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Windows10's market share is increasing slowly but steadily over time. This December ittouched 33% which means that over one-third of world's computers now arerunning Windows 10.
Jul 04, 2020 If you’ve heard the phrase, “Once you go Mac, you never go back,” you know it holds true. Macs are premium devices that offer amazing features, apps, and top-notch desktop programs supplied. Jan 07, 2020 New apps are published every day, making it hard to find the best of the best — which is where we come in. We've gathered the best free apps for the Mac, all in one place so you don't have to go digging. My criteria for apps on this list. In researching the best free apps for the Mac, I started by using Apple's category list.
Beit the fluent design, multiple desktops or return of the Start Menu, Windows 10has taken many right steps, but, also few wrong ones in areas of privacy andupdates. One area where Microsoft has done a commendable job is improving thenative apps.
Edge is now way better than IE, there is native PDF support through Edge, support for Multiple desktopsand the list goes on.
Now nobody has to hunt for an alternative app like a PDFreader or image editor as the built-in apps are more than enough for such basictasks.
However, there are still some parts of Windows 10 where we need improvement. Aspects of the OS with which users interact daily such as Windows Explorer, file operations(move/copy/rename), installing/uninstalling apps are still somewhat the same as before.
So, today we will talk about fifteen apps that will improve your Windows experience and help you in accomplishing daily tasks in a much quicker way.
1. Clover
Windows Explorer has got a design upgrade in Windows 10, but, functionality wise it's still the same. Clover is an app which adds the much-needed features to Windows Explorer. Tabs, Bookmarks, enhanced keyboard shortcuts are some of the highlights of the long list of features this app has.
Plus, it integrates seamlessly with Windows, so you will not notice any out of the place visual changes.
Qttabbar is another alternative app for Clover. It is much more powerful and offers a hugenumber of options to customize it as per your needs.
2. Unchecky
Our next app keeps a vigilant look at all the programs we install on our computers. Many of the freeware or shareware type programs often contain sneaky little tick boxes during installation which silently install the advertiser's app or make changes to your system like changing the default homepage, adding a toolbar or even changing the default browser.
While most such additional programs are just annoying and can be uninstalled easily, there are some potentially harmful ones too which can install a rootkit or keylogger. Unchecky saves you all this hassle by alerting you whenever any programs try to pull such a stunt and automatically unchecks any such check-boxes.
And it's simple to use. Just install it and let it run in the background. No need to mess with any settings.
3. Ditto
Ditto is an awesome clipboard manager for Windows 10 which supercharges the clipboard functionality. A clipboard manager is particularly useful for someone who works with a lot of text and documents.
It has happened to me many times, I copy a draft of an article from one app, close it, only to find out that it hasn't been copied after pressing Ctrl+V. And the real horror is realizing I haven't saved the draft anywhere.
Clipboard manager like Ditto saves all your copied text as Historyso one can easily find any particular bit of info even if they have overwritten or lost it. Other useful features include the ability to sync clipboards of two different PCs, a stats meter and of-course, keyboard shortcuts.
4. Everything Search
One of the parts of Windows 10 that has taken a nosedive compared to the previous version is the Search function. It's hit-and-miss for many users as it doesn't return the results expected and most of the time resort to web search through, yes, you guessed it, Bing. Very helpful indeed.
While you can fix the Search, Everything Search is a better app for this. Its response time to a search query is nearly instant and the results are pretty accurate as well. Plus you can run it without installation and has some really cool additional features.
It can search an external FTP server, you can exclude specific folders from search and even search a remote PC over the web.
5. Jdownloader 2
It's known to everyone that Windows doesn't have its own downloader app and the de-facto alternative to it is Internet Download Manager(IDM), which is a paid.The free alternative is Jdownloader 2, which performs same as IDM, has morefeatures and is open-source.
One unique feature of Jdownloader is the supportfor plugins which can do various things such as controlling it remotely over Web and solving captchas on its own.
It also supports premium accounts of many file-sharing sites so you can download without any limits. If you have time and patience to learn, you can automate JDownloader through Javascript too.
6. TreeSize
Ever wondered what is hogging storage space on your PC? You don't download a ton of things still you are running out of disk space. To solve this Windows 10 has Storage Sense feature is which frees up disk space periodically by deleting temporary and old files.
You can tweak what it does by going to Settings>System>Storage>Storage Sense.
