Microsoft Store has several good apps. However, finding good apps isn’t easy, especially if you don’t know what to look for. I blame that on the horrible search feature and lack of proper visibility for good apps in the Store. So, here’s my list of some of the best apps I found in my daily usage. I’ve tried all the apps on this list, and most have high user ratings. While most of the apps on this list are free, some are paid (i.e., require an upfront payment or a trial version). The paid apps are clearly labeled as such.
The apps in this list are in no particular order; there is no ranking whatsoever. If you think I missed any of your favorite app(s) that should be listed here, let me know. I will give it a try and, if it is good, add it to the list.
Best Microsoft Store Apps for Windows 10 & 11
- QuickLook: lets you preview files and folders by selecting a file or folder and pressing the space key. Very useful when you want to see a full preview without actually opening the file. Yes, it is better than the Preview pane in the File Explorer. QuickLook supports a wide range of file formats, including PSD.
- Ditto Clipboard: A simple, minimal, and easy-to-use clipboard manager. The app has a ton of options to make it work the way you want.
- IrfanView: One of the most popular image viewers for Windows that supports a ton of file formats. The app supports external plugins too. You can think of IrfanView as VLC for images. [Link for 64-bit version]
- Cyberduck (paid): Cyberduck is one of the better-looking, minimal yet feature-rich FTP/SFTP clients for Windows. Apart from regular FTP and SFTP connections, you can connect to other services like Azure, OneDrive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, etc.
- paint.net (paid): A very popular and lightweight yet powerful photo editing software for Windows. The app supports special effects, has powerful tools, supports layers, etc. Do note that if you download the regular Win32 application from the developer’s website, it’s completely free. You can send a donation to the developer if you like the app. Curious why the developer chose to put it as a paid app? Read this official blog post.
- Evernote: Evernote ported its desktop application to the Microsoft Store long ago. If you are an Evernote user, then you should try the Store version.
- OneDrive: The official app that lets you quickly browse your OneDrive storage. You can upload and download files too. You cannot sync files, though.
- Dropbox: Just like the OneDrive app, the Dropbox app lets you browse, upload, and download files.
- ShareX: One of the best Windows screenshot apps, free and open source. One of the best things about ShareX is that it has multiple capture modes and a powerful editor to edit screenshots. The app lets you upload screenshots to a wide range of image hosting services with just a few clicks.
- Appy Text: If you are looking for a super-charged Notepad that looks nice and is lightweight, you should try Appy Text.
- Trello: Using Trello to manage your work and stay focused? Use the official Trello app to get instant access. The app’s minimal user interface includes all the features of the web version and delivers native notifications.
- Accent Applicator: A personalization app that lets you change the color of UI (user interface) elements, such as borders, title bars, selected text, and highlights. A handy app to customize the look and feel of Windows 10.
- MusicBee: MusicBee is one of the most popular and powerful music players and managers. Trust me, in terms of features and customizability, there is no other app that can beat MusicBee.
- Snipaste: Snipaste is a snipping and screenshot tool with all the basic options you’ll ever need.
- F.lux: This simple, free app lets you sleep better by adjusting your screen temperature to a warm color at night. Although Windows 10 has the Night Light feature that does the same thing, F.lux gives you better control and more customization options. You can think of F.lux as Night Light on steroids.
- MediaTag: an easy-to-use tool for editing metadata of media files. The app supports batch editing and various media formats, including MP3, MP4, ASF, etc.
- Mp3tag: One of the best and free tools to tag and edit metadata of any audio file(s). The best thing is that it supports batch editing and a wide range of file types like ID3v1, ID3v2.3, ID3v2.4, iTunes MP4, WMA, etc. MP3tag is one of those tools that every Windows user should have to manage audio files properly.
- Spotify Music: Spotify ported its desktop app to the Microsoft Store. If you are a Spotify user, then you should be using this app.
- EarTrumpet: This is one of those apps everyone should use. EarTrumpet lets you control the volume of individual apps, both classic and store apps. Trust me, you will love the app and never look back.
- Dynamic Theme: Nobody likes seeing the same wallpaper or manually setting a new one every day. Dynamic Theme automatically sets a new desktop and lock screen wallpaper by downloading from Bing. I’ve been using this app for a few years now, and it is one of my favorite apps.
- Inkscape: If you are a vector graphic designer, then you might have heard of Inkscape, a free, open-source, and popular app to create vector designs. You can now download it directly from the Microsoft Store.
- Kodi: Formerly known as XBMC, Kodi is a full-featured, free, and open-source media center for Windows. The app also supports external add-ons to add or improve functionality.
- Splash! – Unsplash Wallpaper: If you ever searched for copyright-free stock images, then you might be familiar with Unsplash. In case you don’t know, Unsplash offers high-quality and professional photos for free and no copyright attachment. Splash is a simple app that downloads a new image from Unsplash every day and sets it as your desktop and lock screen wallpaper. The functionality is very similar to the Dynamic Theme app.
- WolframAlpha (paid): This is where you can get expert knowledge and almost instant computation across domains like mathematics, statistics, physics, and chemistry.
- WhatsApp Desktop: If you are a heavy WhatsApp user and rely on the web version to access WhatsApp on the desktop, then you no longer have to. Download the WhatsApp desktop app from the Microsoft Store, and you are good to go. Now, don’t expect all the features you see on your mobile device.
- TranslucentTB: This simple, free, and open-source lets you customize the look and feel of the taskbar. Using TranslucentTB, you can make the taskbar look completely transparent, opaque, blurry, or even apply the Fluent design. Learn more about TranslucentTB.
That’s all for now. Please let me know if you think I missed any of your favorite and helpful Store apps for Windows 10 and 11. If they are good, I will list them here.