闪亮的全新Windows 11安装几乎拥有日常计算所需的一切。尽管如此，总有一些出色的应用程序始终是我们在全新安装Windows后执行的第一个软件下载。
虽然 Microsoft 的新操作系统拥有一些Windows版本历史上最好的捆绑应用程序（永远的MS Paint ！），但您仍然需要一些第三方应用程序来填补Windows PC 上的空白。您将永远不想卸载任何这些出色的应用程序。
VLC 媒体播放器(VLC Media Player)（免费）
幸运的是，下载大量代码包以播放晦涩的视频格式的日子已经过去很久了。但是，您仍然会遇到 Windows Media Player(Media Players)无法理解的视频文件。
幸运的是， VLC 媒体播放器(VLC Media Player)可以播放所有可以想象的媒体格式，而且可能还有一些没有人听说过的！这包括播放ISO文件的能力，以防您在某处的驱动器上有完整质量的DVD映像。(DVD)
VLC支持硬件解码，因此在大多数情况下，它不会在同时执行其他任务时占用您的CPU 。它没有间谍软件，也没有广告。这个开源应用程序仅靠捐赠就可以生存，我们认为，一旦您意识到VLC对任何 PC 的重要性，您就会想花几美元。
谷歌浏览器(Google Chrome)（免费）
Microsoft Edge是对(Microsoft Edge)Internet Explorer 网络(Internet Explorer web)浏览器的重大改进，现在Edge甚至是基于 Chromium 的浏览器。因此，坚持使用 Windows 11 安装附带的浏览器是非常好的。但是，很难与 Google Chrome 的大量插件支持和与 Google 服务的集成争论。集成密码和下载管理器等功能也首先减少了您需要的应用程序数量。
如果您使用Google服务并在 PC 旁边使用不同的平台，例如 iOS、Android、Linux或 macOS，那么Chrome是必不可少的下载。这些天浏览器有点臃肿，所以你必须注意你打开的标签数量，但除此之外，它仍然是山中之王。
尽管我们从印刷文档转向屏幕查看，但 PDF 格式今天仍在广泛使用。(PDF)接收旨在打印的打印文档（例如公司表格和合同）尤其常见。
有很多不错的 PDF 阅读器(good PDF readers)可供您下载，而且与第三方选项相比， Adobe Acrobat的免费版本过去过于有限。(Adobe Acrobat)如今，Adobe将许多功能打包到免费应用程序中，虽然您无法在没有订阅的情况下编辑PDF(PDFs)，但您可以执行最常见的任务，例如填写和签署表格。
您还可以对PDF进行注释，这样学生就可以在(PDFs)PDF格式的研究论文或教科书上做笔记，而无需支付一分钱。
恶意软件字节(Malwarebytes)（免费）
Windows Defender现在非常好，我们真的不建议大多数用户安装第三方防病毒包。但是，Defender确实对不属于病毒的事物存在盲点，例如潜在有害程序(Potentially Unwanted Programs)( PUP(PUPs) )、广告软件、恶意软件和浏览器劫持(adware, malware, and browser hijackers)程序。
MalwareBytes 巧妙地填补了这一空白，确保您不会感染会降低计算机速度或窃取信息的软件。该应用程序免费版本的主要缺点是您必须手动执行扫描。没有自动实时保护。
微软(Microsoft)不再销售独立的年度Microsoft Office套件。相反，您必须支付年度订阅费用。Microsoft 365订阅无疑是一笔非常划算的交易。尤其是家庭计划(Family Plan)，其中包括您需要的所有Office应用程序以及每位家庭成员 1 TB 的云存储空间。
如果您不喜欢为您的办公套件永久付费，那么LibreOffice是一个不错的选择。这个免费和开源的办公套件将使任何经典的MS Office用户感到宾至如归。
这是一个简洁的离线生产力包，对于不依赖Microsoft 365提供的云功能的家庭用户、学生和企业来说已经足够好了。我们认为，如果您需要一个很好的Word或Excel的免费替代品而没有任何在线复杂性，那么LibreOffice是首选。
VPN服务对您的(VPN)ISP和与您共享网络的其他人隐藏您的互联网活动，例如咖啡店的免费WiFi 。它还可以对在线服务隐藏您的 IP 地址和真实位置。
许多人为VPN订阅付费以规避内容的地域限制。ExpressVPN是市场上最好的VPN服务之一，无疑是最容易使用和设置的服务之一。安装Windows应用程序后，只需单击一下即可保护您的整个互联网连接。虽然这是一项付费服务，但新用户可以获得 30 天的全功能试用，因此您可以毫无风险地查看它是否适合您。
蒸汽(Steam)（免费）
Steam 是最大的 PC 游戏在线市场，拥有所有游戏服务中最好的 Windows 客户端。在撰写本文时，Steam 上有超过 50,000 款游戏，其中许多是免费的！
Steam让您可以从一个中央应用程序管理您的游戏，您甚至可以在您的计算机上启动不是通过Steam店面购买的游戏。Steam举办了大规模的销售活动，许多热门游戏每年多次折扣高达 90%。如果您正在考虑在 Windows 11 PC 上玩游戏，那么Steam应该是您下载的首批应用之一。
