Windows has more great programs than we can count, but some are essential to just about every PC setup. In this year's annual Lifehacker Pack for Windows, we're highlighting the must-have downloads for better productivity, communication, media management, and more.
The Lifehacker Pack
is a yearly snapshot of our favorite, essential applications for each
of our favorite platforms. For our always-updating directory of all the
best apps, be sure to bookmark our Windows App Directory.
The Ninite Pack
As always, we have the good folks at Ninite
helping us out this year, creating a one-click installer for the
Windows Lifehacker Pack. You can download the entire pack together, or
just pick the apps you want, and Ninite will install them all at once,
no bloatware or toolbars included—perfect for new Windows installations
or setting up your friends with a good set of apps.
And,
just like every year, we have two packs for Windows: an Essentials
pack that everyone should have, and an Extended pack, which includes
some tools that more hardcore users will probably need around. This year
we've added a new app or two, removed some to keep the ever-growing
pack lean, and moved a few downloads to the Extended Pack where they
belong. (And, of course, this is just a starting point—there are tons of great Windows apps out there, even if they aren't essentials.)
Note:
unfortunately, the Ninite pack is missing a couple apps from the
list—most notably CCleaner (because they don't want their software in
Ninite), Bins, and Fences (both of which are paid apps). So don't forget
to grab those ones manually after you've installed the rest of the pack
with Ninite!
So, without further ado, here is the 2014 Lifehacker pack for Windows!
Productivity
Launchy
On the surface, Launchy is an utility that helps you launch programs super fast—but it's really much, much more than that.
Not only can you launch your favorite programs with just a few
keystrokes, but you can also open documents and folders, perform
calculations, kill processes, search the web, and perform any number of
advanced tasks (like start an SSH session). It isn't the only
application launcher on Windows, but it is our favorite.
ResophNotes and Evernote
Everyone
needs a place to store little notes and clippings, but not everyone
needs the same thing. So, for our note-taking portion of the pack, we
give you two options: ResophNotes and Evernote. ResophNotes is about as
simple as they come, syncing plain text notes through Simplenote or Dropbox and
letting you get back to work. Evernote, on the other hand, is more of a
filing cabinet for notes, web clippings, and just about anything else
you could possibly need. It may seem like overkill, but once you
actually figure out how to use it, it can be indispensable for work and play.
ResophNoes icon by Jayvant.
PhraseExpress
Text
expansion is one of the greatest improvements you can make to your
productivity. Think of any tedious typing you do during the
day—addresses, canned email responses, bits of code, or anything
else—and imagine being able to type it all with just a few keystrokes.
That's what text expansion does, and it can save you hours of typing. PhraseExpress is the best free option on Windows, and while it has its problems, its our go-to for folks new to text expansion. Once you've gotten the hang of it though, Breevy might be a worthy upgrade.
Wunderlist
More to-do apps exist than we could even count, and which one you choose depends a lot on how you work best. If we had to pick a favorite, though, it'd be Wunderlist.
It's free, syncs to the cloud, and exists on just about any device you
could want or have. Just start it up and start making your lists. It's
incredibly simple to use, which is exactly what you want from a to-do
list: make it easy to add and move tasks, so you can get back to
actually doing them.
LibreOffice and Microsoft Office
When
Google Docs just isn't enough for your word processing needs, you need
LibreOffice, the feature-packed, cross-platform, 100% free office suite.
When LibreOffice's word processor, spreadsheet tool, and presentation
creator don't cut it, Microsoft Office will undoubtedly fit the bill
(albeit at a price). If you aren't sure which one you need, check out our comparison between the two. And if you just need to view Office documents, you can check out the Microsoft Office Viewers instead.
SumatraPDF
The
first time you go to open a PDF on a new Windows machine, you may be
greeted with that ever-familiar prompt to install Adobe Reader. Don't do
it! Unless compatibility issues force you into using Adobe's reader,
you'd be much happier with something fast, light, and simple, like the
awesome (and free) SumatraPDF. If you need to edit PDFs, check out our favorite PDF editor, PDF-XChange.
