New Windows PC: the essential free software
A new computer needs a few basic tools. For each need, the list only keeps programs available on Windows whose pricing is verified and whose feature is described by their authors. Always download them from their official site.
Data as of 7 November 2026 · 30 resources selected, all published after their official site and free status were verified at a reliable source.
Choose by need
Only tools whose capability is established under the same rules as their listings are shown here: a page from their authors (website, repository, Steam page), an app catalogue listing (Flathub, F-Droid, Winget, Debian package, SourceForge) or a Wikipedia article, read automatically; the source and reading date are shown for each.
Web browser
For browsing, alongside or instead of the pre-installed browser.
- FirefoxCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Google ChromeCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS · Installed on the device · no accountsource (google.com) read on 10 November 2026
- LibreWolfCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Chromium Web BrowserCompletely free · Windows, Linux and Android · Installed on the devicesource (wikidata.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Ungoogled ChromiumCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Linux and Android · Installed on the devicesource (wikidata.org) read on 10 November 2026
- VivaldiCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the devicesource (vivaldi.com) read on 10 November 2026
Office documents
Open and write documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
- ONLYOFFICE Desktop EditorsCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- LibreOfficeCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Linux and Android · Installed on the device · no accountsource (libreoffice.org) read on 10 November 2026
- WPS OfficeLimited free plan · Windows and Linux · Installed on the devicesource (wps.com) read on 10 November 2026
- FocusWriterCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Apache OpenOfficeCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (Winget) read on 10 November 2026
Video and audio player
Play videos and music in most formats.
- mpvCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Linux and Android · Installed on the devicesource (mpv.io) read on 10 November 2026
- HarunaCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- SMPlayerCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (smplayer.info) read on 10 November 2026
- ClapperCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (rafostar.github.io) read on 10 November 2026
- madamiruCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- MPV-EASY-PlayerCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (github.com) read on 10 November 2026
PDF reader
Read and print PDFs; to edit them, see the PDF guide.
- OkularCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (Winget) read on 10 November 2026
- SioyekCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- MuPDF viewerCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Android and iOS · Installed on the devicesource (f-droid.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Foxit PDF ReaderLimited free plan · Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS · Installed on the device · no account · Free plan: basic features are free; others are reserved for paid plans. · Limited free credits: 300 credits included; beyond that, use is paid.source (foxit.com) read on 10 November 2026
- SumatraPDFCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (sumatrapdfreader.org) read on 10 November 2026
- MiroLimited free plan · Windows · Installed on the device · Free plan: basic features are free; others are reserved for paid plans. · Premium content: part of the content is reserved for subscribers.source (Winget) read on 10 November 2026
ZIP, 7z, RAR archives
Open and create compressed files.
- PeaZipCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (peazip.github.io) read on 10 November 2026
- 7-ZipCompletely free · Windows · Installed on the device · no accountsource (Winget) read on 10 November 2026
- NanaZipCompletely free · Windows · Installed on the device · no accountsource (Winget) read on 10 November 2026
- BandizipCompletely free · Windows · Installed on the devicesource (Winget) read on 10 November 2026
- IZArcCompletely free · Windows · Installed on the device · no accountsource (izarc.org) read on 10 November 2026
Password manager
A different password for each site, without having to remember them.
- BitwardenLimited free plan · Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS · Installed on the device · Free plan: basic features are free; others are reserved for paid plans. · Paid subscriptions from 1,65 $ per month (price read on the official page).source (bitwarden.com) read on 10 November 2026
- KeePassXCCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (keepassxc.org) read on 10 November 2026
- OneKeePassCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS · Installed on the devicesource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- Password SafeCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (pwsafe.org) read on 10 November 2026
- AuthPassCompletely free · Windows, Linux, Android and iOS · Installed on the device · no accountsource (authpass.app) read on 10 November 2026
- QtPassCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (qtpass.org) read on 10 November 2026
Backup
Regularly copy your files to another drive.
