If you are a long-time Windows user, you will probably use some of its built-in Microsoft tools to get things done. From system maintenance to productivity to entertainment, Windows has an app for it. However, if you just use the built-in tools, you are missing out on more powerful alternatives.

There are plenty of third-party tools you can install on Windows 10 or 11 that will blow you away compared to their Microsoft counterparts. Depending on the task, many are more powerful and responsive, providing additional functionality for your daily tasks. Whether for business or personal use, here are seven of them you should consider.

7 Process Lasso

A more powerful Task Manager

To its credit, Microsoft has improved Task Manager in Windows 11. However, you need to look elsewhere if you want more information and abilities. Process Lasso is a powerful Task Manager alternative that looks familiar but allows you to manage your system’s processes to your liking.

In addition to providing more detailed information about running apps and processes, it gives you more control. You can use it for dynamic CPU adjustments, set process power plans, and use built-in features like Performance Mode to maximize the performance of CPU cores. If you have an older or lower-end PC, you can benefit from its SmartTrim memory management feature to get more from limited RAM and other system resources.

• Process Lasso

  See at Bitsum

6 Notepad++

A well-established alternative for coders

Notepad++ allows for more powerful coding tasks that are possible with Notepad++ compared to Windows Notepad. While Microsoft is adding AI-powered parlor tricks to Windows Notepad, Notepad++ is a popular text editing alternative. It is a free, open-source text editor that supports multiple coding languages, syntax highlighting, macros, and plugins for additional functionality. It remains one of the most popular alternatives for coders and those who want robust features while taking notes.

It is available to install directly on your PC, or you can run it from a portable app, which makes moving between machines with your code easier. Also, you might consider running it from a cloud service like OneDrive or Google Drive, so it's easy to share your code masterpieces with others online. If you aren't sure where to start with an alternative text editor, try Notepad++. It will get you started with features that Windows Notepad could only hope to have.

• Notepad++

  See at Notepad++ All Versions

5 7-zip

Master file compression on Windows

7-zip has been around for years and has been the go-to app for managing compressed files on your Windows system. While Windows 11 now supports 7-zip and TAR files, the experience isn’t yet there. In addition, you don’t need to purchase third-party file compression software to manage other compression types like RAR, TAR, BZIP2, ISO, TGZ, and many others.

You can also use 7-Zip to split and merge files and folders, encrypt and password-protect archives, and create and manage compressed files. The utility is trusted and has been around for several years. It's free, and while Windows gains support for different archive formats, 7-Zip is feature-rich, responsive, and doesn't require commercial software.

• 7-Zip

  See at 7-Zip

4 Everything

Find files and folders on your PC instantly

Everything from Voidtools is a lightweight desktop search alternative to the Windows search experience. When you search by name, it finds the file and folder name queried, but it also looks inside documents for your queried name. You can bypass searching in File Explorer or the Start menu to find files that reside on other connected drives than your local C: drive.

Everything is open source and takes a few seconds to install. Once you launch it, you can immediately begin using it to learn the location of files and folders instantly. Don’t expect an elegant interface. Instead, you type what you are searching for in the bare-bones search field and open what you are looking for. It is compatible with Windows 10 and 11, and its search index functionality is faster than Windows, which can sometimes be clunky. There is also a portable version of Everything that allows you to easily use it on multiple PCs without installing it.

3 Audacity

Record everything

Windows 11 includes the Sound Recorder app, but it doesn’t have much functionality. It just has basic audio recording capability. On the other hand, Audacity can record all the audio that happens on your PC. For instance, I use it to record live performances from bands on YouTube and add them to my Apple Music library. This is helpful if the performance isn’t available for streaming.

Not only that, but you can also use it to make your own audio recordings. It is a multitrack DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). So, you can plug in your guitars, keyboards, microphones, and other instruments to make music recordings. You can add real-time effects to your music, import and export audio files, and more. It is free, although you must install the LAME MP3 encoder separately to save and convert audio files to MP3 format. You can also use it to import and export audio files.

2 Flow Launcher

Launch files, websites, and more without the Start menu

While you can argue that the Start menu on Windows 11 is an easier-to-use modern way to find and launch items on your PC, there is a better way. Flow Launcher is a tool that allows you to open files, folders, apps, and even websites easily. We covered VoidTools Everything earlier, which is excellent for finding file and folder results, including text inside documents.

However, the Flow Launcher and Everything utilities can be used in tandem to bypass the Start menu entirely. You can also use Flow Launcher plugins to do even more and run it from a flash drive to bypass installation.

1 VLC Media Player

Play more media file types

I love music and have tons of audio files saved to my computer. Yes, I know, old-school, right? Well, I can’t say enough about VLC Media Player. It’s a legendary app that Windows users have used for years. The free, open-source media player is also available for Linux and Mac.

Windows Media Player (now simply called Media Player) is too cumbersome of an app to play your audio files. It gained FLAC support and played the gold standard in MP3 formats. However, if you have a few odd .ogg or .ape audio files, VLC will play them.

In addition to playing virtually every file format you throw at it, VLC has other capabilities. For instance, you can convert video files to MP3s, record live YouTube streams, trim videos, enable Surround Sound, record your webcam, and more. In all actuality, VLC is a Swiss Army knife for your audio and video file collection.

Better results on Windows from alternative tools

Microsoft has improved certain apps and utilities on Windows, like the Snipping Tool for screenshots, screen recording, and extracting text. However, many of its built-in tools don’t hold a candle to third-party alternatives like the above options. The good thing is you have a choice on Windows, and if you are happy with its built-in apps and utilities, that's great. However, if you want more functionality or alternative tools to be more productive, you might want to experiment with other available software choices.