比特沃登(BitWarden)
我们大多数人的密码太多，无法全部记住。此外(Besides)，您可以轻松记住的密码类型也是最容易破解的密码类型。
有许多很棒的密码管理器(password managers)，但如果您选择免费版本，商业密码管理器会花费相当多的钱或受到限制。谷歌浏览(Google Chrome)器内置了一个不错的密码管理器，虽然不是每个人都愿意用谷歌(Google)或在线存储他们的信息。
BitWarden是一款免费的开源密码管理器和生成器，可让您控制数据的存储位置和保护方式。由于它是开源的，这也意味着可以独立审计软件的漏洞或隐藏的间谍软件。
我们将这两个应用程序混为一谈，因为您很有可能将这些平台中的一个（或两个！）用作您手机上的主要消息服务。
WhatsApp桌面应用程序在首次启动时起步不稳，但现在它是移动应用程序的稳定且功能齐全的桌面版本。
Telegram的桌面应用程序也是如此。在这两种情况下，使用计算机键盘发送消息要方便得多。更不用说，您可以轻松地将文件从计算机拖放到聊天中。在Telegram的情况下，您可以共享照片和视频而无需任何压缩。
凭借庞大的硬盘驱动器和快速的互联网，您可能认为这些天不会大量使用文件压缩，但您从互联网下载的几乎所有内容都将采用压缩格式。Windows 11 具有本机支持。ZIP文件，但只有在您开始下载其他格式时，操作系统才会摸不着头脑。
7-Zip 是一个免费的开源压缩文件管理器，几乎可以打开任何存档格式。它还具有其专有的 7-Zip 格式，与其他算法相比，它具有一些速度和大小优势。
7-Zip 与Windows 文件资源管理器(Windows File Explorer)巧妙集成，因此您可以随时从右键菜单中压缩或打开档案。
缩放(Zoom)（免费）
很多商业世界现在已经转移到Microsoft Teams，Skype仍然有大量的追随者，但是这两个应用程序都预装在Windows 11中。因此，如果您需要使用它们，您将得到保障。Zoom不包含在您的Windows安装中，它仍然是世界上使用最广泛的视频会议应用程序之一。
Notepad++主要是为我们中间的编码人员设计的，但如果你想使用软件源代码，这个免费的增强文本编辑器应该是你下载的第一个应用程序之一。
它支持多种编程语言，并会自动为代码着色和格式化，因此您可以轻松地对其进行编辑并弄清楚发生了什么。它不是一个完整的开发环境，但它是一个轻量级工具，可以在任何支持 Windows 11(Windows 11)的计算机上运行。
这是您系统上的必备下载，无论您是经验丰富的编码人员还是只是涉足的人。
松弛(Slack)（免费）
尽管您的 Windows 11 安装附带Microsoft Teams的副本，但您的公司或客户可能会使用Slack。对于我们来说，Slack是协调团队完成项目的更好选择。
虽然它缺乏Teams提供的相同级别的视频集成，但Slack作为基于文本的通信主干是无与伦比的。免费用户可以获得所有最重要的功能和特性，如果您是负责人，您可以随着组织的发展轻松升级。不管你和谁一起工作，你都有可能在某个时候需要Slack，所以你最好早点设置它。
不和谐(Discord)（免费）
[15 不和谐.jpg]([15 Discord.jpg])
Discord最初是一种语音和文本聊天(chat)服务，允许游戏玩家私下聊天(chat)，而不会受到游戏中内置的公共聊天(chat)系统骚扰的危险。
今天，Discord已经发展成为一种社会现象。几乎任何人都可以出于任何原因启动他们的Discord服务器并为自己创建社交空间。无论您是Twitch主播、在线工作团队的新闻语音交流，还是只想在锁定期间与朋友闲逛。不和谐(Discord)是一个不错的选择。
如果您对Discord感兴趣，请查看我们的如何制作 Discord 服务器(How to Make a Discord Server)指南，您会想知道没有它您是如何相处的。
对于支持它的每个Windows版本，我们总是首先安装的东西之一是Microsoft PowerToys。这是一组工具和对Windows的修改，旨在让高级用户更好地控制Windows并提高他们的工作效率。
老实说，在我们看来， PowerToys应该只是Windows的一部分，但从计算机上的(Windows)Windows 应用商店(Windows Store)应用程序安装它既快捷又简单。PowerToys(Once PowerToys)启动并运行后，您将可以访问各种实用程序，您很快就会认为这些实用程序必不可少。
例如，“Always on Top”允许您将窗口固定在其他每个窗口上。Awake是一个实用程序，它可以让您的计算机在运行任务（例如，编译代码、渲染视频）时轻松保持开机状态，而不会影响您的电源和睡眠设置。PowerRename允许您批量重命名文件。我们最喜欢的是快捷指南(Shortcut Guide)，它会为您当前的桌面视图弹出所有可用的键盘快捷方式！
虽然您可以使用Windows设置将任务栏(Taskbar)和开始菜单(Start Menu)向左对齐，但经典的开始菜单(Start Menu)体验却无处可寻。如果您错过了经典、简约的开始菜单，您可以通过获取(Start Menu)Start11的副本来找回它。