Internet and Communication
Chrome
The browser wars aren't as close as they used to be, and most power users have switched over to Chrome
these days. We can see why, too: it's fast, smooth, syncs all your
settings, and has an incredible extension library. It may not be quite
as customizable as Firefox, but for the majority of people—even us power users—it's more than enough.
Pidgin
Whether
you live and die by instant messaging or just need it for the
occasional contact, having a desktop client is much easier than using
the web. With an app like Pidgin, you can sign into multiple accounts at
once (like Google Talk, AIM, and Facebook Chat), carry on multiple
conversations in one window, and do all sorts of other stuff with Pidgin's fantastic plugins.
Skype
Skype may not be our favorite video chat program,
but it's definitely the most popular. Chances are, you have at least
one or two friends and family members that will want to use Skype with
you, so it's a good program to have in your pocket, even if you don't use it as part of your regular telephony. Just make sure to disable the auto-start feature so it isn't always running.
Music, Photos, and Video
VLC
Windows
Media Player can play the most basic file formats, but when it comes to
playing DVDs, files you've downloaded from the web, and more, you'll
need something that can do more. VLC plays every file format under the
sun, and it does it well. It isn't our favorite video player—that honor goes to the amazing PotPlayer—but
VLC is incredibly simple to download and use, so we're substituting
PotPlayer for VLC in this Lifehacker pack. It's the app we'd recommend
to just about anyone. If you want something more advanced, PotPlayer is a great alternative.
Plex
We
don't usually feature media center programs in our Lifehacker pack,
since they're really designed for media center devices—plus, most of us
are still split over whether we like XBMC or Plex better—but Plex has one other feature we absolutely love: it's the best program out there for streaming video to other devices,
whether it's a home theater PC, a Roku, or your smartphone. Plex can
stream across the room or across the country, whichever you need—so it's
a great program to have on your PC.
Picasa
Picasa may not be the ultimate professional photo editing and storing tool, but for us normal folks, it's a pretty fantastic app
for keeping everything organized. It scans your photo folders and will
automatically update your library if it detects anything new, ensuring
it never misses anything. It's also got some great basic editing tools
that are easy enough for even beginners to use, and it syncs with Google
for cloud-based backup. Of course, if you aren't a fan of photo
management apps, you could just skip Picasa and use Dropbox instead.
Paint.NET
Unless
you're a professional designer, you probably don't need something as
advanced and complicated as Photoshop to edit the occasional images. For
the rest of us, there's Paint.NET: a basic, free, easy-to-use image
editor that fills the basic needs you'll encounter on a regular basis.
If you want something a bit more advanced (but still free), check out GIMP.
MusicBee
Picking
a music player is one of the more personal choices you can make when it
comes to apps, so we recommend trying a few things and seeing what fits
you. If you aren't sure what you want, we'd recommend MusicBee as
a good place to start (replacing our former choice, Winamp). It's
customizable, lightweight, and easy to use—a hard combination to find.
It has tons of options to tweak the interface, install extra plugins,
and otherwise get everything working just so. If MusicBee isn't your cup of tea, check out the extended pack below for a few more options.
Spotify
MusicBee
might be our pick for music player, but we still recommend having a
streaming music player on hand—even if it isn't your main player.
Spotify is a great app to keep around. It helps you discover new
artists, try them before you buy, listen to different streaming radio
stations, and create awesome collaborative playlists—among many other hidden features. Plus, it's got some pretty cool plugins that make discovering music even easier. Sure, it's go a few annoyances—like interrupting ads and heavy ties to Facebook—but both of those are fixable.
Utilities
Dropbox
These
days, lots of us have more than just one device. Maybe it's a work
computer and a home computer, or maybe it's three computers, a
smartphone, a tablet, and a time machine that runs Linux. Whatever your
span of devices, Dropbox is absolutely essential for keeping all your
files (and other stuff) in sync. You get 2 GB of free space to start, but it's really easy to load up on extra space for free.
uTorrent
When
you have to download a large file, BitTorrent is almost always a better
alternative than a slow direct download. When it comes to Windows,
uTorrent is still our tried-and-true BitTorrent app of choice.
