One of my favorite things about Windows is just how much you can improve your experience with a few good apps. And while you may already be familiar with all the popular options like Windhawk, LocalSend, ShareX, Ditto, and PowerToys, there are so many other tools that are just as good.
Personally, I rely on a few of them myself. These are genuinely useful tools, yet I almost never see people talking about them online.
7 popular Windows apps that Microsoft PowerToys made obsolete
Microsoft keeps adding PowerToys features that replace the tiny Windows utilities I used to install first.
Google
Search anything, from anywhere
Searching the web is something that all of us do. But with the Google app for Windows, you can do that without ever opening a browser and literally from any screen on your PC. All you have to do is press Alt + Space and start typing. Even better, the window disappears automatically once you switch to something else.
Its main highlight is the ability to search what’s on your screen. If you’re using an app and come across something you don’t understand, you can simply bring up the Google app, capture a screenshot, and start asking questions. You can even jump into AI mode to ask follow-up questions and keep the conversation going.
My favorite feature, though, is unified search. It lets me search for files stored on my PC and even Google Drive. That means I don’t have to rely on Windows Search as much, which is always nice.
- OS
-
Windows
- Price model
-
Free
Google app for desktop is a free tool that lets you search the web, find your Drive files, and ask what’s on your PC’s screen.
FxSound
The audio upgrade your laptop deserves
It feels weird, but for some reason, Windows still doesn’t have a built-in equalizer. That’s why FxSound is one of the first apps I install on any PC. It’s a lightweight equalizer app that can make your headphones or even those mediocre laptop speakers sound great.
You can use the equalizer to tweak every frequency manually or use one of the built-in presets. There are presets for gaming, music, movies, and even voice clarity. There’s even hotkey support, which means you can turn the equalizer off and switch presets with just your keyboard. It’s a simple tool, but one that I can’t live without.
PotPlayer
The ultimate VLC alternative
Most people never look beyond VLC, and honestly, I don’t blame them. But there are also alternatives that offer even more features, and the one I use is PotPlayer. It handles basically everything that makes VLC good, including support for obscure video formats, subtitles, hardware acceleration, and skins.
But what makes PotPlayer appealing is its clean, modern interface. And if you like customization, its preferences menu lets you tweak every little detail about it, including fonts, button placements, colors, and even the menus.
My favorite is extension support, which lets you add even more functionality. For instance, there’s an extension that lets you watch live YouTube videos directly inside the player without any ads or distractions. This is something VLC often struggles with.
- OS
-
Windows
- Price model
-
Free
PotPlayer is a free media player app for Windows that supports most media formats, looks modern, and offers plenty of useful features.
File Converter
Right-click and convert
Converting files is something that all of us need to do from time to time. Yes, online tools exist, but I’ve never really liked using them. Most of them are filled with ads, require way too many steps, and sometimes even reduce the file quality. And of course, there’s the privacy side of it, especially if you’re converting sensitive files or documents.
With File Converter installed on my PC, I don’t have to worry about that. It’s a free, open-source tool that lets you convert almost any photo, video, audio file, or document in seconds. What I like about it the most is how seamlessly it integrates with Windows. I can right-click any file on my PC, choose File Converter, and pick the desired format. It’s that easy. There’s even the option to scale down images and compress videos, which is great for sharing stuff.
- OS
-
Windows
- Price model
-
Free
File Converter adds a convert option to Windows context menu so you can easily convert audio, video, and documents to other formats.
PortableApps.com
Apps without installation
With most apps and software, you first have to install them on your PC. Portable apps are different because they don’t require any installation. You can just run a portable app or tool like you’d open an image or document. PortableApps.com is essentially an app store for such apps so you can download and update such apps without any hassle.
Personally, I find portable apps incredibly handy for tools I only need occasionally. This includes tools like 7-Zip, CPU-Z, GIMP, Revo Uninstaller, and a few others. These are tools I need on almost all my PCs, but not every day. PortableApps lets me use and manage these apps directly from a USB drive, which is incredibly handy. I can just plug the drive on any PC and start using the tools.
The best part about all these Windows apps is they’re completely free, which also makes them so easy to recommend. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Windows is full of such underrated tools that sadly don’t get the attention they deserve.