- FreeFileSyncFree, with trade-offs · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the devicesource (freefilesync.org) read on 10 November 2026
- KopiaCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the devicesource (kopia.io) read on 10 November 2026
- KatalogCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the devicesource (github.com) read on 10 November 2026
- google-photos-backupCompletely free · Windows and macOS · Installed on the device · no accountsource (github.com) read on 10 November 2026
- yrbaCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (yrba.roth.systems) read on 10 November 2026
- Cyotek CopyToolsCompletely free · Windows · Installed on the devicesource (cyotek.com) read on 10 November 2026
Photo editing
Crop, correct and retouch your photos.
- GIMPCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (gimp.org) read on 10 November 2026
- PintaCompletely free · Windows, macOS and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (pinta-project.com) read on 10 November 2026
- RapidRAWCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- PhotoflareCompletely free · Windows and Linux · Installed on the device · no accountsource (flathub.org) read on 10 November 2026
- CalibRawCompletely free · Windows, macOS, Linux and Android · Installed on the device · no accountsource (f-droid.org) read on 10 November 2026
- jietubaCompletely free · Windows · Installed on the device · no accountsource (github.com) read on 10 November 2026
Full guide catalogue (30 tools, not individually qualified)
| Resource | Pricing | Account required | License | Platforms | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox | Completely free | No | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS | 6 November 2026 |
| darktable | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Google Chrome | Completely free | No | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS | 6 November 2026 |
| Brave | Completely free | No | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS | 6 November 2026 |
| VLC | Completely free | Not verified | GPL-2.0-or-later | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS | 5 November 2026 |
| ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors | Completely free | No | AGPL-3.0-only | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS | 5 November 2026 |
| LibreOffice | Completely free | No | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux and Android | 5 November 2026 |
| LocalSend | Completely free | No | Apache-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS | 5 November 2026 |
| Obsidian | Completely free | No | Proprietary | Windows and Linux | 6 November 2026 |
| GIMP | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-or-later AND LGPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| LibreWolf | Completely free | No | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Chromium Web Browser | Completely free | Not verified | BSD-3-Clause AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND Apache-2.0 AND IJG AND MIT AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND ISC AND OpenSSL AND (MPL-1.1 OR GPL-2.0-only OR LGPL-2.0-only) | Windows, Linux and Android | 5 November 2026 |
| Stremio | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-only | Windows, Linux and iOS | 5 November 2026 |
| FreeTube | Completely free | No | AGPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Krita | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-only | Windows, macOS, Linux and Android | 5 November 2026 |
| PeaZip | Completely free | No | LGPL-3.0-only | Windows, macOS and Linux | 6 November 2026 |
| KeePassXC | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Inkscape | Completely free | No | GPL-2.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | 7 November 2026 |
| Modrinth App | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-only | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Ungoogled Chromium | Completely free | Not verified | BSD-3-Clause AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND Apache-2.0 AND IJG AND MIT AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND ISC AND OpenSSL AND (MPL-1.1 OR GPL-2.0-only OR LGPL-2.0-only) | Windows, macOS, Linux and Android | 5 November 2026 |
| PDF Arranger | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Kodi | Completely free | No | GPL-2.0-only GPL-2.0-or-later LGPL-2.1-or-later MIT BSD-3-Clause BSD-4-Clause | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS | 6 November 2026 |
| Vivaldi | Completely free | Not verified | Proprietary | Windows and Linux | 6 November 2026 |
| OpenRGB | Completely free | No | GPL-2.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Pinta | Completely free | No | MIT | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Okular | Completely free | No | GPL-2.0-or-later AND GFDL-1.3 | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Dolphin | Completely free | No | GPL-2.0-or-later | Windows and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Opera | Completely free | Not verified | Proprietary | Windows, Linux, Android and iOS | 6 November 2026 |
| Flameshot | Completely free | No | GPL-3.0-or-later | Windows, macOS and Linux | 5 November 2026 |
| Waterfox | Completely free | No | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux and Android | 5 November 2026 |
What the data shows
- 26 of 30 are open source.
- 25 of 30 work without an account (verified).
Good to know
During installation, decline any extra software offered (toolbars, “partner offers”): untick them before continuing.
Windows already includes an antivirus and a firewall (Microsoft Defender): a second resident antivirus is not needed.
How this list is built
Order: most complete free offer first (no strings, then with conditions, then limited free version), then a popularity index computed from public signals (installs in official catalogues, repository stars, presence in several sources). No position can be bought.