WHAT YOU CAN DO
• Remove hidden PC junk using Microsoft’s new clean-up tool
• Back up files and drives without paying for premium options
• Try Thunderbird’s new Android app before anyone else
• Legally download thousands of classic books for free
• Download high-quality films to watch over the next year
• Save old radio shows to your PC or phone to play offline
• Download free music from YouTube to use however you want
After a stressful year in which almost everything has become more expensive, most of us will be watching our finances carefully in 2023. When you’re struggling to pay for energy, food and other household bills, spending even a few pounds on a program, mobile app or book can seem an extravagant and unnecessary luxury, even though in the past you may have splashed out without a second thought.
There’s always been plenty of free software that will save you money – we feature it in our Best Free Software section every issue. However, even this is becoming more scarce, as developers increasingly limit useful options to paid-for versions or scrap their free programs altogether.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom, and there is still lots of great stuff you can get for free, provided you know where to look. Here, we recommend the best software and apps you should download in 2023, both to replace popular tools that will disappear over the next 12 months and to try exciting new features before everyone else. We also reveal where to find other fantastic freebies, including ebooks, audiobooks, films, games and much more.
All 20 of our recommendations will have special relevance and usefulness in 2023, and will hopefully make the next year cheaper and easier than the last.
5 NEW FREE PROGRAMS YOU MUST DOWNLOAD
1 Microsoft PC Manager
Microsoft caused a stir in October when it quietly released a new PC clean-up tool called PC Manager through a Chinese website. The free app has since been added to the Microsoft Store (though its page is currently hidden) and now has an English-language website (www.snipca.com/44240), and we expect it to be officially launched in the first half of 2023.
Although PC Manager is still at the ‘public beta’ stage, it already provides a fast and effective way to clean and speed up your computer. You can remove junk files and space hogs; disable unwanted startup items and background processes; and scan your PC for threats and driver updates.
The app is very easy to use and integrates seamlessly with Windows 10 and 11 to perform clean-up tasks with a single click and reveal useful information about your system. This includes your current memory usage ( in our screenshot below left), how much storage you have available and how long your PC takes to start .