不幸的是，该软件不是免费的，但您可以获得 30 天的免费试用期，看看您是否非常想念经典的开始菜单(Start Menu)，以至于您愿意支付 6 美元的要价。如果您有多台Windows 10和 11 计算机，您可以获得 5 台设备的许可证，价格仅为单个许可证的两倍多。
该应用程序不仅带回了经典的开始菜单(Start Menu)。您还可以获得一系列布局选择、颜色设置和许多其他方式，通过自定义的力量使“开始”菜单(Start Menu)符合您的意愿。
您很有可能已经是Google Drive用户，但您可能不知道有一个用于云存储服务的桌面应用程序。您可以将计算机中已观看的文件夹自动同步到您的云驱动器，并且可以在互联网中断时继续处理您的Google文档。(Google)
您免费获得的存储量相对适中。不过，通过支付Google One订阅费用，您可以快速增加多台计算机实际备份的存储量。
投递箱(DropBox)
除了Google Drive之外，DropBox是我们强烈推荐的另一个云存储应用程序，它是一种将 Windows 11 计算机上的数据同步到云存储的简洁直接的方式。该服务的免费层提供了足够的存储空间来保证关键文档在云中的安全，并且对于更大的空间分配来说价格非常合理。
DropBox甚至有一些更符合Google Drive的生产力功能，尽管它远没有那么全面。如果您主要关心的是云存储并且您没有沉迷于Google Drive生态系统，那么DropBox是必不可少的下载。(DropBox)
达芬奇解决(DaVinci Resolve)（免费）
Windows 11 包含一个基本的视频编辑(video editing)应用程序，但如果您想制作专业的东西，为什么不使用专业人士使用的相同软件呢？DaVinci Resolve是一款合适的专业级视频编辑器，在好莱坞(Hollywood)颇受欢迎。Adobe Premiere Pro和 Apple 的Final Cut Pro就在那儿。除了，它是免费软件！
没错，除了少数非常小众的功能外，Resolve是完全免费且实用的。学习曲线可能很陡峭，但该软件有大量在线教程内容。除了Microsoft Windows之外，它还具有Mac和Linux版本，因此您可以跨多个系统进行转换或协作，而无需担心兼容性。
Windows 11 的多样性更好
作为 PC 用户的最大好处之一是软件选择的多样性意味着您总能找到适合您需求的应用程序。尽管我们认为此处列出的应用程序是各自类别中最好的，但每个用户都需要不同的东西。如果您有自己的必备Windows 11应用程序要分享，请在评论中告诉我们，或在Twitter和Facebook上访问我们。
The Best Software Downloads for Your Windows 11 PC
Your shiny new Windows 11 installation has almost everything you need for daily computing. Still, there are always a few outstanding applications that are always the first software downloads we perform after a fresh Windows installation.
While Microsoft’s new operating system has some of the best bundled applications (MS Paint forever!) in the history of Windows releases, you’ll still need a few third-party apps to fill the gaps on your Windows PC. You’ll never want to uninstall any of these fantastic applications.
The days of downloading massive code packs to play obscure video formats are thankfully long behind us. However, you’ll still run into video files that Windows Media Players just can’t understand.
Luckily VLC Media Player can play every media format imaginable, and probably a few that no one has ever heard of! That includes the ability to play ISO files in case you have full-quality DVD images on a drive somewhere.
