Windows 11 ships with a screenshot tool that has hidden a working button in three separate menus in the last two updates, a Photos app that shows ads in the sidebar, and a Notepad that autosaves to OneDrive whether you asked for it or not. That is why so many people quietly install the same handful of replacements the first hour after a fresh install. We spent a week going through the best free Windows apps for replacing the built-in defaults in 2026, tested each on Windows 11 24H2 and a Windows 10 machine we still keep around, and stripped the list down to the seven that pull real weight.
Every app here is free, does not run a nagging trial, and does not require an account.
What to look for in a Windows default replacement
- Portability. A single executable you can drop on a USB stick beats an installer that touches the registry in five places.
- No account walls. The best replacements let you skip sign-in entirely. If a “free” app hides features behind a login, it is not really the built-in you wanted.
- Sensible defaults. Open a file, use it. Nothing you install should push you through three onboarding screens.
- File-association behaviour. The right app claims associations you actually want, and does not fight Windows over the rest.
- Update path. Winget or a built-in updater is fine. Silent background installers are not.
- Open source when it matters. For anything that reads sensitive files (PDFs, images, source code), we lean toward open source.
Quick comparison table
| App | Replaces | Install | License | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VLC media player | Movies & TV, Media Player | Installer or portable | GPLv2 | Plays literally anything |
| Notepad++ | Notepad | Installer or portable | GPLv3 | Fast, no OneDrive |
| PowerToys | Bits of the OS | MSIX from Microsoft | MIT | FancyZones, PowerRename, Peek |
| 7-Zip | Built-in ZIP support | Installer | LGPL | 7z, tar.zst, real password support |
| Files | File Explorer | MSIX | MIT | Tabs, dual pane, no Recommended row |
| ShareX | Snipping Tool | Installer or portable | GPLv3 | Screenshot to anywhere, GIF capture |
| SumatraPDF | Edge PDF viewer | Installer or portable | GPLv3 | Opens in under a second |
The apps
1. VLC media player — Replaces Movies & TV and Windows Media Player
VLC is still the correct answer for anyone who wants to double-click a media file and have it play. It handles MKV, HEVC, AV1, and every quirky audio codec without hunting for extensions. On Windows 11 the built-in Movies & TV app now shows promoted rentals in the sidebar and refuses to open some MKV files without a paid codec. VLC skips all of that and starts in under a second.
Where it falls short: The default UI still looks like 2011. Chapter navigation on Blu-ray rips is a right-click menu deep. The 4K HDR pipeline is fine but not as polished as MPC-HC with madVR for enthusiasts.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, no ads, no upsells, ever.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.
Download: videolan.org · Microsoft Store
Bottom line: The default video player nobody regrets installing.
2. Notepad++ — Replaces Notepad
Notepad++ starts as fast as Notepad and does everything Notepad refuses to. Multi-tab editing, syntax highlighting for 80-plus languages, session recovery that actually recovers the exact tabs you had open, and no forced OneDrive autosave. The macro recorder alone saves an hour a week if you ever process CSVs or logs by hand.
Where it falls short: The default UI is dense. Some plugins have not been updated for the current 64-bit build. Not the right tool if you actually want an IDE (use VS Code for that).
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, GPLv3.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows only.
Download: notepad-plus-plus.org
Bottom line: The first thing to install after a clean Windows setup.
3. Microsoft PowerToys — Adds features Windows should have shipped
PowerToys is technically from Microsoft, but it fills gaps the shipping OS ignores. FancyZones gives you real tiling window snap layouts. PowerRename bulk-renames files with regex. Peek is a QuickLook-style preview that reads office files, PDFs, images, and code. Text Extractor OCRs anything on screen with a keyboard shortcut. Awake keeps the machine from sleeping without touching the power plan.
Where it falls short: The installer is 200 MB. New utilities get added faster than they get polished. Some modules (Hosts File Editor) still ask for elevation every launch.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully free, MIT license.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows 10 and 11.
Download: Microsoft Store · GitHub releases
Bottom line: Install the whole bundle, then turn off what you do not need.
4. 7-Zip — Replaces built-in ZIP handling
7-Zip cleared this bar so many years ago that it is easy to forget how limited Windows’ native archive support still is. Windows 11 finally added tar and 7z read support in 2024, but write support, password protection, and split archives all still route through 7-Zip. The .7z format compresses text and code roughly 30 percent tighter than ZIP for the same CPU budget.
