10 third-party apps you should install on your Windows PC (2024)

With the first wave of Copilot+ PCs now hitting the market, there's plenty to be excited about if you're thinking about getting a new PC. But while Windows 11 in itself is pretty exciting right now thanks to the 2024 Update, it's still far from perfect on its own.

Third-party apps are what makes Windows the great operating system that it is, and if you want to make the most out of your Windows PC, you're going to need some of them. So let's take a look at some of the apps you should install on your new Windows PC, whether it's new or old.

10 WinAero Tweaker

Bend Windows 11 to your will

As Microsoft keeps injecting more features and changes into Windows, it's only natural that some users are averse to new versions, and if you want to make things feel more familiar and faster, WinAero Tweaker is for you.

This is an app that's been around for many many years and works with various Windows versions, and it allows you to change or disable certain Windows features. FOor example, you can disable Copilot if you don't care about Microsoft's AI, disable telemetry, customize the boot screen, and much, much more. The list of features is so extensive that it would be impossible to list it all here, but if you miss something about the way Windows used to work, there's a good chance you can bring it back with this app, and you can do a lot more than that too. Give it a shot, you won't regret it.

WinAero Tweaker

WinAero Tweaker allows you to deeply customize the features and appearance of Windows 11 so it works better for your needs.

See at Winaero

9 Vivaldi

Still the best browser

A browser may not be the most exciting thing to include here considering that not only does Windows 11 already include a pretty good one, but there are plenty of popular alternatives, such as Google Chrome. But Vivaldi is still one of the best options around if you want a powerful and highly customizable browser.

Vivaldi does the browser things you'd expect, but it takes them further. For example, you can view multiple tabs side-by-side in the same window, and you can stack multiple tabs into one, too. You can also create workspaces to quickly switch between different groups of tabs.

One of my favorite features in Vivaldi, however, is the built-in Mail client and RSS feed reader. It makes it that much easier to stay on top of news and my inbox. I have multiple email accounts, and checking each one can be tedious, so a tool like this makes sure I'm always up to date without having to waste too much time. But there's a lot more to Vivaldi, including a calendar, notes, a to-do list, the ability to open any website you want in a sidebar and have it quickly accessible, and very in-depth customization. For almost any menu in Vivaldi, you can add or remove buttons to your liking, and you can also customize their look with in-deth themes that go further than your average Chrome theme. It's the swiss army knife of browsers,

Vivaldi Browser

Vivaldi is a feature-packed browser with tons of capabilities that go beyond simple web browsing to make it a versatile productivity tool.

See at Vivaldi

8 Auto Dark Mode

Windows should do this already

Dark mode is one of the best features Microsoft added to Windows 10, and it's been around every since. But while it's great for reducing eye strain at night, it doesn't look as nice during the day. So what if the mode was changed automatically at different times of the day?

That's what Auto Dark Mode does. It's a relatively simple app that switches between light and dark modes at specific times of your choosing, but it goes further than just changing your Windows theme. You can make it change your mouse cursor, desktop wallpaper, and even the theme for your Office apps.

You can choose options based on sunrise and sunset, set specific times, or even set it to follow the Night Light setting that's built into Windows. There's a lot of versatility here.

Auto Dark Mode

AutoDark Mode can change your Windows theme automatically at specific times, including changing your desktop wallpaper and mouse cursor.

See at Github

7 Spark Mail

Email management made easier

If you're an avid email user, it can be hard to stay on top of everything going on, especially if you have more than one email account (which is likely). Spark is an excellent, clean email client that cuts down on the bloat, allowing you to focus on your email. Not only is it free of visual distractions, but Spark is also optimized for keyboard use, with almost every UI element being accessible with a keyboard shortcut, plus an action bar where you can just search for the action you want to take.

Spark also packs some AI features if you're willing to pay for the premium plan. These include the ability to summarize your inbox, a writing assistant, and quick AI-powered replies.

Spark

Spark is a minimalistic email client that's focused on helping you organize your emails, plus some optional AI features if you choose to pay for them.

See at Microsoft Store

Send files between devices much faster

Nearby Share is a very useful feature in Android that makes it easy to quickly send files from one device to another faster than using Bluetooth and without needing an internet connection. And recently, the company brought the service to Windows PCs with the Nearby Share app. If you want to send files between your phone and your PC, this is absolutely essential, but it's also a great way to share files between PCs. It's very fast and I've generally had a good experience with it.

Nearby Share does need Bluetooth for detecting nearby devices, but files are sent using a sort of direct Wi-Fi connection that's much faster, so it's really worth giving it a look if you share a lot of files.

Quick Share

Quick Share makes it easy to quickly transfer files between devices without a cable and without internet. It's fast and works on Windows PCs and Android phones.

See at Google

5 Twinkle Tray

Multi-monitor brightness controls

While WIndows 11 has made many improvements to multi-monitor setups, one thing that's still a bit challenging is changing the brightness for your monitors when you have many of them. The brightness slider on the system tray usually only changes the levels for the current monitor, so it can be cumbersome to adjust it if you have multiple.