VLC supports hardware decoding, so in most cases, it won’t tax your CPU while doing other tasks at the same time. It’s spyware-free and has no ads. This open-source app survives on donations alone, and we think you’ll feel like throwing a few dollars their way once you realize how essential VLC is to any PC.
Microsoft Edge is a major improvement over the Internet Explorer web browser, and now Edge is even a Chromium-based browser. So it’s perfectly fine to stick with the browser that came with your Windows 11 installation. However, it’s hard to argue with Google Chrome’s massive plugin support and integration with Google’s services. Features such as an integrated password and download manager also reduce the number of apps you need in the first place.
If you use Google services and use different platforms such as iOS, Android, Linux, or macOS alongside your PC, then Chrome is an essential download. The browser is a little bloated these days, so you have to watch the number of tabs you have open, but otherwise, it’s still the king of the hill.
The PDF format is still in wide use today, despite us moving away from printed documents in favor of on-screen viewing. It’s especially common to receive printed documents, such as company forms and contracts, that are designed to be printed.
There are plenty of good PDF readers you can download, and it used to be that the free version of Adobe Acrobat was too limited compared to third-party options. Today, Adobe packs a lot of functionality into the free app, and although you can’t edit PDFs without a subscription, you can perform the most common tasks, such as filling in and signing forms.
You can also annotate PDFs, so students can make notes on research papers or textbooks in PDF format without paying a cent.
Windows Defender is so good these days that we really can’t recommend that most users install a third-party antivirus package. However, Defender does have a blind spot in things that aren’t strictly viruses, such as Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs), adware, malware, and browser hijackers.
MalwareBytes fills that gap neatly and ensures you don’t get infected with software that slows down your computer or steals your information. The main drawback of the free version of the app is that you have to perform scans manually. There’s no automatic real-time protection.
