10 Things You Need to Install When You Get a New Laptop
So, you finally got yourself a shiny new laptop. Whether it is a Mac or a PC, you have to install essential programs to keep your device safe and productive. In this post, we’ll guide you on the programs to get your system up and running quickly.
- Web Browser
Often times, people would say there’s no need to install another browser for Windows or Mac because both come with native browsers, namely Microsoft Edge and Safari. However, it’s good to have more than one browser on your system – some websites just don’t work well in some browsers. Therefore, it is good to have one or two backup browsers in situations where websites load slowly (or not at all) at your designated browser. The leading choices for most users for both platforms (Windows or Mac) are Chrome and Firefox. - File Compression and Extraction
Windows comes with its native compression utility, but it can only support packing and unpacking files with a .zip extension. For that reason, you’ll need a more powerful tool to work with any kind of archived file that comes your way. For this task, 7-Zip is ideal for Windows. It can pack single or multiple files, as well as an entire folder into a password-protected and encrypted package. Best of all, it’s free, easy to use, and works with almost all file archiving tools. Respectively, Mac has its Archive Utility app to create and decompress files. However, it would be a great choice if you install iZip for its more advanced features, such as support for most major archive file formats, archive content preview, password protection with AES-256 encryption technology, and drag-and-drop files between archives all embodied in a free app. - Password Manager
You must never allow your browsers to store your passwords. Likewise, don’t write it down on Notepad or worse – on a piece of paper. Doing this will put your identity at risk. It is your responsibility to keep your passwords safe. Safe meaning you’re the only one who will have access to it. To keep your passwords safe, you need a password manager that will help you create strong passwords and store them in an encrypted form, as well as allow you to autofill your passwords on different websites securely. You can go for a free version or a paid version, here we have collect a list for you! - Office Suite
It is unavoidable at work to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Thus, it’s quite necessary to install an office suite to help you. If you don’t have a licensed version of Microsoft Office, you can resort to a free open source suite that allows you to do the same task. Here, we recommend you to install LibreOffice to tackle your daily job pursuits. Just ensure to set your office files to automatically open and save to Microsoft Office file formats. This remarkable free alternative to Microsoft Office is available for both Windows and Mac. - Media Player
Although Windows Media Player and Quicktime Player are serviceable for playing videos, you still need a strong reliable tool like VLC. It’s not only free, but also comes with strong feature set. It can play just about any video format; from files, discs, webcams, devices, and streams. Moreover, VLC can be used to convert videos from one file format to another. - Cleaner and Tune-up Utility
Most of us are prone to having slipshod file organizations, duplicate files, and directories, as well as keeping unwanted stuff that bloats our laptop’s disk thereby lowering its performance. Therefore, we need a program that can ensure easy management of files and smooth operation of our laptop. There’s a multitude of free cleanup and tune-up tools around, but it’s better to trust an application provided by a global cybersecurity leader. Trend Micro’s Cleaner One Pro offers a lot of useful cleaning and optimization features to reclaim space and enhance your laptop’s performance. - Cloud Storage
Just as it’s important to back up your data, it’s vital to be able to retrieve data anytime on your laptops and across various devices. Using cloud storage services enables file syncing that makes it possible for you to work on multiple devices. This means you can simply grab a document you were editing on your Windows laptop on your Mac. Microsoft Windows’ One Drive and Mac’s iCloud both come equipped with 5GB of free storage. However, if you want more free storage; you can use Google Drive that offers 15GB of free storage. - VPN (Virtual Private Network)
It’s practical to consider installing a VPN to safeguard your privacy and securing your online activities. This app encrypts your connection, protecting you against hacker eavesdroppers, makes region-blocked content accessible, and minimizes the chances of tracking your activities on the web. It’s difficult to suggest a VPN that will suit your needs. Nevertheless, you can refer to these reviews: Best Free VPN, Best Paid VPN and Fastest VPN, to choose the one that best meets your requirements. - Messaging App
Most of us use more than one apps on our laptops to keep in touch and communicate with family, friends, and colleagues. It can be tedious to switch among messaging apps to keep up with your conversations from your multiple messaging accounts. What you need is a universal messaging app that combines all these messaging services into one app. All-In-One Messenger delivers on that promise as it manages more than 40 messengers in one app. All-In-One Messenger allows you to create tabs for every messaging service you add and proceed with a one-time log-in. You can also mute sounds and notifications for every service individually. This messaging app supports multiple accounts for each user. All you need to do is rename each instance to avoid confusion. For instance, you can have two different Facebook Messengers or Skype accounts running inside the same app. The best thing, it’s free. - Antivirus
Although Windows and Mac have built-in security features, they’re not enough to keep you and your device secure. It’s vital to have a full-featured paid antivirus installed on your laptop such as Trend Micro’s Maximum Security. Trend Micro Maximum Security protects your laptops, desktops, and mobile phones; secures your transactions; block web threats and dangerous websites that can steal personal data; defend against ransomware and other online dangers like phishing, fraud, and scams to name a few. Always remember the security of your laptop is very important. A compromised laptop does not only mean losing your work or files, it also means putting your privacy and identity at risk.
With all these in mind, it’s time to work on that new laptop!
