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The Editors' Choice List: Our Selection of Best Free Windows Desktop Software
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The Editors' Choice List - Page Index
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How To Use This List
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This is a multi-page article. To quickly find what you want, either:
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Introduction
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This really is a "best of the best" list for free Windows applications. Most of the products in this list have been awarded the coveted "Gizmo's Freeware Top Pick" award signifying they are the best free product in their class. We've also included some other outstanding products that have impressed our editors with their usefulness and professionalism. We suggest you browse the whole list at your leisure as you may be surprised what freeware gems you will discover. The pathologically impatient can use the Page Index below. Caution: Some of these recommendations involve advanced system tasks like cleaning the Windows registry so be sure to backup or image your system first. |
Welcome to the Gizmo's Freeware Editors' Choice List, where you'll find a collection of the very best freeware for Windows from our site.|
What's New
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Items added or updated most recently: |
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Summary
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The Editors' Choice List for best free Windows apps now includes 103 applications in 82 categories. To read brief descriptions of the applications, click a page number or a category icon below.
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Page 2. Security and Privacy
Page 3. Cleanup, Tune and System Utilities
Page 4. File and Desktop Utilities
Page 5. Image and Photo
Page 6. Internet, Email and Networking
Page 7. Audio and Video
Page 8. Office and Productivity
Page 9. Still Reading?
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Editor
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| This software category is maintained by MidnightCowboy. Registered members can contact MidnightCowboy with any comments or questions they might have by clicking here. |
- Article type:
- PC Freeware,
- Cleanup & Tuning,
- Desktop & GUI,
- Disk & File Utilities,
- Home & Office,
- Educational,
- Games and Diversions,
- Image View and Edit,
- Internet, Email & Messaging,
- Multimedia (CD, DVD, Video, Audio),
- Networking & File Transfer,
- Programming & Engineering,
- Reference & Cataloging,
- Security,
- System and Performance Info,
- System Utilities,
- Software list
- Login or register to post comments
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Comments
************False claim
How can you offer and claim the best free software when in reality it is not free! Free demo is what you get.. (hook, line and sinker)
Which software are u talking about?
No review on AOMEI Backupper? I found it has very extensive feature for disk imaging software, plus it's free for personal and commercial use.
The product you posted has an overall poor WOT rating (Web Of Trust) and has been spammed here on numerous occasions therefore it will not be featured. MC - Site Manager.
My WOT icon still green when I visit the website. That's very unfortunate.. looks like a good program but I can't find any review of AOMEI Backupper from reputable website yet.
Two of the ratings are already at orange and the others are marginal. MC - Site Manager.
http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/aomeitech.com?utm_source=addon&utm_con...
Oh I see.. I only see the WOT icon at the end of the link (I'm using WOT extension in Chrome), never actually roll over on it to see the details :)
Sometimes the WOT ratings can be manipulated maliciously by say rival vendors or fanboys of other products but this practice is not as widespread as the "knockers" of WOT would have you believe, and anyone so affected can have it rectified via dialogue with Web Of Trust. That said, we were inundated with Aomei spam here at one point which is no doubt where many of the adverse ratings stem from. MC - Site Manager.
I am unable to access my registry server license key # to complete/activate the initial scan/repair process for [name removed].
Please contact the support service from where you obtained the product. MC - Site Manager.
I think MalwareBytes Anti-Malware is great. Thanks for the review. I have been using Spybot and Avast for years and after a scan, MalwareBytes picked up several threats that Spybot and Avast missed. I know that MalwareBytes has a paid full time product but is using Avast and MalwareBytes (as on-demand) sufficient?
Tks
Dennis
No one or even two things are "sufficient" on their own or together. Rather, a layered strategy covering the whole Windows system and how it is operated is necessary in order to reduce your risk to the minimum possible. There is more here. MC - Site Manager.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/safe-computing-under-hour.htm
UltraDefrag doesn't say it will work on Windows 8 but I tried the portable version and it works quite well on Win8. The help says the optimizer part of the program put the most used files at the beginning of the disc and it seems to make my computer run faster. It did take a couple of hours to run although the disc had never been defragged before and was severely fragmented.
Thanks for the review,
George
What I look for in a PDF reader is a lightweight program that will load quickly, yet support any PDF I throw at it, and let me edit any form in it. I would also like it to let me copy text and images to the clipboard and print or export portions of it. Foxit Reader performs admirably for me. The only time it doesn't do what I want it to is when the document author denied permission for certain functions. IMHO it should merit at least a mention on your list.
Foxit is reviewed here.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-non-adobe-pdf-reader.htm
I was coming here hoping to find apps for windows 8. Hopefully you will have a new section soon dedicated to start screen apps.
See my comment on 1/2/2013.
George
We are working on this at the moment. Progress will depend ultimately on how much time our existing team can devote to this project and/or if new volunteers come forward to help. MC - Site Manager.
I'll check back later then. It shouldn't be too difficult as the app store is pretty lacking at the moment, but of course they are adding new ones every day. Anyhow best of luck and thanks for all the hard work.
Long time user, first time commentor.
This is going to get kick back from fan boys I imagine, but the squeaky wheel always gets oil right?
Please consider Wp7 and WP8 user in app recommendations. Though our community is small, we are growing. =)
Thank you for leading me to Macrium Reflect Drive Imaging Program!!
That's a good list! Cheers guys
It's a real honor to have one of my program's on the list. Gizmo's site has become *THE* website I send people to when they ask me "what's the best free program to xyz". There are some great freeware blogs out there and some great software sites, but right now there simply is no one else that is coming close to providing the kind of serious recommendations that you guys are doing. It's been a real joy to watch the site evolve and grow.
-mouser from donationcoder.com
Thank you for the kind words. It seems to us that you guys over at Donation Coder are also doing a great job for the same cause. :)
http://www.donationcoder.com/
The best free site on the net; no need to search others! Great site. Thank you everyone. I also enjoy reading the Comments from others.
This website has all I need and I can find it easily. When I found this website I wouldn't go to another. I didn't go to another because well all I needed was right here. I was glad I found it and I want everybody to at least try it. It is an amazing experience and I hope this stays the way it is forever. I like everybody's post it shows how good this website is. I hope that everybody can find this website.
Awesome feedback! Yes keep on checking and don't hesitate to throw questions anytime
A terrific site, but may I suggest two additions:
1. Disk De-fragmenter for Windows. I really like the Auslogics Disk Defrag, particularly since it offers the option of automatic defragging;
2. I have acquired some excellent free programmes from Give Away of the Day -- giveawayoftheday.com -- and wonder if there is room for this website in your list.
Keep up the good work.
You might want to check the following web page. The free version of Auslogics does not do any optimization:
http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag-pro/#comparison
George
1. Disk Defragmenter is already there on the site... as a review, and the editor's choice from that review is on this list too.
2. Sorry, GOTD will not be considered here. There are issues with it. The software from GOTD has to be activated the same day only. That's a problem. Many of us would want to store the software for a later use, or for installing on a different computer.. that way it won't work. Also, in case we decide to format the computer, and reinstall the software, again, it won't work.
Further, the software offered on GOTD are often promotional, and contain somewhat less features.
Earlier, we allowed GOTD offers on the site, but not since a long time, because of the above issues.
You seem to have misunderstood my original post. I meant that in the Disk De-Fragmenter for Windows section I fealt you should include the excellent Auslogics Disk Defrag programme, which allows one to schedule automatic defragging.