In our previous video, we talked about the best Mac Apps. If you have a Mac, you should check out that video. However, if you have a Windows PC, then this video is for you.
And just like we did in our Mac video, we are not going for a generic Windows apps video that you see all over YouTube.
For example, there are certain Windows apps that are popular for example Everything to search faster on Windows search, Ear Trumpet to manage the audio of various devices connected to your Windows computer, Quick Look to get MacOS like preview on Windows PC.
And finally, we have another popular one - TaskbarX gives you control over the position of your taskbar icons.
Now, the point is - these apps are great, but they are quite popular on YouTube as well. That’s why we want to make a different video that has little-known Windows apps that are useful yet not many people know about them.
Here are fresh new Windows apps of 2021. And yes, they all work on Windows 11.
WhyNotWin11
Ever since Microsoft announced the Windows 11, there’s been a lot of confusion around the minimum requirements for Windows 11.
Earlier, Microsoft released PC Health app to check whether your PC is compatible for Windows 11. However, the app is now missing from the official website. So, instead you can use an open-source app called WhyNotWin11. It’s more descriptive than PC Health and tells exactly what the issue is.
For example, the TPM version that you have and can enable it to be compatible.
Also, side note - Microsoft has recently released the Windows 11 Preview Build and officially made the Windows 11 ISO images available.
To get it, first, click this link, and it will take you to the Microsoft Insider Preview downloads page. You will have to sign in with a Microsoft account to proceed further. If you don’t have one, create a Microsoft account. From there you can either choose to download the Windows 11 “Dev” or “Beta” build. Once you have the ISO, you can install Windows 11 using Rufus - follow any online tutorials and you are good. Moving on.
KDEConnect
Next up, we have KDEConnect, which is now for Windows and Android.
Now, you might know about Microsoft YourPhone companion app that connects your Windows PC and phone seamlessly.
However, after several iterations and upgrades, it’s still difficult to send a file from Windows PC to an Android app. Instead, we use KDEConnect. It’s a phone companion app ported from Linux.
Now, it’s still in beta. But, you can connect to your PC without any email ID or signup.
Once you connect your phone, the process to send files is just 2-3 taps.
Additionally, when in need, you can use your phone as a trackpad for your PC wirelessly. Moreover, here’s our favorite feature. If you have any media playing on my Windows PC, you can control the playback from your Android phone seamlessly. Now, the only problem with KDEConnect is that the app works only over Wi-Fi. So, if you are on mobile data, it disconnects from your Windows machine.
Smart DNA Proxy
Next up, we have our own Smart DNA Proxy Windows app.
We know it's a shameless plug again, but Smart DNS Proxy Windows app is something that you should definitely give a try.
So, the SDP lets you change your country with this app. For example, say you want to watch The Office (US), which is not in Netflix US but it’s Netflix UK, so with SDP VPN, you can simply turn it on from the toolbar, change the country to UK and then when you search for The Office (US) in the Netflix, it’ll work right off the bat.
There’s also a feature called smart VPN in selected servers, which lets you watch shows of both US and UK at the same time.
Check out SDP from the first link in the description of the video.
Fingerprint for PC
Okay, this is not an app, but recently we found a Windows fingerprint accessory that we recommend you should check it out, they are cheap and easily available on Amazon for 10 to 20 dollars. Just look for USB Fingerprint Key Reader and make sure they are Windows Hello compatible.
It’s like the fingerprint unlock on Mac, and even some Windows PC like ThinkPad supports it natively, I mean, see how fast it is.
JellyFin
Moving on, we have a Free Software Media System called JellyFin.
Now, you guys would know about the Plex Media server. It lets you stream your personal videos and movies library on any device. However, Plex in recent times have gotten very restrictive.
And if you have to use the Plex Mobile app, it requires a one-time fee of $5 plus. So, if you are looking to jump ship or take a new media server app, JellyFin is the way to start.
First of all, JellyFin is totally free. It’s present for most of the platforms like Android, iOS, AndroidTV, PlayStation, Firestick, Roku, etc. Pretty much everything. Now, setting up JellyFin is similar to Plex. You have a central streaming server where you set up your movies, photos, or videos folder.
Then, you can connect to your server via the mobile app and stream your content either on the same network or remotely. And unlike Plex, which pulled out the support for third-party plugins, JellyFin supports plugins so you can automatically fetch subtitles for your movies using a plugin called OpenSubtitles.
We frequently use it and found the stability of the app to be really good. Try it out.
Stack browser
Next Windows app is for everyone. It’s called all-in-one app. There were 2 good options for all-in-one browser - Franz & Station. Both of them are paid now.
Here’s a free alternative - Stack Browser.
First of all, it's free - I mean completely free with no nudging or app limit.
And you can add as many apps you want.
We currently use it with Notion, Trello, Slack and WhatsApp web. This way, you don’t have to pen 4 different apps and juggle between them. It’s super productive, stable and doesn’t eat up the RAM or battery.
We've been using this for 5 months and never faced any software crashes or non-responsiveness, which blows our mind off.
So, these were some fresh Windows apps that you might not have heard of. We’re sure you will end up trying at least one or two of them.
If you do, we’re looking forward to your comments.
As always, thanks for reading and watching, and remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified about new videos.
See you in the next one!
BACK TO NEWS