It's full of useful features, but keeps itself lightweight and easy to
use, a balance few programs can truly say they've struck. It's got a few
ads, but they're easy to disable. Once you've got it set up, make sure it's optimized for speed and privacy.
CrashPlan
Everyone needs a backup.
There's no worse feeling than having your hard drive crash and having
to start from scratch. Enter CrashPlan. While you could always back up to an external drive,
that won't save you if you lose your computer in a fire, burglary, or
other disaster. CrashPlan backs your computer up to the cloud, using
either CrashPlan's cloud service or a friend's computer, keeping your
data safe no matter what. Plus, it's really easy to set up. Set it, forget it, and relax.
CCleaner
Every computer needs a bit of maintenance
now and then to keep it running snappy, and CCleaner is our favorite
tool to get all those tasks done. CCleaner cleans temporary files and
cookies from your browser, temporary files and documents from Windows,
cleans up junk from your other installed programs, and will even
securely wipe your hard drive if need be. Set it to run on a schedule for truly automated cleaning.
Revo Uninstaller
When
you uninstall a program with Windows' built-in tool, sometimes it
leaves behind extra files or registry entries that it can't find. Revo fixes that problem:
not only does it uninstall every trace of the program in question, but
you can also uninstall program via its "Hunter Mode" just by clicking on
the program you want to get rid of. It's a must-have for any Windows
user, especially those that like to try a lot of software.
7-Zip
Windows
can create ZIP archives for you right out of the box, but when you
stumble on a less familiar file format—like the much more efficient RAR
or 7Z—you'll need an archive tool. 7-Zip is the tool you want,
allowing you to not only create and open archives of other formats, but
also encrypt them for safe keeping, all right from Windows' context
menu. Chances are you'll need this one day, so you might as well install
it now. It's perfect for compressing a bunch of files or sending sensitive information online.
Avast! Free Antivirus
No matter how careful you are, every computer should have a good antivirus program
installed. If you pick the right one, it'll be lightweight enough that
you never notice it, but strong enough to pick up any infection that
comes your way. For us, that balance is almost perfectly struck with Avast.
It's free, light, and fantastic at catching infections. It's replaced
Microsoft Security Essentials as our favorite antivirus because MSE's
virus detection skills have gone downhill. We were nervous about trying
something else, but Avast is everything we could have hoped for—just
make sure you disable its annoying sounds and popups.
The Extended Pack
So
you've got the basic essentials that every computer should have, but
there are other programs we've found ourselves installing time and time
again whenever we boot up a new Windows installation. That's what the
extended pack is for: they aren't essentials, but they're very useful
apps that deserve to be part of your toolkit.
.NET, Silverlight, and Java
.NET, Silverlight, and Java are three frameworks that you might not always need right away,
but you may somewhere down the line. If you know you're going to need
them in the future (like if you're a Netflix user, which requires
Silverlight), go ahead and download them right now. If you aren't sure,
it won't hurt to hold off. Just make sure to disable Java in your browser for.
Thunderbird
Most
of you probably don't use desktop email clients anymore, so we've
removed this from the regular pack and put it down here with the
extended pack. They may not be popular anymore, but desktop clients are still very useful—they'll handle multiple accounts like a champ, give you offline access, provide a backup for when Gmail goes down, and a lot more. Thunderbird may have slowed development, but its great extension library
and level of customizability make it a great choice of desktop client
(not to mention its $0 price tag). If you're looking for something a bit
more advanced, we love Postbox (which is based off Thunderbird) as a paid alternative.
Handbrake
Handbrake
isn't a must-have for everyone, but it's very useful for anyone
ripping, encoding, or otherwise working with videos. Not only is it the
perfect program for ripping a DVD to your computer, it can also convert big Blu-Ray rips, encode videos for your favorite phone or tablet, and more. Best of all, it's 100% free and open source.
