Home windows 11 can foster high-quality, native apps experiences

Microsoft Home windows has been round for the better part of 40 years, making it probably the most long-standing shopper working techniques of all time. By way of the a long time, the OS has amassed a gargantuan catalog of laptop applications and software program purposes, a few of which have gone on to turn out to be actually iconic.

For higher or worse, Home windows’ standing as a legacy desktop working system comes with some caveats — together with decades-old baggage within the app ecosystem division. A lot of the best third-party apps on the platform make the most of antiquated interface paradigms, outdated visuals, and total really feel misplaced within the modern-day.

Fortunately, a choose variety of Windows builders have taken it upon themselves to craft actually fashionable app experiences for the Home windows 11 period and past. These apps embrace Microsoft’s fashionable Fluent Design ideas, provide responsive and touch-friendly interface parts, and include darkish modes, transparency, and a number of other different visible thrives.

Listed here are my picks of a number of the greatest fashionable third-party Home windows 11 apps — every of those entries affords native person interface parts, Fluent Design theming, and far more.

1 Ambie White Noise

Good for kicking again and enjoyable

Ambie White Noise

Ambie White Noise is a fluid and fashionable Home windows 11 app that makes it straightforward to review, to calm down, or to go to sleep to ambient sounds of nature.

Should you’re like me and have bother sleeping when there is a ruckus or chatter within the background, then Ambie is the proper answer. As with different white noise apps, there is a choice of enjoyable nature scenes and soothing sounds to select from right here, which will help to drown out undesirable noise whereas selling restfulness within the course of.

Ambie is a fantastically constructed app that matches proper in with Home windows 11’s fashionable Fluent Design pointers. The app is free to start out with, however a paid Ambie+ subscription is required to unlock the total choice of sounds and white noise choices. The free model is all it’s worthwhile to get began with Ambie’s Focus Timer and Focus Session instruments, which act as a pomodoro mode.

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2 Character Map UWP

Simply entry Home windows’ huge font and character database

Character Map UWP

Character Map UWP is a third-party alternative for Home windows’ default Character Map choice software, and it supplies a clear and fashionable interface design.

The default Home windows Character Map is one thing of a sizzling mess. It hasn’t been up to date in years, and so its interface stands out like a nineties-themed sore thumb. Fortunately, the free third-party Character Map UWP app serves as a swish alternative. The app is a completely modernized answer for searching by way of and copying typefaces, fonts, and characters.

Character Map UWP is greater than a fairly face, too: the app has superior choices for copying and exporting characters, a comparability software, help for a number of tabs, a font properties pane, and extra.

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3 ClipShelf

Clipboard historical past, however inside simpler attain

ClipShelf

ClipShelf is a well-designed Home windows 11 clipboard supervisor app that makes it straightforward to pin your copy historical past inside a devoted graphical person interface.

Home windows has a built-in clipboard administration software, however I desire utilizing the free ClipShelf app as an alternative of Microsoft’s default answer. Clipshelf provides a wonderful Home windows 11-themed strip to the highest or backside of your show, and populates along with your clipboard historical past for simple entry and cross-referencing functions.

ClipShelf additionally supplies its personal set of keyboard shortcuts for simple entry, in addition to a number of customization instruments. The app is free to make use of, although a few of its extra superior options are locked behind a paywall.

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4 FluentCast

Native podcasting meets Home windows

FluentCast

FluentCast is a contemporary and feature-packed podcast app for Home windows 11 that features auto-download, playback historical past, and far more.

Sadly, Home windows 11 nonetheless lacks a local first-party podcasting application to name its personal. Fortunately, the third-party FluentCast app is right here to the rescue. The app is a free answer that appears and feels each bit like an in-box Home windows expertise, which makes it an excellent match for the OS.

Along with all of the podcast streaming fundamentals that you just’d anticipate finding, FluentCast affords up iTunes integration for looking out by way of fashionable exhibits listed on Apple’s personal podcasting service. Different helpful options embrace auto downloads, playback historical past, picture-in-picture, new episode notifications, and extra.

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5 Fluent Emoji Gallery

Microsoft’s emoji rock — now you may view them in catalog kind

Fluent Emoji Gallery

Fluent Emoji Gallery is the perfect strategy to flick thru Microsoft’s fashionable Fluent-style emoji pictograms, with choices to view in 3D, 2D, and monochrome.

When Microsoft redesigned its emoji library just a few years again, it hyped up its new Fluent-themed pictographs to an excellent diploma. Personally, I am an enormous fan of the brand new look, particularly when in comparison with competing emoji kinds available on the market. Should you’ve ever wished to peruse by way of the total catalog of accessible smileys, symbols, and extra, then the free Fluent Emoji Gallery app is your one-stop store answer.

The app at the moment comprises over 1,594 particular person emoji designs, every of which is sourced from official Microsoft repositories. What makes Fluent Emoji Gallery such a pleasure to make use of is its fashionable and Home windows 11-styled interface design, which serves as pure eye sweet.