Microsoft doesn’t sell a discrete annual Microsoft Office suite anymore. Instead, you’ll have to pay for an annual subscription. The Microsoft 365 subscription is admittedly a fantastic deal. Especially the Family Plan, which includes all the Office apps you need along with a terabyte of cloud storage per family member.
If you aren’t a fan of perpetually paying for your office suite, a great alternative is LibreOffice. This free and open-source office suite will make any classic MS Office user feel right at home.
It’s a no-frills offline productivity package that’s good enough for home users, students, and businesses that don’t rely on the cloud features offered by Microsoft 365. If you need a great free alternative to Word or Excel without any online complications, LibreOffice is the top choice, in our opinion.
VPN services hide your internet activity from your ISP and other people who share a network with you, such as the free WiFi at a coffee shop. It also makes it possible to hide your IP address and real location from online services.
Many people pay for a VPN subscription to circumvent geographical limitations on content. ExpressVPN is one of the best VPN services on the market, and it’s undoubtedly one of the easiest to use and set up. Once the Windows app is installed, it takes just a single click to secure your entire internet connection. While this is a paid service, new users get a fully-functional 30-day trial, so you can see whether it’s right for you at no risk.
Steam is the biggest online marketplace for PC games and has the best Windows client of any gaming service. There are over 50,000 games on Steam at the time of writing, many of them free!
Steam lets you manage your games from one central application, and you can even launch games on your computer that you did not buy through the Steam storefront. Steam hosts massive sales with many popular titles discounted as much as 90% several times a year. If you’re thinking about gaming on your Windows 11 PC, then Steam should be one of the first apps you download.
Most of us have simply too many passwords to remember them all. Besides, the sorts of passwords that you can easily remember are also the types of passwords that are the easiest to crack.
There are many great password managers, but the commercial ones cost a fair amount of money or are limited if you opt for the free version. Google Chrome has a decent password manager built-in, although not everyone is comfortable storing their information with Google, or online for that matter.
BitWarden is a free and open-source password manager and generator that gives you control over where your data is stored and how it’s protected. Since it’s open-source, it also means that the software can be independently audited for vulnerabilities or hidden spyware.
We’re lumping these two applications together because the chances are that you’re using one (or both!) of these platforms as your primary messaging service on your mobile phone.
The WhatsApp desktop application was off to a shaky start when it first launched, but it’s now a stable and fully-functional desktop version of the mobile app.
The same goes for Telegram, with its desktop application. In both cases, it’s much more convenient to send messages using your computer keyboard. Not to mention, you can easily drag and drop files from your computer into chat. In the case of Telegram, you can share photos and videos without any compression at all.
With massive hard drives and fast internet, you may not think file compression would be used much these days, but almost everything you download from the internet will be in a compressed format. Windows 11 has native support. ZIP files, but the OS can only scratch its head once you start downloading other formats.
7-Zip is a free and open-source compression file manager that can open virtually any archive format. It also has its proprietary 7-Zip format, which has some speed and size advantages over other algorithms.
7-Zip integrates neatly with Windows File Explorer so that you can compress or open archives from the right-click menu at any time.
Much of the business world has now moved over to Microsoft Teams, and Skype still has a solid following, but both of these applications are preloaded in Windows 11. So you’re covered if you need to use them. Zoom is not included with your Windows installation, which is still one of the most widely-used video conferencing apps in the world.
Notepad++ is mainly meant for the coders among us, but if you want to engage with software source code, this free enhanced text editor should be one of the first apps you download.
It supports many programming languages and will automatically color and format code so you can easily edit it and figure out what’s going on. It’s not a full development environment, but it’s a lightweight tool that will run on any computer capable of Windows 11.
This is a must-have download on your system, whether you’re a seasoned coder or someone who just dabbles.
Although your Windows 11 installation comes with a copy of Microsoft Teams, it’s likely that your company or clients will use Slack. For our money, Slack is the better option for coordinating a team of people to complete a project.
