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New Computer Setup Guide

Essential software and programs for a fresh Windows installation

Essential System Tools

ESSENTIAL
Web Browsers
Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for browsing
Chrome | Firefox
ESSENTIAL
7-Zip
File compression and extraction utility
Download
ESSENTIAL
PDF Reader
Adobe Acrobat Reader or Sumatra PDF
Adobe | Sumatra
ESSENTIAL
Antivirus
Windows Defender (built-in) or third-party solution
Info

Office & Productivity

ESSENTIAL
Microsoft Office / Office 365
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
Office.com
RECOMMENDED
LibreOffice
Free alternative to Microsoft Office
Download
RECOMMENDED
Notepad++
Advanced text and code editor
Download
RECOMMENDED
OneNote
Digital note-taking application
Download

Communication

ESSENTIAL
Zoom
Video conferencing platform
Download
ESSENTIAL
Microsoft Teams
Business communication and collaboration
Download
RECOMMENDED
Slack
Team messaging and collaboration
Download
OPTIONAL
Discord
Voice, video, and text communication
Download

Cloud Storage & Backup

ESSENTIAL
OneDrive
Microsoft cloud storage (built-in Windows)
Info
RECOMMENDED
Google Drive
Google cloud storage and sync
Download
RECOMMENDED
Dropbox
File sync and cloud storage
Download

Development & Technical

RECOMMENDED
Visual Studio Code
Powerful code editor for developers
Download
RECOMMENDED
Git for Windows
Version control system
Download
RECOMMENDED
Python
Programming language and interpreter
Download
OPTIONAL
Node.js
JavaScript runtime environment
Download

Media & Graphics

RECOMMENDED
VLC Media Player
Universal media player
Download
OPTIONAL
GIMP
Free image editor (Photoshop alternative)
Download
OPTIONAL
Inkscape
Vector graphics editor
Download
OPTIONAL
OBS Studio
Screen recording and streaming
Download

System Utilities

RECOMMENDED
CCleaner
System cleanup and optimization
Download
RECOMMENDED
Everything by Voidtools
Instant file search utility
Download
RECOMMENDED
TreeSize Free
Disk space analyzer
Download
OPTIONAL
AutoHotkey
Automation and hotkey scripting
Download