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Introduction
It might be eight years old, but Windows 7 is still the world's You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. desktop operating system – and for good reason. It's an excellent operating system that's still supported by Microsoft and receives regular security updates (unlike You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.), doesn't pester you with popups like Windows 10, is much more open than macOS, and is easier for beginners to master than Linux.
Here, we've picked 20 of the best programs you can download free to give your Windows 7 PC a new lease of life.
GIMP
Windows 7's version of Microsoft Paint is a big step up from the edition provided with Windows Vista, but it's still not much use for editing photos or creating your own graphics from scratch.
You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a brilliant open source photo editor that's amazingly powerful, and is available to download and use completely free. It's not quite as feature-packed as Adobe Photoshop, but it has everything hobbyist photographers need to make their shots look amazing before printing them or sharing them online.
You can even add more tools and filters by installing plugins – You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
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MusicBee
If you're still using Windows Media Center to play music in Windows 7, you're doing your tunes a disservice. You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. is designed to organize songs and podcasts in a logical way, add accurate metadata, and give you the best sound quality your PC can provide – whether you have a high-end soundcard or not.
MusicBee supports every music file format you can name without the need to download additional codecs, as well as streaming services and online radio
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VLC Media Player
MusicBee is the best free music player for Windows 7, but for video you need You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.. Again, it supports a huge range of file formats (far more than Windows Media Center), and can be expanded with user-created plugins and skins.
VLC Media Player is also an excellent way to enjoy DVDs and Blu-rays on your PC (provided you have the necessary optical drive), and you can optimize playback to suit your system.
Audacity
If you poke around in the Accessories section of Windows 7's Start Menu, you'll find the Sound Recorder. 'Basic' hardly describes it - all it does is take input from a microphone and save it in WAV format.
If you want to make your own podcasts, record music, or edit existing sound files, you need something far more powerful. That something is You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
This open source audio editor lets you record in stereo, remove noise, apply various effects, edit channels individually, cut and combine files, remove vocals from songs and much more. Like GIMP and VLC Media Player, Audacity also supports plugins so you can tailor it to suit your exact needs.
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Shotcut
Windows Movie Maker was a great video editor when it was first released, but its inelegant interface and cheesy effects now look very dated. After many long years of service, it's time for Windows 7 users to wave goodbye and upgrade to You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. instead.
Shotcut isn't the most powerful free video editor around (that would be You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.), but it strikes a perfect balance between features and usability. You don't need to study a manual to start making a great-looking video, and there's a huge set of tools and filters to experiment with.
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Google Chrome
You might be happy sticking with Internet Explorer in Windows 7, but Microsoft has moved its attention to Edge – a new browser that's exclusive to Windows 10.
If you haven't experimented with many other browsers before, You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.is a great place to start. It's hugely customizable via plugins, fast, and integrates with your Google account so you can sync bookmarks and preferences between different devices – including phones and tablets.
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Tor Browser
If you don't like the idea of Google getting its roots into all your online activity, or you just want an alternative for occasions when privacy is particularly important, take a look at You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now..
Tor (the Onion Router) works by encrypting your data and redirecting it through a series of remote servers around the world, making it all but impossible to trace.
Be careful if your Windows 7 PC is on a work or college network though – some organizations take a dim view of Tor because it's often used for nefarious purposes like pirating movies and music.
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WindScribe
Another way to protect your privacy online is to use a VPN (virtual private network) service, which disguises your identity and location using remote servers. Take care, though – there are lots of dodgy free VPNs around that are actually malware in disguise.
You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. is the real deal – a free VPN with a very generous data allowance of 10GB per month. That's not enough for streaming movies (for that, you'll need to upgrade to the premium version), but it's ideal for online shopping and banking.
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Foxit Reader
Windows 7 can open PDFs without any trouble, but it doesn't let you annotate them, make text changes, or perform security checks.
That's why you need You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now. – a free PDF reader that's full of useful extra tools you didn't realise you needed, but can't live without. The scan-to-PDF tool is particularly handy if you have a paper worksheet or handout to convert, and the Microsoft Office Plugins are a brilliant touch.
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Credit: TR.