While the Modern Storage setting does visually show which folder is taking up the maximum space, you can't see individual files or do any operations. TreeSize shows you this info in much more detail including the number of files and sub-folders.
Plus, the directory-style menu is easier to understand than that of Windows 10. Finally, there are plentyof options to customize and filter how you want to view the storage data.
7. AnyDesk
Remote connection to a computer may not fare on the list of tasks an average user does often. However, it can be very useful in times when you need to help or get help for a problem. For remote connections, Windows Remote Desktop protocol is thesuperior to other solutions out there.
Though, it has a major limitation that it's available only on Pro edition of Windows. Plus to use it you need to fiddle with the IP addresses and host-names.
AnyDesk is the free app which comes close to the performance of Windows RDP and is simple to use like TeamViewer. It also has iOS, Android and Linux apps and even works cross-platform.
8. Speccy
If you have ever felt ill-informed when someone asks how much RAM your PC has or what processor it has, you can go to Control Panel>System and Security>System and find out.
However, if they ask what frequency you RAM isrunning or what GPU it has, you will again go back to being ill-informed.
Knowing your PC's hardware helps in troubleshooting as well as gauging its capability for running certain apps and games. This way you don't go on sending angry emails to tech support stating that your new Dell AIO can't run PUBG on 4K because you don't know it has GT 1030.
Speccy provides detailed info of each component of your PC and also shows the temperatures of critical parts like CPU and GPU. Finally, you can also share the specs of your PC in text or INI format for genuine help with a problem or bragging rights.
9. Odrive
With Windows 8, Microsoft gave a lot of thrust to promoting OneDrive by integrating it natively with Windows and even offering the now-defunct unlimited cloud storage plan. OneDrive, as a cloud service is comparatively good, though there are many who use other cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox.
However, adding a desktop app for each cloud service you use becomes cumbersome and Odrive is the app which solves this problem. An all-in-one universal sync client which supports over 20+ cloud services and allows you to finely control how and what files get synced.
10. ShareX
Taking a screenshot of Windows has long been done by the humble PrtScr button or the Snipping Tool which was introduced in Windows Vista. Recently, in the Windows 10 Creators Update, a new shortcut got added, Win+Shift+S.
Third party apps for taking screenshots are dime a dozen, however, ShareX is our favorite pick. The reason being, it's free, feature rich and can be useful to both a newbie or a pro user. Plus the automation features built in are really awesome. Want to add today's date to screenshot, have it numbered and upload to Gdrive?
You can do it. Want to add a black border and watermark to screenshot, upload it to Imgur and generate a short URL? You can do that too. Need I say more!
11. Smooth Video Playback
VLC is the undisputed king for video playback on Windows. It's simple to use, has plenty features and plays almost all video formats out there. Still, if you are a movie buff or like binge-watching your favorite TV shows, you will love SVP.
Smooth Video Playback or SVP 4 converts any video to 60 FPS and higher in real time. This makes the video appear more smooth and fluid, especially ones which involve a lot of action. Sadly, the free version of SVP 4 doesn't work with VLC and you will need to use(How-To) either MPC-BE or MPC-HC player.
However, if you fork out $15 for pro version, you get support for online videos, streaming over Chromecast and a bunch of other features.
12. X-Mouse Button Control
Windows settings for configuring mouse are limited to just switching mouse buttons and at best changing how the cursor looks like. If you yearn for more customization to match your Hotkey Game, XBMC(not to be confused with the media player) will give your mouse buttons multitasking superpowers.
With XBMC, you can configure what the mouse buttons and scroll wheel does in an application and add up to 10 layers to each app, which can be switched by a hotkey.
To put that into perspective, you can configure a three-button mouse to do 300 different things per application. And that's not counting scroll wheel!
13. BleachBit
Windows 10 has gotten a lot better at housekeeping by cleaning up after itself to prevent junk build up. Disk Clean-up does the job effectively by deleting all the temp and old files.
CCleaner has long been the alternative go-to app for this job, but, recently it was discovered to riddled with a malware which affected millions of users.
BleachBit is an open-source alternative which does the same thing and even overwrites the empty space so nothing can be recovered. It is also useful for cleaning files of a specific app like your browser, as opposed to Disk Clean-up which deletes everything.
14. Sizer
Windows 10 allows you to arrange open apps either side-by-side or stacked by right-clicking on Taskbar. Or you can resize them freely to arrange them as per your liking.
