first item on your agenda. (You can also opt for Office 365, the cloud based subscription service that gives you access to a lot of additional products, including OneDrive and Mail.) Microsoft Office is a suite of software that was developed by Microsoft. It contains the following products;
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- OneNote
- OneDrive
- People
- Calendar
- Sway
- com
Its All About Productivity
The good thing about the Office suite is that it gives you everything that you need to productively use on your computer. Forget everything else; Office is what you need if you are going to use your computer for anything other than gaming and simple web browsing.
Microsoft Office Word is, perhaps, the most popular of all the programs that are in the Office suite. It is, by far, the world’s foremost word processing application, and is the one that is being used to produce this document.
Dropbox
Computers are amazing devices, but they are not infallible. Things can go wrong with your PC, and if you have not taken steps to protect yourself, there is the big risk that you could end up losing everything that you have been working on.
This is what makes Dropbox a must have for your Windows 10 PC this year. The California based concern is one of the world’s best known file hosting services.
It allows you to save all your files to the cloud, which gives you access from any other device. It also ensures that should something go wrong with your computer, none of your important documents and files will be lost.
Media Player Classic
Media Player Classic is a personal preference for me, for the simple reason that it is light weight and, with the right codecs, can play almost any audio or video file. Of course, you can use the native Windows Media Player to play most of your files. However, you will find that this has limitations in terms of the number of formats that it can support.
Mozilla Firefox
I personally now find the native Internet Explorer browser a pain in the something, (I used to be a fan); and the new Microsoft Edge mysterious, which is why I have moved over to Mozilla Firefox. This world famous browser, which competes with others such as Chrome and Opera, is a must have for you when you buy a new computer or reinstall the OS on an old one.
Skype
If, like many people these days, you make voice and video calls over the internet, then Skype, another of the many products from Microsoft, is one of the essential programs that you cannot do without on your Windows 10 computer this year. Although it is better known for providing internet based telephony services, Skype also offers texting and file transfers.
The best thing about Skype is that, not only is it a great way of keeping up with friends and families from across the globe, but it also provides video conferencing, which should be great if you wish to use the program for business purposes.
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle’s application is, perhaps, one of my favorite software for Windows 10. I also have another on my Android tablet, but that is a story for another day. My affinity for Amazon Kindle is partly motivated by the fact that I have published a couple of books on the platform.
The great thing about Amazon Kindle is that it allows you to read millions of ebooks, many of which are free. If you are a cheapo like me, you can read all the books that you wish to read without having to pay a single cent (I do occasionally buy Science Fictions books, so I consider myself to be a better cheapo than most).
You can download the Amazon Kindle for PC application by following this link. This will enable you to read books in a wide range of genres on your laptop or desktop.
Gimp
The best thing about this program is that, if you are into photo manipulation, Gimp comes with all the features that can be found in better known options, such as Adobe Photoshop. That is despite the fact that it is open source and can, therefore, be downloaded and installed for free. The usefulness of this utility is not limited to photo manipulation. It can also be used for eBook cover creation, scripted ebook manipulation and many other things. In fact, it is the one that I used to create covers for my own eBooks. As you can see by following the link to one of may Amazon ebooks, there can be no doubting the quality of the covers that are produced using Gimp.
Summary
As mentioned at the beginning, the software that you end up having on your Windows 10 computer ultimately depends on your personal preferences. There are thousands of potentially useful programs out there, some of which can be accessed free of charge. All that you need to do is determine what you need to do with your computer, and you will be able to find something that can help you fulfill those needs. (You can also read our article on how to immediately boost the speed of your computer).