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11 Useful Windows Apps & Software to Use in 2021

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Windows 10 has many valuable features, but to further enhance the user experience, there are countless apps and software that you can download online. 

In this article, I will discuss some of the useful Windows 10 apps and software that I think every Windows user should be using. I am sure you’ll find these programs incredibly useful.

List of 11 Great and Useful Windows Apps or Software to Use, Download and Install in 2021

#1. Rainmeter

Rainmeter-customizable-skins-for-your-Windows-10-desktop

Do you want to make your desktop look awesome? If yes, then Rainmeter is an excellent app that will do it for you. With Rainmeter, you can have customizable skins for your desktop.

It is a popular desktop customization app for windows, and many of you probably know about it. Rainmeter allows you to add hardware usage meters, weather forecasts to fully functional audio visualizers on your desktop.

There are hundreds of skins available online that you can download and add to your desktop. You can even create your own skins by learning a simple language.

Rainmeter was released in 2001, and it has a large community. It’s an open-source and free to download app.

Are you are a gamer? If yes, then be sure to check out this article for the best Rainmeter themes for gamers.

#2. Sound Switch

Sound-Switch-Windows-10

I found this app to be quite simple yet very useful. Sound Switch lets you switch between different audio devices by simply pressing a shortcut button on your keyboard. 

If I’m listening to the audio on my speakers, but I want to move it to my headphones, I will press the hotkey, and the audio starts playing from my headphones. I can again move it back to the laptop speakers with the same hotkey. 

You can select your desired hotkey to switch audio or microphones. The Sound Switch also lets you create profiles where you can set the app to switch to your headphones or laptop speakers, depending on the app you are using.

#3. TaskbarX

TaskbarX-Tool-for-Windows-10

A new operating system, Windows 10X, is coming soon. I’ve seen a demo on YouTube, and what I liked about its UI is the cleaner taskbar. Windows 10X brings the icons to the center keeping your taskbar clearer. 

Windows 10’s taskbar can get quite cluttered and annoying. This is where Taskbar X comes in. Taskbar X moves the taskbar icons to the center, just like the Windows 10X, giving you a cleaner look.

But that’s not all, and you can also make the taskbar look cooler with many different customization options. You can even customize the taskbar by choosing the transparent or a blur effect.

You will also get many themes to make it look cooler. You can also set the opacity, change colors, and change the animations on the taskbar etc.

Another good thing about this app is that it is an open-source app, and you can get it for free.

#4. File Converter

File-Converter-Tool-on-Windows-10

As the name suggests, File Converter is a tool to convert files, but there’s a twist. With File Converter, you can convert any file to a different format with the right-click context menu. 

For example, you can right-click on a PNG file and convert it to JPEG or any other image format. But what’s even great is that you can select multiple files at once, right-click on them and batch convert them. It takes some time when there are multiple files, but it works fine.

There are several conversion presets that you can use to customize things. For example, you can change the quality level for JPEG and even change the image’s orientation.

The default settings worked for me, and I think it’ll work for most people, but it is good to have additional options. 

File converter is an open-source, free app, and it supports most image, audio, video and document formats.

#5. Ditto Clipboard

Ditto-Clipboard

The built-in clipboard app in Windows 10 is good but does not have many features. While there are many third-party clipboard apps available online, I like Ditto clipboard. 

The overall UI is simple and does not have the latest design, but it has some handy features. 

It can store text, links, images, and you can copy them by simply double-clicking on an item. You can set the number of copies you want to keep on the clipboard. 

I have set it to 8000. Whenever I need to get back to something I copied earlier, it will be on the clipboard in detail.

There’s also a search option to find the copies more efficiently. You can also assign a hotkey for the clipboard for easy access.

#6. Everything

Everything-Search-Tool-for-Windows-10

The built-in search tool in Windows 10 is good enough but not fast enough. If you are regularly using the search tool, then you should change it with Everything. Everything is a search tool with crazy fast speeds that can save up a lot of time. 

It can produce results almost instantly, and you can use it to find files and folders quickly. You can even customize the settings for even better search results. You can add the Everything search icon to the Windows taskbar for quick access. 

It’s a popular app among PC users, and if you haven’t tried it, then you should.

#7. Sidebar Diagnostics

Sidebar-Diagnostics-PC-Monitor

If you’re someone who likes to monitor the hardware resources your PC is utilizing, then the Sidebar Diagnostics app is what you need. 

This app brings a sidebar to the right side of the screen with all the essential information you need to monitor. There are time and date at the top, and then there are CPU details, with the workload on each core.

Underneath, there is the RAM details and the usage and then GPU details like the clock speed, voltage and temperature. Below you will also find details on the drives and the network. 

You can also customize the sidebar with what data you want to see and what you don’t. You can enable or disable the hardware information and the little details of each hardware like clock speed, temperature, voltage, fan usage, and core load of a GPU. 

You have the option to change the location of the sidebar. There are a lot more options available too. The sidebar will take up some space on the screen if you are okay with it. 

Overall, it is an excellent app to have on your PC.

#8. Unlocker

Unlocker-Tool-for-Windows-10

At some point, we all have come across errors like, “you cannot delete the file, the source or destination file may be in use, the file is in use by another program user, make sure that the disk is not full or write-protected, and the file is not in use.”

These are some of the errors any Windows user have faced over time while deleting, renaming or moving files. This is where Unlocker comes in handy and fixes these errors.

It’s quite a simple tool that looks outdated but works perfectly. You just need to run the app and browse the file or folder, causing an error. Unlocker will remove any issues you are facing to delete, move or rename the file.

#9. Encrypto

Encrypto-AES-256-Encryption-Tool-Windows-10

You’ve got files that need to be secured? Encrypto is a great app to encrypt files and folder. It is a super helpful app that you can use while sending important files like bank statements, personal IDs, images and more.

Simply open the app, drag and drop or browse the files you want to encrypt and add a password and an optional hint, so you don’t forget the password. The files are encrypted with AES 256 encryption. 

You will need the password to open up the encrypted files. It’s pretty simple to use and very secure.

#10. Display Fusion

Display-Fusion-for-multi-monitor-PC-setups

Display Fusion is an app aimed at people with multi-monitor PC setups. This software is great for power users because it has tons of features. It lets you have a separate taskbar and a different wallpaper for each of your monitor.

You can quickly move apps from one monitor to the other monitor with a single click. It also lets you split two monitors into different sections with the different app in each area.

Display Fusion lets you directly open apps from one monitor to display on another monitor. There are many more complicated options and features that you can try.

So, if you have a multi-monitor setup and want to make the most out of it, then you should try this software. 

It’s available in a free and paid version. But I think the free version is also useful.

#11. Lively Wallpaper

Lively-Wallpaper-for-Windows-PC

I am a big fan of wallpapers, and I used to download so many of them. I would add them in a folder and let Windows 7 change wallpaper every hour. 

If you are like me and want to go one step ahead, Lively Wallpaper is an excellent option. 

Lively Wallpaper comes with a number (twelve) of cool animated wallpapers that you can use as a background. You can download more online. 

Each animated wallpaper has different customization options that you can change according to your preferences. You can add wallpapers from websites or a video. 

One thing I like about Lively Wallpaper is that when you have software or games running in full screen, the animation will stop to make sure it’s not wasting any resources. 

Overall, it’s a cool wallpaper app that you should download.

Final Words

There are hundreds of software, but these are some I like. I will try to write another article with more useful Windows apps and software. But before that, you should definitely try these.

Windows Dispatch is a website supported by its readers & community. Some pages may contain affiliate links which may allow us to earn a little money when you buy through them.

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