Where it falls short: The GUI is stubbornly Windows 95. Right-click context menu items now live behind “Show more options” on Windows 11 unless you register the classic menu.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully free, LGPL.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows, Linux (p7zip), macOS (via Keka or command-line).
Download: 7-zip.org
Bottom line: Still the archive tool. Nothing else needs to argue for its slot.
5. Files — Replaces File Explorer
Files is the modern file manager Microsoft keeps almost shipping and never quite finishing. Real tabs, real dual-pane view, a proper folder tree in the sidebar, and none of the “Recommended” row or promoted OneDrive prompts. Tags are useful and stored in Windows’ own alternate data streams, so they follow the file. It integrates with 7-Zip and Git out of the box.
Where it falls short: The initial cold-start is noticeably slower than Explorer. A handful of context-menu shell extensions from third-party apps do not show up. Occasional preview-pane crashes on large PSDs.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app is free and open source (MIT).
- Paid: Files Preview at a monthly tier for early builds; not required.
Platforms: Windows 10 and 11 only.
Download: Microsoft Store · files.community
Bottom line: The best File Explorer replacement that does not feel like a niche tool.
6. ShareX — Replaces Snipping Tool
ShareX does what Snipping Tool would do if Microsoft cared about it. Region, window, or scrolling screenshots. Auto-annotate with arrows and blur. GIF or MP4 screen recording with click highlights. Direct upload to Imgur, S3, an SFTP server, or a self-hosted target with a URL back to your clipboard. Custom hotkeys per action.
Where it falls short: The settings dialog is a wall of options and takes an hour to master. GIF captures over 30 seconds get big fast.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, GPLv3.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows only. (Flameshot is the closest cross-platform equivalent.)
Download: getsharex.com · Microsoft Store
Bottom line: The screenshot tool people install once and then never think about again.
7. SumatraPDF — Replaces Edge as a PDF viewer
SumatraPDF opens a PDF instantly. Edge opens a PDF and then loads a browser. If you have ever waited on Edge’s PDF viewer, you already know the difference. Sumatra also handles ePub, MOBI, CBR/CBZ comic archives, and DjVu. It is portable, under 15 MB, and does not phone home.
Where it falls short: No editing, no form filling, no annotation. Read-only by design. If you need to sign PDFs, install something else alongside it.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app, GPLv3.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Windows only.
Download: sumatrapdfreader.org
Bottom line: Set it as your PDF default and reclaim the two seconds Edge steals from every open.
How to pick the right one
- If you install only one thing, make it VLC. It replaces two shipping apps and never lets you down.
- If you edit any kind of text file, add Notepad++ the same afternoon.
- If you spend all day in Windows, install PowerToys and turn on FancyZones alone. The tiling snap layouts are worth the whole bundle.
- If you unzip files more than once a month, 7-Zip is non-negotiable.
- If File Explorer’s Recommended row bothers you, replace it with Files.
- If you screenshot for work or a chat, ShareX is the correct answer.
- If Edge takes too long to open a PDF, install SumatraPDF and set it as default.
FAQ
Are the Windows default apps really that bad?
They are functional. They also carry ads (Movies & TV, Photos), autosave to OneDrive by default (Notepad, WordPad’s replacement), and skip features power users expect (real tabs in File Explorer, tiling in the built-in snap). The apps in this list fix those gaps and add nothing worse.
Do any of these apps show ads?
No. Every app in this list is free with no advertising, no upsell modals, and no telemetry beyond crash reporting that you can turn off.
Which of these replacements are open source?
VLC, Notepad++, PowerToys, 7-Zip, Files, ShareX, and SumatraPDF are all open source. Every download link above goes to the project’s official site or Microsoft Store listing.
Can I install these without administrator rights?
VLC, 7-Zip, Notepad++, ShareX, and SumatraPDF have portable builds you can run without an installer. PowerToys and Files ship as MSIX packages through the Microsoft Store, which do not require admin either.
Will these apps update themselves?
Files and PowerToys installed via the Microsoft Store update automatically. The others include an in-app update check. All of them work with Winget, so a single winget upgrade catches every one of them.
Are there similar replacements for macOS or Linux?
VLC, 7-Zip (as p7zip), and PowerToys-adjacent tools exist cross-platform. For a clean equivalent list on other operating systems, our roundup of best free apps for a fresh Linux install covers the same ground.