Ultra Defrag organizes the “filing cabinet” under the hood of your computer, which will help speed up things like application launching and file searching.Īlternate option: Auslogics Disk Defrag Free, Skype Think of a filing cabinet where new files are just stuffed at the front. Over time, as you add more files and programs to your computer, they become internally disorganized. What does it do? Speeds up your hard drive Windows Storage Sense, which is already a part of many versions of Windows, automatically takes care of those excess files, maximizing the free space on your computer for files you actually care about - applications, photos and so on.Īlternate option: CCleaner, Ultra Defrag Many software packages download things like web pages and extra files to your computer and then never delete them. What does it do? Automatic junk file remover It blocks third party tracking cookies and social trackers by default, meaning advertisers keep their nose out of your web browsing as much as possible.Īlternate option: Google Chrome, Windows Storage Sense What does it do? Web browser built for securityĪlthough Windows comes with a built-in web browser, Mozilla Firefox is a great alternative as it’s designed from the bottom up for security. This is great for backing up important but not highly personal material, like digital photographs.Īlternate option: Dropbox Basic, Mozilla Firefox Microsoft OneDrive is Microsoft’s online backup solution that’s integrated heavily with Windows. Free software for Windows Microsoft OneDrive At minimum, use Microsoft’s Defender, which is free with Windows. You should also strongly consider an antivirus software package. For Windows, the place to start is Windows Apps. First, only download software directly from the official app store of the platform you’re using or directly from a well-established software company. There are several simple steps you can take to avoid malware. Malware can do any number of things to your computer, including identity theft and holding your files for ransom. One concern many people have with free software is malware.

Program list windows 8