TwinkleTray is a great app that aims to fix this. Simply put, it puts brightness controls for all your monitors right on the taskbar so you can more easily make sure your monitors are all set to the right brightness without having to jump from one screen to the other. What's more, the tool supports brightness controls for some monitors that don't natively support it Windows, so it makes things that much easier if you use an external monitor. It goes much further than that, as you can set brightness to adjust automatically at certain times, hide inactive internal displays (if you use a laptop with a closed lid connected to an external monitor, this is useful), and so much more.

Twinkle Tray

Twinkle Tray makes it easier to change the brightness of all the monitors connected to your setup with a quick flyout menu, plus it supports external monitors that Windows doesn't natively.

See at Microsoft StoreSee at Twinkle Tray

4 Bitwarden

Don't skimp on password management

In the age of the modern internet, security is more important than ever, and you've probably noticed how websites require increasingly complex passwords. This is good, but it also means all your different passwords are that much harder to memorize, and that's where a service like Bitwarden comes in.

Bitwarden is a password management service, meaning you can create a vault where all your passwords are safely stored and made available when you need them. It's a much more secure alternative than writing down your password on a sticky note, and unlike some other competing solutions, Bitwarden is still totally free, though there is a premium plan with some extra features.

Bitwarden

Butwarden is a free cloud-based password manager that makes it easier to sign into all your services and websites without remembering all your passwords.

See at Bitwarden

3 Lively Wallpaper (or Wallpaper Engine)

Your desktop can be so much more

When you use your PC every day, it can be easy to get tired of it looking and feeling the same all the time. That's why customization apps are so popular, and the two options that stand out the most here are Lively Wallpaper and Wallpaper Engine.

I like Lively Wallpaper more because it's a free app, and it has some really cool options. This app has a few animated and interactive wallpapers that make your desktop much more fun. These backgrounds can react to mouse clicks and movement, or even to audio playback on your PC, so they're as lively as you want them to be. I personally love the Fluids background, which shows colorful moving fluids that follow your mouse, with small explosions whenever you click the screen.

Wallpaper Engine is a much more versatile app in that it has hundreds of animated wallpaper options created by the community, and they can look truly fantastic. Plus, with so many options, you'll never get tired of a single wallpaper. However, this one is paid, so it might be harder to justify for some people.

• 

  Lively Wallpaper

  Lively Wallpaper provides a (relatively) small selection of animated and interactive wallpapers that respond to your mouse and other events.

  See at Microsoft Store

• 

  Wallpaper Engine

  Wallpaper Engine offers hundreds of animated wallpapers you can use to spice up your desktop, all with excellent quality.

  $4 at Steam

2 Start11

Power up your Start menu

I've written at length about Start11 and sung its praises over and over, but I do it for a reason. The Windows 11 Start menu works, but it's very limite din what it lets you do. Start11 cranks things up to 11 (no pun intended) with the ability to create groups, tabs, folders, and pages for everything you want to show in your Start menu. And it's not just apps, either. You can add entire folders to your Start menu so you don't have to use File Explorer. You can even make foilders act as menus, so when you click them, they just open right there without taking you away from the Start menu.

It goes even further, too. Start11 can customize your taskbar, giving you the ability to make it fully transparent or change its color, or even apply a texture to it. It lets you move the taskbar to the top of the screen if you prefer. And you can even pin folders to the taskbar, just like with the Start menu. The sheer number of options here is amazing, and while this is a paid app, it's one I'll recommend time and time again.

Stardock Start11 v2

Start11 gives you a very wide range of customization capabilities for the Windows 11 Start menu, making it a powerful tool.

$7 at Stardock

1 Beeper

The best messaging app

I've already talked about how Beeper may be my favorite messaging app ever, and I'd say it's essential for almost anyone. These days, our contacts are split across numerous different apps, and keeping track of all those messages in not only cumbersome, but it takes a lot of space on your devic installing all those apps. Beeper is a fantastic solution that brings all your messaging services together in one cohesive, unified interface.

Beeper is built on the Matrix protocol, which can bridge all these different servers into one single app, with support for most of the features you'd expect, including quoting messages, editing messages, and more. It works with all kinds of platforms, including Discord (with private chats and servers), Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Twitter/X DMs, and a few more. It can't be understated how great it is to have all your messages under one roof, and to make it even better, it's a cross-platform app that's also on Android and iOS. You absolutely should get this app.

Beeper

Beeper is a cross-platform messaging service that brings all your messaging services into one app with a consistent unified interface.

See at Beeper

Your PC can be so much more

These are just some of the many apps you can use to make the most of your PC, and it really depends on the needs you have. Some might want a different file manager, though it's hard to recommend one when it's not really possible to replace the default File Explorer in Windows. You might also want different apps for customizing your PC, but the ones here are our top recommendations, and we're sure you'll be getting that much more from your PC thanks to them.

Let us know what essential apps you're using on your PC in the comments below!