11 Best Free Apps on the Microsoft Store

The Microsoft Store isn’t exactly a favorite among Windows users, but the apps it offers – including the free ones – offer a host of hidden benefits. Automatic updates, strong security, and great integration with PC hardware. Read on to find out the top free apps in the Microsoft Store.

1. QuickLook

Sometimes you just want to preview a file before opening it in the actual program. With QuickLook, you just press the spacebar and the app will show you a quick preview of the target file. It feels like the best invention of the Microsoft Store ever, and many people have decided that they won’t be uninstalling it anytime soon.

2. EarTrumpet

EarTrumpet is one of my favorites. While your laptop's speakers and volume mixer provide rich, audible sound, they affect all applications. EarTrumpet lets you adjust volume controls for each application from the taskbar.

3. ShareX

If you're looking for a powerful, highly customizable, open-source screen capture and recording tool, ShareX is for you. Similar to Windows 11 's built-in Snipping Tool , it can take any type of screenshot, including full screen, limited area, rectangular window, or even scrolling web pages.

4. IrfanView (32 bit)

There is no shortage of photo viewing apps in Windows . The Photos app is widely used as the system default and there are many third-party apps. IrfanView catches the eye by being extremely lightweight. It gently reminds you of what Windows photo viewing apps used to be like two decades ago. They never weigh down the system and all the photos open in a flash.

5. Microsoft To-Do

As you can tell from the name itself, Microsoft To Do is the official to-do app from Microsoft. It is lightweight, minimalistic, and easy to use. If you love creating to-do lists for your tasks, try this great Windows app for free.

6. Ditto Clipboard

We often encounter this problem with the default Windows clipboard tool. If you press Ctrl + C repeatedly, it will forget previous copy commands. Ditto is a highly customizable Windows clipboard extension that saves all your clipboard items, allowing you to access them later.

7. MusicBee

MusicBee is one of the most popular music players for Windows. It is feature-rich, supports almost every audio format, supports plug-ins, and is highly customizable. While MusicBee is full of features, it is much faster and lighter than the Groove music player.

8. Simple Minesweeper

When Microsoft removed the classic Windows game from Windows 10 and 11, it led to an angry response from millions of Minesweeper fans. There are plenty of Minesweeper games you can download from the Store and even online. But if you want that classic experience, Simple Minesweeper is the best option out there.

9. F.lux

F.lux is one of those apps that everyone should be using. It’s a simple app designed to reduce the blue light emitted from screens at night. Screen eye strain is a real problem, and there are plenty of brightness control apps that help reduce it. But F.lux goes a few steps further, making artificial computer screen light feel like a real nightlight.

10. OneNote

OneNote needs no introduction as it is one of the best apps when it comes to note-taking, clipping, and organizing. The store version of OneNote looks a little different than the regular Windows app but has a similar feature set, aside from the subscription.

11. CrystalDiskMark

CrystalDiskMark is a simple disk benchmark utility that shows how fast your hard drive or SSD really is. You can see the read/write speeds, even for external drives like USBs or external hard drives. With a simple, intuitive design, it's easy to adjust test parameters and run benchmark tests.