What are the essential software for a laptop

• Dec 14, 2018
• By George E. Rowe

Looking for the essential software to install on your new laptop? Different brands of laptops preinstall different sets of programs in the software system. Yet, to use your PC with high proficiency, you will need to customize it and install apps suitable for you.

There are dozens of PC programs that you can download from the Internet, but which are the must-have software for your computer system? We make a recommendation list, in which you will find the top 3-5 options in different software categories.

1.Web Browser

Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera are the top 3 in this category. They are developed by old-brand companies and has a good reputation. Chrome is featured with its fast speed, rich extensions and frequent updates, while Firefox offers a secure and smooth browsing. All of them are free and available for multiple platforms.

2.Cloud Storage

Dropbox, Google Drive, MEGASync, iCloud, OneDrive, Deep Freeze are the popular cloud storage solutions. Some of them are only available in Windows or Mac. Choose the suitable solution after taking service price plans and features into consideration.

3.PDF Editor

Adobe Acrobat Reader is undoubtedly the most common-used PDF reader, but to have more editing choices, you can choose other excellent alternatives, such as Foxit Reader, Nitro PDF Reader, PDF-XChange Editor, Wondershare PDF Editor, etc.

4.FTP Client

If you like to connect your laptop in a network so that you can easily access other PCs in the network whenever needed, you will need to download a FTP client. The top 3 apps in this category include FileZilla, Cyberduck and WinSCP (only Windows).

5.Office Suite

Here are several options you can choose to use in this category: Microsoft Office (Win/Mac, paid software), iWork suite (Mac, free), WPS Office (Win/Mac, free), LibreOffice (Win/Mac, free) and Apache OpenOffice (Win, free).

6.Multimedia

Entertainment is a big part during the usage of your PC. When it comes to the music and video, the choices vary, so we only list the most popular and well-known media utilities in this category. To name some: Spotify (streaming audio), YouTube, YTD Video Downloader/YouTube Downloader, VLC media player, Total Video Converter, Handbrake (video transcoder), Audacity (audio editor), Inkscape (image editor)…

7.Communication

WhatsApp (Win/Mac), Skype (Win/Mac), Imo (Win) and Instagram (Win) are the communication apps for personal use. You can use these programs to chat, send messages, or make video calls with your friends. Apps like Slack, Google Hangouts and TeamViewer allows users to communicate and collaborate with co-workers.

8. Security Solution

How to choose an excellent security / antivirus software for your laptop? You can make a decision among the most popular antivirus. Here are the brands that provide security solutions for individual users: Avast, Avira, Bitdefender, ESET, Kaspersky, McAfee, Norton, Webroot,Trend Micro. Among them, Avast, Bitdefender, Kaspersky and McAfee are known for their comprehensive protection and in-time updates.

Most of the antivisur/security solutions provide both free version and paid version for users to choose from.