10 incredibly useful programs that every PC should have (2024)

There are plenty of programs you can install on your PC, but the best ones often remain elusive. It doesn't have to be an expensive app or a complex program. Instead, you must look for something that improves your computing experience by offering something that's not already available natively on your Windows OS. If you are new to the world of computing or even if you're an experienced user who is simply looking to download something new, then check out the list below in which I've highlighted 10 really useful programs that every PC should have.

10 HWMonitor

Monitoring software is a must

HWMonitor, as the name implies, is a hardware monitoring tool that essentially scans every single sensor on your system and gives you a real-time view of the readings from them. You may not find the data from all sensors to be useful or relevant, but the ones you must look out for include things like the CPU package temperature, the CPU power draw, RAM voltages, GPU hotspot temperature, and more. A hardware monitoring tool is a must-have as it allows you keep tabs on your system, ensuring you know how it's functioning at all times. The best things about HWMonitor is that it's completely free to download and use on your PC, and it's also regularly updated to support the latest hardware out there.

HWMonitor

See at CPUID

9 Fan Control

Intelligently control all the fans installed on your PC

Source: Fan Control

Fan Control is one of the best pieces of software you'll come across for your PC, and it's a must-have for desktop PCs, in my opinion, especially if you happen to have a gaming rig with multiple fans like I do. This particular software, in case you are wondering, can find every single fan header and temperature sensor that's built-in the system, allowing you to smartly and conveniently control them from one place.

What makes Fan Control better than, say, using your motherboard BIOS to assign fan curves is that it allows you to assign even multiple sensors to a single fan header, meaning you can really fine-tune how your fans behave and make them kick-in or increase the RPM based on the load. I install this piece of software on pretty much every PC I build, and I can't recommend this enough. It's also entirely free to download and use on your system, making it a no-brainer.

Fan Control

See at Getfancontrol

8 PowerToys

A fantastic productivity tool

PowerToys is an excellent utility that offers an entire suite of tools that you can use to improve your workflow on Windows. It's made by Microsoft and is entirely free to download from the Microsoft Store. Many of us here at XDA use the tools offered by PowerToys, and I can confidently tell you we all have a long wishlist of PowerToys features that we want to see on Windows. Tools like FancyZones, Peek, and PowerRename are among my favorite ones, but there are plenty more that you must check out and experience yourself.

Microsoft PowerToys

See at GithubSee at Microsoft Store

7 GPU-Z

Know everything about your graphics card(s)

GPU-Z is more than just a simple hardware monitoring tool to keep tabs on your graphics cards. Sure, it'll tell you everything about your GPU along with where its sensors are sitting at, but — more importantly — it can also tell you some crucial information like the reason for your GPU's performance cap. That's right, GPU-Z can tell you whether your GPU is limited due to thermals, voltage, power, etc., which is great to pinpoint any potential issues. It's utilities like this that make it different from, say, the HWMonitor, that I mentioned previously. Notably, it can also tell you things like the GPU temperature and its usage, and you can even use it to log performance data for your records. This is a must-have for those who care about their GPUs and want to ensure it's working properly at all times.

GPU-Z

See at TechPowerUp

6 Revo uninstaller

Leave no traces

This piece of software is essentially a third-party uninstaller for Windows that's been around for a while. In addition to using it to get rid of unwanted programs, you can even use it to dump collectively a bunch of bloatware from laptops that would otherwise take a lot of time and effort to remove from your system. The highlight of the Revo Uninstaller is that it even lets you get rid of all the leftover registry files that are left behind by software after you've uninstalled it. These registry files, may not seem like much, but they add up over time to significantly slow down your operating system.

Revo Unsinstaller

See at Revo Unsinstaller

5 Start11

Take control of the Start menu and the taskbar

Those who came here looking for a customization tool must check out Start11. This utility, as the name suggests, lets you play around the Start menu on Windows. On top of letting you customization the look and feel of the Start menu and the taskbar on Windows 11, Start11 also gives you some productivity features. Its ability to let you create pages, groups, and tabs of apps and folders is what makes it a must-have on your PC. It is, however, worth noting that it's the only paid program on this list, and it'll cost you $7.

Stardock Start11 v2

$7 at Stardock

4 OpenRGB

Among the best open-source RGB utility

Source: OpenRGB

You may have heard of OpenRGB before if you care about RGB lighting, and I can't recommend this enough. What this particular program does is fairly self-explanatory, and it's also very easy to use. I've been using it for as long as I can remember, and I install it on almost all my PCs to take control of my RGB lighting. It's great for those who, say, have a Corsair RAM installed on a Gigabyte motherboard, and you're having trouble controlling and syncing it properly. OpenRGB can help in such cases by creating a single profile, allowing you to control multiple RGB lights on your system from one place. I would ideally like it if Windows allows us to natively control all the RGB lights from one place, but it looks like we'll be using OpenRGB instead for the foreseeable future.

OpenRGB

See at OpenRGB

3 WinDirStat

Clearing storage has never been easier

WinDirStat isn't something I use very often on my PC, but I always feel glad to have this one installed whenever I do. It essentially makes it very simple to dig through your storage and delete unwanted files to make more space. WinDirStat gives you a visual representation of all the space on your disk, making it easier to see how big the folders are and how much space they're taking up on your drive. It's perfect for those who tend to forget where they've stored a bunch of junk files on thier system and are unable to clear space because of it. I've used WinDirStat plenty of times to find such forgotten folders to clear gigabytes of space at once.

WinDirStat

See at Sourceforge

2 Cinebench 2024

Stress test for both CPU and GPU

Benchmarking tools like Cinebench are often viewed as tools that only advanced users and product evaluators must use. But the truth can't be further from that because they can — and should be — used by anyone and everyone to see if your PC is running as well as it is supposed to and whether it needs some attention. I recommend Cinebench because it's among the easiest utilities for beginners. The latest version of Cinebench i.e. Cinebench 2024 includes both CPU and GPU benchmarking tests, meaning you can use the same program to benchmark/stress test both of your core components. Alternatively, you can also use a program like OCCT for test your system, which also includes a built-in monitoring tool similar to HWMonitor.

Cinebench 2024

See at Maxon

1 Ninite

Manage and update all installed apps

Source: Ninite

The last one I've got on my list here is Ninite, and I believe it's a must-have program for those who just installed a bunch of new stuff from this page. Ninite is a simple utility that helps you keep all your installed apps up-to-date with the latest versions. Using Ninite to manage all your installed apps is fairly simple, and it's also completely free to download and use. One thing I really like about Ninite is that it takes care of everything in the background, meaning it takes care of everything for you without even bothering with pop-ups, alerts, etc.

Ninite

See at Ninite

Make the most of your PC with these must-have programs

Those are some must-have programs that are sure to enrich your computing experience. All the applications highlighted above will come in handy regardless of what you use your PC for. In fact, they're perfect for both new and both experienced PC users as they all improve your computing experience by adding new features and utilities. If you're entirely new to the world of PCs, then you might want to check out my João's list, in which he highlighted a different set of application which he believes are essential for new users.