Sizer a free app which allows you to set custom sizes for each open windows(apps) and bind them to a hotkey. This way you can effectively divide your screen space, pixel-wise to arrange multiple apps like I have shown in the image above.
15. Teracopy
Initially, I wasn't going to include Teracopy to this list, as I always felt it didn't offer that much of an advantage over Windows copy. But, that changed when I gave the upgraded version a try on Windows 10.
While copying 37 GB of game files to my NAS server took Windows over 10 mins, Teracopy did it in under 8 mins.
Of course, how quickly files are copied and written is heavily dependent on a variety of factors like disk type, system load, network link etc, Teracopy speeds it up most of the times and doesn't hang if you cancel or pause the task. Further, it can also check the integrity of copied files by checking their checksums.
A Word About Contributions
Almost all the apps that are on the list have a portable version available, which makes it easier to test the app without installing it. And many of them are made by few small independent developers in their free time.
So, if you find any of the above apps particularly useful, consider donating or purchasing the pro version.
Because while drafting the list, I came across many other useful apps like ShapeShifter, PC-Decrapifier, and FileBot, which have been abandoned or gone completely paid due to lack of donations and time from the developer.
With that said, if you know or use any other such apps do share them through comments.
See Next: How to Post Instagram Stories Longer Than 15 Seconds on Android and iPhoneThe above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Also See#windows 10
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Cortana is integrated with Microsoft Edge.
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Apple's macOS is highly regarded for offering stellar features, a bevy of customizations, and a myriad library of apps on Mac App Store. You'll rarely hear someone say, 'My Mac seems a bit slow. How do I have so less space left?' Whether you've bought a new Mac recently or are familiar with it, organizing things on a daily basis gets overbearing over time. Thankfully, the Mac App Store and the developer community offer several macOS apps to optimize your Mac and tune it to its potential.
Every Mac owner aims for a consistently stable performance. For that, one might resort to spring cleaning occasionally. It's only wise to automate tasks like dumping old/unused files, managing menu bar items, organizing files by archiving together, and so on. How about letting some apps undertake that automatically and make your life easier? That's why we have curated a bunch of useful macOS apps to optimize your Mac.
![Useful Useful](/uploads/1/2/6/3/126394583/194786745.jpg)
Most of the apps on this list offer a trial option to let you experience them before you decide to purchase them.
Note: A few apps on this list require permissions such as Full Disk Access and Accessibility permissions to function properly. So ensure you permit them accordingly.Also on Guiding Tech
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Read More1. CleanMyMac X
We all have to pay the price for trying out several new apps. At the same time, everyone wants their Macs to be zippy and responsive. Doesn't happen if you keep dumping apps. CleanMyMac X eliminates the need to roll up sleeves to search and get rid of unwanted files or apps to speed up your Mac. It identifies the unused files, the leftover components after app uninstallations, and other unused apps. By removing those junk files and apps, you can reclaim the precious storage space — makes a world of difference on MacBooks with 128GB or 256GB storage.
CleanMyMac X trial will let you remove junk files only up to 500MB and a few exclusive features are hidden behind the paywall. The paid version is available from Mac Store and MacPaw Store with an annual subscription or one-time purchase. Heads up — Mac Store version lacks a few features, and that makes it slightly cheaper. If you want all features, you'll have to buy the 'full no holds barred' CleanMyMac X version from the MacPaw Store directly by paying a few extra bucks.
Download CleanMyMac X2. Bartender 3
The menu bar can appear crowded with too many icons and apps sitting there. Bartender 3 can organize those menu bar items by clubbing them together smartly, autohiding them, and letting you access them with keyboard shortcuts or a tiny search box. You can use that small search bar to look for and launch an app if you don't want to reveal the entire list of apps. Also, you can rearrange the app icon order in the menu bar list to access it with a single click and can browse through it quickly using your keyboard.
The best part — it works with the dark mode of macOS Catalina flawlessly. Bartender 3 comes with a free 4-week trial to let you experience a smart, minimalist menu bar. The full version will cost you $15 and it is only available from the official site.
Download Bartender 33. Alfred 4
Batman's butler Alfred J. Pennyworth is exceptionally efficient in aiding him during dangerous missions. Just like that, Alfred 4 will assist you in finding and launching the apps or documents you're looking for with minimal effort. You can even perform web searches from Alfred's search bar. It does sound like a search box juiced up by mixing the Spotlight and Siri — except the voice commands part. But, there's more.
