The best windows 8 apps

Want more interesting effects for your photos than the usual apps offer? Before you upload to Instagram, take a look at Fused, which is designed to blend photos into a background and foreground to create different effects. Going into all the ways this can be used would take a long time, but it can make your photos look awesome with the right work.

If you like to create your own backgrounds, or just get a thrill out of posting impressive photos, check out what Fused has to offer. For many users, VLC is an old standby that handles nearly any popular video format you can throw at it. The media player can play pretty much any video file ripped from a common source, including discs and network streaming protocols. If your computer functions more as an entertainment box than one made for productivity, we suggest downloading the Netflix app so that you can quickly access it directly from your desktop.

Netflix also syncs across devices — if you start watching something on your computer, for example, you can finish on your Xbox One. Everyone has their favorite music service, so feel free to substitute whatever app you prefer in here.

Pandora has really stepped up with a strong app for both desktop and mobile devices, one that makes it easy to stream your favorite tunes. The app also boasts compatibility with the Xbox One and is generally more Windows-friendly than Spotify. Since Microsoft is working on converging as much Xbox and Windows gameplay as possible, this app comes with some unique features, like the ability to stream games or movies from an Xbox One to your PC. The app also comes with social and sharing features, meaning you can quickly share game clips or join clubs.

It is already built into your Windows 10 PC, and there is no need for an extra download. That includes access to Instagram Stories and the Instagram Feed, as well as messages and the search feature. If you or your friends use WhatsApp, you deserve this clean desktop version that makes it easy to carry on multiple detailed chats at the same time. Flipboard is a news aggregator designed for tile-based exploration and reading, making it a perfect fit for Windows Then, the app saves your personalizations for the next time you want to check the news.

This curation process saves you the time and energy of sorting through every news story to get to the ones that interest you, making it one of the best Windows apps for news. Additionally, the team will ensure that you get stories that are accurate and exciting.

Whichever news you prioritize, Microsoft News supplies a wide range of topics, reliably sourced, to bring you breaking information on the news that matters most to you. You can even sync your preferences across the web. The app works in 20 different countries and collects content from more than 3, publications.

Dashlane remains one of the most popular password manager apps, thanks to its simple setup and easy-to-use design. As per its job description, Dashlane expects you to store every one of your passwords. The security app can handle any number of passwords you may have from as many sources as you want, offering highly efficient organization and steadfast protection.

Additionally, it works with Windows Windows 11 shipped on October 5, and is now available on most new PCs. You can still access all of the Windows 10 apps we mentioned above in Windows 11, but there are some newer apps that can be downloaded.

Do note, though, that Android apps are still in beta testing and only available for Beta branch Windows Insiders. One of the most exciting features of Windows 11 is the fact that it now supports Android apps from the Amazon App Store. Currently, though, there is only a selection of mobile apps and games available for download on Windows Some community members also managed to install additional Android apps from outside the Amazon App Store.

We talked more about Android apps in Windows 11 and our favorite Android apps in a separate piece. Both versions offer free Skype-to-Skype messaging, audio and video calling, and you can also use the app to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles anywhere on Earth. Valve Software's mighty gaming platform is a fantastic thing. Steam gives you access to stacks of games as well as mods fan-made modifications that change the way a game plays, or in some cases add whole new levels and downloadable content for games you've already got in your library.

You can use it in the living room too thanks to the Big Picture mode, which is designed for gaming on your big-screen TV. VLC is a media player that can play pretty much anything and it can do it without having to download a whole bunch of codec packs for audio and video. Ad-free, spyware-free and completely free, it can take any kind of media, change it and quite possibly put a donk on it too.

There are two versions: the familiar VLC app for the desktop, and a modern version. The latter one is still in beta, so you can expect the odd crash, but the desktop version is rock solid and a must-have for anyone who wants to play a range of media files. It's particularly handy for anybody who needs to write code or sites and test them on lots of different systems, or for anyone who'd like to learn, fiddle with and generally explorer other OSes.

What started as a replacement for the famous and until fairly recently famously rubbish Windows Paint application has become something much more interesting and useful: paint. The fourth major version has just reached the beta stage and is a very powerful and user-friendly image creation and editing tool. It's a genuine alternative to expensive pro-level image editors. That's because its owner, Google, might benefit from your models. Clicking a source or story summary will send you to the browser to visit the webpage in question.

Download News Bento here. Discourse is the ultimate news app for Windows 8. It imports news based on either keywords or your favorite RSS feeds and organizes it into a simple grid of high-contrast tiles that are easy to activate and browse with touch. It looks like the company is positioning Skype to be top dog over rival products from Google. Download Skype here. This tool is a huge help for people with multiple Microsoft computers, either at home or at work.

As the name implies, this program allows you to hop on to the desktop of one computer from another. That means you can access files across machines in a snap. Download Remote Desktop here. Download the SkyDrive app here.

This handy productivity tool lets you easily multitask by breaking down your screen into six sections. You can assign different tools to take up as many of those sections as you want, meaning you can have anywhere from one to six different apps open at once on your computer. Download Toolbox for Windows 8 here.

Windows 8 Cheat Keys gives a daily tip, rolling out helpful suggestions so that new users can acclimate to the features of Windows 8 and really learn how to navigate the different layout. The shortcuts and hints offered here mean that anyone can be a Windows 8 expert in no time. Download Windows 8 Cheat Keys here. This app is a multi-tasking solution similar to Toolbox for Windows 8.

Users can quickly see notes, the calendar, or a to-do list, and, because the app is designed to be used this way, it works just as well as it does when viewed full screen. Download the app here. Looking to touch up a photo? Fotor is a simple image editing app designed to make small edits to photos or add attractive extras, like borders or filters.

The interface is clean and features are easy to find, so almost anyone can start cropping within seconds. Fotor is available for free here. This app is a creative program that lets you virtually paint an existing outline or a fresh canvas. Fresh Paint seems to focus on children the app sells design packs which can then be colored, and most of these are cartoons , but a creative mind can start with a blank canvas and go wild. Fresh Paint is free, though the design packs are not.

Many may think this app, which promises to give you a virtual makeover, is a bit silly; but think again. Though many of the advanced options are built around makeup you can apply lipstick, eye shadow, etc. You can brighten your face, remove circles from your eyes, get rid of dry skin, and more. This app does a good job of correcting the dark, blotchy look most laptop webcams inflict on self-portraits.

Perfect is available free of charge here. Anna Washenko also contributed to this story. Hulu Plus It might seem like overkill to have two apps for streaming movies and television on this short list, but both Netflix and Hulu Plus have become indispensable for multimedia enthusiasts. Xbox Smartglas This is a must-have for any Xbox owners. Allrecipe Allrecipes is a great choice for those who love cooking and eating.