You know the drill, as the kid with the tech skills you get roped into helping your parents and other family members with their busted tech. I notice that every time I ressurect or reincarnate the treasured device of a family member I end up installing much of the same software. I wrote this to save me some time, and to help others who are in the same boat.
My preferred recommendation in each category is denoted with a ⭐. Most suggestions are free, but some are paid. I have tried to indicate paid software with a $.
When a friend or family member asks me for advice on software to install, I’ll point them to this page.
I’ll update this every now and then, please let me know if you have any suggestions.
Windows 10 / 11#
Remote Support#
- ⭐ Quick Assist - Built in to Windows
- Connectwise Control
- TeamViewer
Browsers#
- ⭐ Microsoft Edge - Comes default on Windows, built on Chromium, and doesn’t arbitrarily block ad blockers.
- Firefox
- Recommended Plugins
- uBlock Origin - Ad Blocker
- BitWarden - Password Manager
- Recommended Plugins
Password Manager#
Anti-Virus#
- ⭐ Windows Defender
- Anything else is a waste of money and resources and many options are honestly worse than a virus.
Video Player#
Music Player#
Image Viewer#
- ⭐ IrfanView
- Free for non commercial use, has a paid version with more features
- Windows 10 has a built in image viewer that’s pretty good for most.
Image Editor#
- ⭐ Paint.net * Easy to use
- GIMP * More advanced akin to Photoshop
- Krita * More advanced -for digital art.
Disk Usage Evaluator#
File Compression#
Text Editor#
Office Suite#
Mail Client#
PDF Reader#
Messengers#
Video Conferencing#
Android#
Free Open Source Software Manager#
- ⭐ F-Droid * If you know what you’re doing
- Many of the below recommendations can be found on F-Droid free of charge even if they’re paid in the Play Store.
Browsers#
Password Manager#
Anti-Virus#
- Don’t even bother with 3rd party AV’s on Mobile. It’s a waste of resources and battery life
Video Player#
Music Player#
Image Viewer#
Image Editor#
Disk Usage Evaluator#
File Compression#
Text Editor#
Office Suite#
Mail Client#
PDF Reader#
Messengers#
- Discord
- Skype
- Telegram
- Signal - Free and very secure instant messenger
Video Conferencing#
Calendar App#
Calendar Sync (CalDav / CardDav)#
Slightly more advanced, but still relatively simple to set up.
NoteTaking App#
- ⭐ Obsdian MD - Powerful linking but with a learning curve.
- JTX Board - Simple and easy to use. Combines journaling, note taking and tasks in to one app.