You can add more capabilities with a Powerpack, which lets you hook it directly to several popular services like Spotify and 1Password. Also, you can use features like clipboard history, text auto-expansion, themes, and more.
You can cut down on performing repetitive manual tasks by crafting smart workflows to open apps, search the web, and expanding texts or sentences. You can also run Terminal commands right from the search bar instead of opening the Terminal app. That's pretty cool. While the app is free to download, the Powerpack will cost you 25GBP for a single license or 45GBP for a Free Lifetime Upgrade from the official site.
Top Useful Apps For Macbook
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Read More4. Keka
Dealing with archived or compressed files on Mac can be tricky. However, Keka does the job quite smoothly. It's a nifty file archiver that can also extract a variety of archive formats — yes, even IPA and APK files. It has one of the simplest interfaces that includes two areas in a small window — top part to compress files and the bottom one to extract files. You'll see that as soon as you drag and drop a few files on Keka's app window.
The brilliant thing about Keka is that you can extract files directly without the app. For that, right-click on the archive file, select Open with > Keka from the context menu, and that should do the needful. The support for compressing RAR files exists in its beta version. You can download it for free from the official site. Keka is also available for $2.99 on the Mac App Store to support the developer's efforts.
Download KekaTop Ten Apps For Mac
5. Hazel 4
Let's say you have CleanMyMac X to purge the junk files, and Alfred 4 to help you look for the precise documents that you're looking to revisit. What about the photos and files that are littered across different folders and even external volumes? Well, you can organize those files and folders smartly with Hazel 4. First, you have to create some ground rules and patterns for Hazel 4 to organize your photos, files, movies, and important documents. Then, the app automates its organization process every time you make a change.
Also, Hazel 4 can remove duplicate files that you create by mistake and toss away those incomplete downloads — these two things can help you reclaim storage space. Apart from that, you can configure it to organize files by name, date, or any other combination. Also, you can batch-rename files and archive them. Hazel 4 does make your life easier, but it will cost you $32 for that. You can buy it from the official site. The current build (Hazel 4) doesn't support the dark mode in macOS Catalina.
Download Hazel 46. Magnet
Resizing windows in macOS is so much fun that you can spend hours trying to predict how an app window will resize. With Magnet, you can overcome that by turning your workspace into a multitasking station. It allows you to drag, align, and snap windows of the open apps. That means you can work or browse the web on one side of the screen and keep Netflix or YouTube running in the browser on the other side. Just like the Split View on iPadOS and the Snap feature in Task View on Windows 10.
Working on documents while stacking two of them on top of each other becomes so convenient with it. You can customize keyboard shortcuts for snapping windows in a particular direction — right or left, top-left or bottom-left, and so on. If you don't recollect the keyboard combinations, click the Magnet icon on the Menu bar and pick the direction you want to snap the current active window.
Magnet is available for $1.99 on the Mac App Store and is best suited for those who hook their MacBooks to a monitor or a TV for a larger screen estate.
Download MagnetBest Apps For Mac Air
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Click here to see our productivity articles page7. coconutBattery 3
The macOS 10.15.5 Catalina update will bring battery health management for Mac notebooks. But how often will you check battery health, which could be nestled deep inside the settings? That's why coconutBattery 3 is a better alternative since it shows battery-related details like Charge Cycle counts, Temperature, State of Health, and even its status with a single click on the menu bar.
Such details are incredibly crucial for folks who travel a lot, use their MacBooks with external displays, and put those Macs to sleep often to understand the battery health better. The coconutBattery 3 is free to use. However, you can buy the Plus version from the official site if you want a detailed view of your iOS and Mac battery health and print device health reports.
Top Useful Apps For Mac Download
Download coconutBattery 3Spruce up That Mac
Apple's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models come with a fast yet limited storage. And that could pinch at times. That's why it's necessary to keep disk space organized and speed it up for the maximum performance. Of course, you can spend hours trying to fix those things manually. But why do that when you can save time and automate apps to manage those tasks?
By working with apps mentioned on this list, you can certainly offload those repetitive activities and optimize your Mac. Which are your favorite macOS apps that others should also try out and use? Share your experience of using them in the comments section below.
Next up:Is Microsoft Word for Mac a better option over Apple Pages for word processing? Check the next link to read our detailed comparison on a better word processing app for Mac.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextApple Pages vs Microsoft Word: Which Word Processing Software is Better for YouAlso See#macos #mac apps
Did You Know
Thunderbolt 3 is a data and video transfer protocol and is developed by Intel.