Build a practical desktop toolkit

Start with the tasks you do every week rather than installing every app you find. A small toolkit is easier to learn and maintain.

Files, documents and browsing

Use 7-Zip for archives, LibreOffice for office documents and Firefox for browsing. On Windows, Everything is a useful companion when you remember a filename but not its folder.

Create and capture

For media work, try VLC for playback, OBS Studio for recording and Audacity for audio edits. Install only the tools that solve a real problem for you.

Keep the setup maintainable

Download from each publisher’s official site, read the system requirements and keep a record of the tools you actually use. Our catalogue links directly to those sources.