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6 FluentWeather

Fluid climate forecasts with out the interface bloat

FluentWeather

FluentWeather is a wonderful third-party climate app for Home windows 11 that follows fashionable Fluent Design interface pointers.

There are a number of glorious climate purposes out there for Home windows 11, however none hit the mark fairly in addition to FluentWeather. This free app is laser-focused on offering a clear, native-feeling forecasting interface, and it succeeds in doing so — it places lots of Microsoft’s personal in-box outs to disgrace by way of visible coherency and person expertise.

FluentWeather is open-source, and affords up a ton of insightful climate metrics. All the things you’d anticipate finding is current and accounted for, together with every day climate forecasting particulars, changeable temperature items, background refresh help, and extra.

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7 Ink Workspace

The best companion for Home windows Inkers

Ink Workspace

Ink Workspace is a well-designed Home windows 11 app that gives a central location for varied digital inking-based options and instruments.

Should you use a digital pen for Home windows Inking functions, then the free Ink Workspace app is the proper software for you. When launched, it opens a devoted flyout panel that is crammed with helpful data and quick-access hyperlinks.

A Windows 10 dwell tile-esque app launcher could be configured, as can a fast note-taking pane and a not too long ago opened information part. The app additionally supplies glanceable entry to your pen battery stage, in addition to recommendations on different ink-friendly Home windows purposes out there on the Microsoft Retailer.

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8 FlowBoard

A Fluent canvas of infinite potentialities

FlowBoard – FireCube’s Version

Flowboard is an open-source and free-flowing whiteboard utility that makes glorious use of Home windows 11’s fashionable interface design ideas. 

There’s a number of utility to be present in a digital free-form whiteboard app, and FlowBoard is an exemplar of the style. The app is free and open-source, and affords up a wonderful Fluent Design canvas for taking notes, doodling, and extra.

FlowBoard is well-optimized for contact enter with its broad pill kind issue help, and it really works nicely with digital pens just like the Surface Slim Pen 2. The app’s canvas is infinitely zoomable, making it a versatile software for placing pen to (digital) paper.

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9 Mica™️

Get pleasure from the great thing about Microsoft’s Mica materials

Mica™️

Mica™️ is a simple-yet-mesmerizing Home windows 11 utility that shows a window crammed with Microsoft’s Mica materials, together with just a few further choices.

Mica™️ is probably the quirkiest app on this checklist, however I am unable to assist however find it irresistible for what it’s. Upon launching the app, you are greeted with a no-thrills window crammed with Microsoft’s translucent Mica material from one nook to the subsequent. Proper-clicking wherever on the display screen opens the settings pane, with choices to regulate opacity and the like.

At first blush, Mica™️’s utility won’t appear apparent, however I’ve discovered it to be the proper PC screensaver. When mixed with the pulsating ‘Bloom’ impact, I discover myself staring into Mica to elicit a way of rest. Microsoft has uncared for to replace Home windows’ screensavers for years at this level (the Management Panel applet nonetheless depicts a CRT monitor on display screen), and so Mica™️ has assumed complete management of my very own makeshift setup.

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10 Protecc

Get pleasure from two-factor authentication in fashion

Protecc – 2FA Authenticator TOTP

Protecc is an open-source two-factor authentication (2FA) code era software that gives an interface impressed by Fluent Design ideas. 

Two-factor authentication is a vital part of securing your on-line accounts from fraud, hacking makes an attempt, and different dangerous digital actors. In brief, it provides one other step to the login course of, with authenticator apps checking although strings of digits that act as keys.

Most individuals consider cellular apps like Google Authenticator or 2FAS in terms of authentication instruments, however Protecc is a PC program equal that is value its deserves. The app is free and open-source, has built-in help for Home windows Hi there biometric authentication, and serves up your auto-generated codes in a trendy Fluent-style interface.

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11 Unigram

The very best Telegram shopper for Home windows

Unigram—Telegram for Home windows

Unigram is a third-party Telegram shopper utility for Home windows 11 that gives a local feel and look, safe messaging, and syncing help.

Social media apps have a fairly dangerous observe file in terms of following native working system design pointers, opting to implement their very own in-house styling as an alternative. Unigram is a Telegram Messenger app for Home windows 11 that bridges the divide, mixing safe messaging with fashionable and fluid visible design.

UNigram is a free utility, and it maintains Telegram’s potent mixture of 56-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption, and Diffie–Hellman safe key trade for conserving all of your chat logs secured and locked down.

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12 Wintoys

Highly effective customization instruments wrapped in a beautiful bundle

Wintoys

Wintoys is a one-stop-shop Home windows 11 app that gives many customization choices, restore instruments, and a built-in cleaner characteristic.

Wintoys is an extremely helpful Home windows 11 utility that gives easy accessibility to a variety of system features and instruments. The app can floor key PC specs, can operate as a restore software sans-Terminal instructions, and will help you save area by way of its cleaner characteristic.

Better of all, Wintoys is a completely free piece of software program, and it expertly melds energy person options with an intuitive and fashionable interface design that makes it really feel straight out of Microsoft’s personal app portfolio.

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