Last week, Microsoft released a list of the best Windows apps you can download for free. The first-annual Microsoft Store App Awards features apps nominated by users, as well as apps hand-picked by Microsoft Store editors. Here are the winners of this year’s Microsoft Store App Awards, from apps designed to increase your productivity to music streaming apps, and more.
Microsoft Store Community Choice Awards
ShareX
ShareX is an open-source app designed to make it easier to take a screenshot or record a video of anything on your screen. This lightweight app comes with tons of tools to help you capture, edit, and share your screenshots and screen recordings. You can even change the default hotkeys for taking a screenshot.
Free Download: Microsoft Store
Additionally, users also voted another screen recorder called Screenbits as one of the best apps in the Microsoft Store.
Speedtest by Ookla
If you have ever wondered how fast your internet really is, Speedtest by Ookla is the best app to find out for sure. This lightweight app lets you quickly test your download and upload speeds, as well as your ping speed. Then it will save your previous test result history, so you can diagnose any problems with your network.
Free Download: Microsoft Store
If you want to know more about what the results of your speed test mean, check out our article on what is good download speed. In addition, users also awarded WiFi Analyzer, which lets you improve your internet speeds by looking for the fastest WiFi channels, as one of the best apps in the Microsoft Store.
Files App
Microsoft recently announced that it is adding tabs to File Explorer soon. But, if you can’t wait until then, you can try out the new feature now with the Files app. Aside from adding tabs, this open-source app also lets you see your files in column view, add colored tags, preview documents, and much more.
While this app does let you customize your file management experience, be warned that it is a little buggy, at least compared to the native File Explorer app.
Free Download: Microsoft Store
If you’re not a fan of the Files app, you might also want to check out One Commander, Shrestha Files Pro X, Metro Commander, and QuickLook, which users also voted as the best file management apps you can find on the Microsoft Store.
Rufus
Rufus is a simple app that makes it easy to create a bootable USB for a variety of ISOs. You can use this 1MB app to format a USB thumb drive, install an operating system on a new computer, or factory reset an older computer.
Free Download: Microsoft Store
Read More: How to factory reset Windows 10 PC
Auto Dark Mode
Auto Dark Mode is an app that does just what it says it will; it automatically switches your theme from Dark Mode at night to Light Mode during the day. So, with this free app, you won’t have to manually switch modes and wallpapers every day. You can even set up hotkeys to switch modes even quicker.
Free Download: Microsoft Store
Additionally, users also named Dynamic Theme and Lively Wallpaper, which give you more ways to customize your desktop background, as the best apps in the Microsoft Store.
EarTrumpet
Have you ever been listening to loud music on your computer, and suddenly your eardrums are nearly blown out by another program? With EarTrumpet, you can quickly control the audio levels for all your apps individually or mute any app with a single click.
Free Download: Microsoft Store
ModernFlyouts
ModernFlyouts is designed to replace the annoying flyouts that appear when you change the volume, brightness, or switch to airplane mode on your Windows PC. This free app gives you more tools and allows you to customize flyouts, including the ability to control the current song or video playing.
Free Download: Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store Editor’s Choice Awards
While regular Windows users almost exclusively voted for free apps, the Microsoft Store team also added apps to the list, but many of them are not free and require a monthly subscription. These apps include Disney+, Spotify, Canva, Paint.Net, Wondershare Filmora, LiquidText, and Discord.
If you’re looking for more apps to download on your Windows PC, check out our list of the best free Windows apps.