What to Install After Formatting Windows: the Definitive List (and What to Avoid)

🧹 Why a Freshly Formatted PC Deserves a Short List

The first hours after formatting decide how your PC will behave for months. It’s tempting to reinstall everything you had before “just in case”, but every extra program brings background services, auto-updaters, startup entries and, sometimes, a toolbar you never asked for. The result is a “new” PC that’s slow again within a week.

In this guide we’ll go through 13 categories of programs — the same ones you’ll find on Ninite — and give a clear verdict for each item: essential, recommended, optional or not recommended. At the end you’ll know exactly which boxes to tick.

⚡ The Starting Point: Ninite

To download all the essential programs at once — without visiting each site and without accidentally installing bloatware (search bars and unwanted antivirus) — we’ll use the IT technician’s go-to tool: Ninite.

1. Open the site through the link above.
2. You’ll see the same list of categories we analyze below.
3. Tick only the programs marked as “Essential” or “Recommended” for your profile.
4. Scroll down and click the big Get Your Ninite button.
5. Run the downloaded file and go grab a coffee: Ninite installs everything silently, declining any bundled offers automatically.

The same file also works later as an updater: run it again and it updates only what’s out of date.

🧰 Prefer the Terminal? winget Does the Same

Windows 10 and 11 come with winget, Microsoft’s own package manager. It installs programs from their official sources with one line each — great for anyone who formats often or sets up several PCs. Open the Terminal and paste only the lines you actually want:

winget install -e --id VideoLAN.VLC
winget install -e --id 7zip.7zip
winget install -e --id SumatraPDF.SumatraPDF
winget install -e --id ShareX.ShareX
winget install -e --id Notepad++.Notepad++

And to update everything later with a single command, see my guide to winget: update every program with one command.

🌐 Web Browsers

The first program you open on a new PC. Having a browser you like is essential, but you don’t need three or four. Choose your trusty sidekick wisely so you don’t waste RAM.

💬 Messaging

No modern PC lives offline, but chat apps tend to run in the background and eat a lot of RAM. The golden rule: only install what you’re required to use every day.

For WhatsApp and Telegram, prefer the web versions in the browser to save RAM — and if something still opens with Windows without asking, see how to disable startup programs.

🎬 Media Players and Codecs

In the Windows 7 days, downloading giant codec packs was normal. Today it’s a mistake that causes conflicts and slowdowns. With the right player, you can open any file without polluting the system.

⚙️ .NET: Install on Demand

Many programs need this Microsoft library to open. The biggest mistake is thinking “the newer, the better” — modern .NET versions aren’t interchangeable: an app built for .NET 8 needs .NET 8, even with 10 installed.

☕ Java: the Internet Relic

There was a time when every PC needed Java for online banking or browser games. Browsers dropped Java long ago — keeping it installed without a reason only opens doors to security flaws.

Verdict: install nothing Java-related on a freshly formatted PC. Only if a very old app demands it.

🖼️ Graphics and Screenshots

You don’t need an Adobe subscription to edit images. The open-source world offers amazing tools for free, and much lighter.

Before installing a screenshot tool, remember that Windows 11 already does a lot with the keyboard — see the 11 Windows 11 shortcuts nobody taught you.

📄 Office and PDFs

PDF and office programs don’t need to be heavy or charge absurd yearly fees to deliver 100% of what you need.

Verdict: Edge already opens PDFs natively. For a standalone reader, SumatraPDF; for Word/Excel without paying, LibreOffice.

🔄 File Sharing and Torrents

Torrents are essential for huge files and Linux distributions, but the traditional clients turned into nightmares full of ads and bundled offers.

🧩 Visual C++ Redistributables

Programs and games need these libraries to run. Let’s sort out what’s essential to end “missing DLL” errors (like MSVCP140.dll or VCRUNTIME140.dll).

🛡️ Security and Antivirus

This is where many people kill a freshly formatted PC. Free third-party antivirus programs got heavy and behave almost like malware themselves, filling the screen with pop-ups and upsells.

Verdict: trust Defender plus common sense (uBlock Origin in the browser). If you still want to set up a free antivirus correctly, see how to install and configure a free antivirus.

🔧 Maintenance and Utilities

“Magic” registry cleaners damage Windows over time. Here’s what really helps with advanced PC management.

Microsoft also has a free, official utility pack worth knowing: PowerToys, the Swiss Army knife of Windows 11.

💻 Programming and Servers

If you write scripts or manage remote servers (monitoring drives or restarting services through the terminal), these are the must-have tools.

🏁 Less Is More

An optimized computer isn’t the one with every tool installed “in case you need it”, but the one that carries only what’s essential for your daily mission.

If you’re unsure about a program after reading the 13 categories, the right question is never “could this be useful someday?” — it’s “do I really use this every day or every week?”. If the answer is no, leave it out. You can always install it later, in 30 seconds, if you truly need it.

Moving to a new computer instead of formatting? See how to move all your files and programs to a new PC.

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