If you're anything like me, you're always on the lookout for interesting new applications that you could find useful. So, as per usual, I've compiled a fresh list of fantastic programs that you should be aware of. If you don't already have them - and, of course, they're all free and will work on Windows, though many will also work on Mac. If you're interested, I'll provide links to other lists at the end of the video. I'm made up of free programs, chrome extensions, and other similar things. But enough with the rambling; let's get started with a highly useful tool.

7-zip

It's a widely used tool for compressing and extracting files from a variety of formats. It's extremely similar to the well-known WinRar, except it's free and supports a wider range of file types. So, if you ever come across a strange file container that you've never seen before, this will handle it.

Typical linux files include zip files, rar files, and even ", tar.gz".

It also has its own proprietary file container, the 7z format, with improved compression ratios, according to the developers. After you've finished installing the software. In the context menu, you'll see a new option where you can, for example, add files to an archive. And, as you can see, there are a plethora of options available to you, the majority of which you won't need to modify or even be aware of, but are nonetheless available. These include compression level, which allows you to have it try to compress it as much as possible or not at all at the cost of time. You can even encrypt the container and give it a password in case something goes wrong. You don't want anyone looking in on you. You may also open file containers in the same way to inspect what's inside and extract it to wherever you wish. Overall, it's a straightforward but incredibly useful application.

WinDirStat

The following item is also really useful and, to be honest, a lot of fun. It's called " WinDirStat" in a way, and what it does is scan your entire hard drive or just a specific directory and visually show you which files are taking up a lot of space. As you can see, when you first run it, you have the option of selecting what you want it to do. To scan, then just show the progress with a simple chart of what it detected so far, but that's not the exciting part, which occurs once it's finished now. We'll be able to get a good look at what's going on. Files in the same directory will be near to each other because the blocks are sorted by file location. Also, file types are color-coded, making it easy to notice if a large number of smaller files of the same type are taking up a lot of space.

When you hover your mouse over a block at the bottom, it will tell you what file it is. If you click on it, it will appear in the directory table above, where you can see more data such as how big it is. If it's something you don't care about, you can delete it right away by right clicking. I'm sure I shouldn't have to tell you how useful this programme can be, and I'm sure you'll delete at least a couple of large files you didn't even know were there. Just be careful where you delete it from; you don't want to delete any system files.

Media player, classic or MPC

 Okay, number three is "media player, classic," or MPC for short. I know most people are familiar with VLC, but MPC is arguably better and more lightweight, especially when compared to VLC. Has it become quite bloated over the years?

MPC, for example, does not do what VLC does when you close the programme and it continues to play for some reason. This does not accomplish this.

Intriguingly, Media Player Classic will improve the appearance of videos. This is because, for some reason, VLC appears to use a different gamma value, which causes videos to appear washed out and low contrast, particularly with black levels. Watch the same video with both and notice the difference. So, if you're still using VLC, pfft.

Everything

The fourth programme is called "Everything," and it is used to search for files on your computer. You might be wondering why I need that if Windows already has a built-in search, but if you've ever searched for a file, you know it takes FOREVER, but with Everything? Well, it's almost instant.

It will show you all the files in whatever directory you start in, so you can search just that directory or your entire computer. Then there are other options, such as displaying thumbnails and searching only for specific file types. You'll wonder how you ever survived without it once you start using it.

Handbrake

 "Handbrake," a free and open source video transcoder or video converter, is ranked fifth. If you've ever looked for a "video converter," you know there are a tonne of free ones out there that aren't even that good. This, on the other hand, is both straightforward and effective. If you require advanced settings, there are plenty of them. It doesn't have many output formats, mostly just MP4, but you can choose from a number of codecs to use.

In terms of input, however, it can handle almost anything. Anything from MP4 to MOV, FLV, WebM, AVI ProRes, and a slew of others you've most likely never heard of. One of the more interesting features is that it has a plethora of presets for various devices or programmes. If you're unsure about which settings to use, Are there only a few advanced features, such as de-interlacing support for subtitles, rotating the video, and so on? So, if you come across a strange video format that may or may not play on your computer, you can probably use Handbrake to convert it to MP4, which is basically ubiquitous.

Ninite

Okay, the next item on the list isn't exactly a programme, but I'll include it anyway. It's actually a website called Ninite that allows You to install several popular programmes at once without having to search for the site, download, and install them individually.

This is extremely useful if you get a new computer with no software installed. However, you can simply go to the website, select the programmes you want, and it will generate an installer containing only the programmes you selected. Then it simply goes through all of the installations. You may still need to configure some of them, but it's a simple process.

You can have seen some of the illustrations here: they have Chrome, Skype, 7-zip, iTunes, Dropbox Steam, and many more. It is constantly checking for new versions of all the programmes. As a result, you won't have to worry about getting an outdated version.

Plex

Finally, Plex is a great programme for anyone who downloads a lot of TV shows and movies to their computer. It's fairly well-known, so you may have heard of it before, but it essentially creates a media server on your computer that allows you to stream. Transferring your media files to all of your other devices

There are other basic programmes that do this, but I don't think any of them have as many features or as nice an interface. It's almost like Netflix, where it shows you cover art for shows and episodes and tells you which ones you still need to watch. And here's the best part: It automatically goes out and collects media information. Depending on the title of the video file and how the folders are organised. It should be able to determine which show or movie it is. Then it will download everything's cover, art metadata, and even descriptions.

It does take some effort to get Plex configured because you must select a file path for your library and then ensure that all episodes and other items are organised in folders. However, once set up, it is simple. What's even better is that there's a Plex app for almost every device.

You can use it to stream it on your phone, but there are also apps for Xbox Playstation, LG TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, and other devices.

They do have a paid version that adds features like streaming from the cloud, but the free version includes everything. You'll require.

Audacity

Now you know what I'm thinking: as a bonus, I'll throw in another programme. It's not something you'll need frequently, but you might need it at some point. So this is "Audacity," which is simply a free audio editor. Editor. It's been around for a long time, and I believe you could use it for a variety of purposes.

For example, if you want to record your voice for something, you can do so, or you can apply a simple effect to a sound file, such as noise reduction, or you can simply trim an audio file. Maybe you're listening to a song, but there's a long period of silence. You can simply edit that out at the end.

So, while you may never need it, at least you'll remember it if you do. So there you have it: a collection of free programmes that you should find useful