The Microsoft Store hasn’t had a good time throughout its history, but it seems that with the arrival of the new Windows 11 operating system, its reputation has gained ground when it comes to catalog applications and programs and make them easier to find and download.
So much so that Microsoft honors the best apps you can buy on its store, and honestly, they’re pretty good if you happen to be one of those people who work with a Windows computer or laptop on a daily basis.
It’s worth taking a look at the award-winning apps if you’re looking for quality, useful tools to get the most out of your computer, especially since they’re all free.
Here are the best Windows Store apps, as picked by Microsoft:
- ShareX: It is a serious alternative to the built-in Windows screenshot tool, with which you can automatically save screenshots or videos of the entire screen, specific regions or windows. It also allows binding almost any recording action to a hotkey. I use it myself to quickly take screenshots of product presentations we attend virtually.
- Files app: This alternative to the default Windows Explorer file manager is open source and offers tons of tools not available in the default Windows version. The customizable multi-panel interface is a highlight.
- Rufus: Although it might sound like the name of a dog from an old Disney movie to many, Rufus is a small application that will help you quickly format drives, including the option to create bootable USB drives.
- Auto dark mode: Windows 11 now lets you turn on the Night Light eye strain tool at specific times of the day. Auto Dark Mode brings the same flexibility to light and dark modes of the interface itself for Windows 10 and 11.
- Ear trumpet: This tool replaces the default volume manager panel with something much more powerful, allowing the user to quickly manage the volume on an application-by-application basis and change entries without opening a menu.
- Modern Flyouts: With this lightweight tool, it is possible to override the default UI with which you change the volume, screen brightness, as well as airplane mode and others, by moving the options to any part of the user interface. ‘screen.
- Cloth : Another great web-based freeware publishing tool that combines basic slideshow creation and visual layout design, with pre-made templates for various web applications.
- Paint.NET: This app has been around for almost two decades and since I discovered it, it’s been one of my favorites when it comes to managing and editing photos for free. It is a favorite powerful alternative, which is why many users consider it good enough to perform some of the tasks previously reserved only for applications like Photoshop.
- Wondershare Filmora: Although Windows includes a video editor, it leaves a lot to be desired. This completely free alternative has a much cleaner and more flexible user interface. Just keep in mind that the free version has watermarks on posted videos, which you’ll need to pay a monthly fee of $80 for a perpetual license if you want to remove the marks.
- LiquidText: It is an application which has become famous for allowing you to take notes from the iPad. Now comes the version for Windows, which is more useful if you have a computer or laptop with a touchscreen and a digital pen.
This version lets you import and annotate PDF, Word, and PowerPoint documents, but you’ll have to pay for the more powerful features.
We have decided to ignore several selected apps that are just bundled versions of web tools. If you want to see them, along with a few dozen finalist apps, you can check out the complete list of applications awarded by Microsoft.
If you want to install programs and apps outside of the Windows Store environment, check out our ranking of the best free programs for Windows, from the best free word processor to photo editor.