Bins
Bins
is a great little app that combines multiple icons into one stack in
the Windows taskbar. It's perfect for grouping together your music
players, creating a stack of your less oft-used programs, and otherwise cleaning up your messy taskbar. It's $5, and one of the Windows programs that's well worth paying for.
Fences
If
you have more than a few icons on your desktop that are in a constant
state of clutter, Fences is for you. Fences divides your desktop up into
a few little groups, letting you place icons in each one
individually—by category, file type, or however else you want. You can
even create fences based on folders on your PC, and swipe between
multiple pages of icons. It's everything you need to create a clean, organized desktop and keep it that way. Fences is $9.99, but you can get a free trial before you buy (or grab the old, free version of Fences here).
iTunes, MediaMonkey, and foobar2000
If
MusicBee isn't for you, it's a good thing you have so many other
choices. We've put a few other music players in the Extended Pack that
should fit almost any needs. iTunes, while far from perfect, is ideal if
you have any iOS devices to sync. MediaMonkey has a ton of advanced
tagging, organizing, and syncing features, and can even sync to iOS with a bit of work. Foobar2000 is more customizable than anything else out there, and while it's a bit advanced, it can really become anything you want it to be. Try one of these and you're sure to be satisfied.
Notepad++
Whether you're a hardcore programmer, occasional web developer, or just a mild tweaker, Notepad++ is miles beyond Windows' built-in notepad for editing code. It's lightweight, stores open documents in tabs, highlights syntax, and has a ton of plugins for customizing your experience. Even if you only edit the occasional INI file, Notepad++ will make you happy.
AutoHotkey
What can be said about our favorite little Windows utility that hasn't already been said before? AutoHotkey basically turns any action you can imagine into a keyboard shortcut.
It requires a little bit of code, but even the most basic users can
grasp it in an afternoon—and you can do anything from simple shortcuts
to build full-fledged programs with AutoHotkey. Use it to add your own shortcuts to Windows Explorer, create a customized boss key, put your computer to sleep, and lots, lots more. If you haven't tried AutoHotkey yet, now is the time—you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Title image by Perfect Vectors (Shutterstock) and Litz (Shutterstock).
There's
some good stuff in this article, but some of the tools are not worth
their usage if you're on a lower end machine, so weakling netbooks be
warned... AutoHotKey is amazing if you have the right scripts. It can
make so many programs obsolete. I use AHK for launching my programs,
advanced window managing, enabling transparency, live monitor windows,
managing my clipboard, popping out flash videos of sites, extending my
mouse's functionality, and so much more- all without eating up memory.
It's simply, hands down, my favorite tool- period. I love Teracopy,
Revo, and Dropbox too. And as long as you have something like Classic Start Menu/Classic Shell, you don't need any special launcher program. You can use it to modify the Start Menu to do everything you need.
If I can add...
I'd take Irfanview with plugins any day of the week over Picasa simply for gif support and just the general customization/lightness of the program. There's also lack of system monitoring tools here, so I'd like to suggest DesktopInfo. Also, if you have premium Last.fm, Spotify, or Grooveshark account, Clementine is the only media player you need for streaming your music PLUS playing your local tracks. It's so feature rich and slick, it's just awesome. If you're a non-premium user though, Foobar2000 can't fail you, especially if you like customization. And if you just want a simple media player that runs as silently and smoothly as possible, Boom.
If I can add...
I'd take Irfanview with plugins any day of the week over Picasa simply for gif support and just the general customization/lightness of the program. There's also lack of system monitoring tools here, so I'd like to suggest DesktopInfo. Also, if you have premium Last.fm, Spotify, or Grooveshark account, Clementine is the only media player you need for streaming your music PLUS playing your local tracks. It's so feature rich and slick, it's just awesome. If you're a non-premium user though, Foobar2000 can't fail you, especially if you like customization. And if you just want a simple media player that runs as silently and smoothly as possible, Boom.