While it lacks the same level of video integration that Teams offers, Slack is peerless as a text-based communications backbone. Free users get all of the most important functions and features, and you can easily upgrade as your organization grows if you’re the head honcho. No matter who you work with, chances are you’ll need Slack at some point, so you might as well set it up early.
[15 Discord.jpg]
Discord started life as a voice and text chat service that allows gamers to chat to each other privately, without the danger of being harassed by public chat systems built into games.
Today, Discord has grown into something of a social phenomenon. Anyone can start their Discord server and create a social space for themselves for almost any reason. Whether you’re a Twitch streamer, news voice communication for your online work team, or just want a way to hang out with friends during lockdown. Discord is a great choice.
If you’re interested in Discord, check out our guide on How to Make a Discord Server, and you’ll be wondering how you ever got along without it.
For every version of Windows that supports it, one of the first things we always install is Microsoft PowerToys. This is a set of tools and modifications to Windows intended to give power users more control over Windows and make them more productive.
To be honest, PowerToys should just be a part of Windows, in our opinion, but it’s quick and easy to install it from the Windows Store app on your computer. Once PowerToys is up and running, you’ll have access to various utilities that you’ll soon see as essential.
For example, “Always on Top” lets you pin windows on every other window. Awake is a utility that makes it easy to keep your computer on if it’s running tasks (e.g., compiling code, rendering video) without messing around with your power and sleep settings. PowerRename lets you rename files in bulk. Our favorite is Shortcut Guide which pops up all the available keyboard shortcuts for your current desktop view!
Start11 (30-day trial, $6)
While you can use Windows settings to align the Taskbar and Start Menu to the left, the classic Start Menu experience is nowhere to be found. If you miss the classic, minimalistic Start Menu, you can get it back by grabbing a copy of Start11.
Unfortunately, the software isn’t free, but you get a 30-day free trial to see if you miss the classic Start Menu so much that you’re willing to pay the $6 asking price. If you have multiple Windows 10 and 11 computers, you can get a 5-device license for just over twice the price of a single license.
The app doesn’t just bring back the classic Start Menu. You also get a range of layout choices, color settings, and many other ways to make the Start Menu bend to your will through the power of customization.
There’s a good chance that you’re already a Google Drive user, but you may not know that there’s a desktop app for the cloud storage service. You can sync watched folders from your computer automatically to your cloud drive and can keep working on your Google documents when the internet is out.
The amount of storage you get for free is relatively modest. Still, by paying for a Google One subscription, you can quickly increase the amount of storage for practical backups of multiple computers.
Apart from Google Drive, DropBox is another cloud storage app we can heartily recommend as a clean and straightforward way to sync data on your Windows 11 computer to cloud storage. The free tier of the service provides just enough storage to keep critical documents safe in the cloud, with very reasonable prices for larger space allocations.
DropBox even has some productivity features that are more in line with Google Drive, although it’s nowhere near as comprehensive. DropBox is an essential download if your main concern is cloud storage and you’re not hooked into the Google Drive ecosystem.
Windows 11 includes a rudimentary video editing app, but if you want to make something professional, why not use the same software the pros use? DaVinci Resolve is a proper professional-grade video editor that’s gained a fair bit of popularity in Hollywood. It’s right up there with Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple’s Final Cut Pro. Except, it’s freeware!
That’s right, apart from a small handful of very niche features, Resolve is completely free and functional. The learning curve can be steep, but there’s a ton of tutorial content online for the software. It also has Mac and Linux versions in addition to Microsoft Windows so that you can transition or collaborate across multiple systems without any concerns about compatibility.
Windows 11 Is Better With Diversity
One of the best things about being a PC user is that the sheer diversity of software choices means you can always find the right app for your needs. Although we think the apps listed here are the best in their respective categories, every user needs something different. If you’ve got your own must-have Windows 11 apps to share, tell us about it in the comments, or visit us on Twitter and Facebook.
