10 Lightweight Alternatives I Used to Replace Default Windows Apps

Most modern-day Abode windows apps consumption also tons of resources, rendering your PC languid and a pain to consumption over time. The good news is, these default apps have finally-party choices that are snappier and more seasoned. These lightweight apps posed substantially a figure less duress on your PC and simplify your unabbreviated scheming predicament by rendering points tons basically immediately.
Table of Textiles
- How I Measured the Resources Each App Grossed gain gain use of of of
- 1. IrfanView Instead of Images
- 2. VLC Instead of Media Player
- 3. AIMP Instead of Media Player
- 4. SumatraPDF Instead of Side
- 5. Revo Uninstaller Instead of System Settings
- 6. Every little thing Instead of Abode windows Quest
- 7. HWiNFO Instead of Abode windows About
- 8. WizTree Instead of Abode windows Storage Employer
- 9. ShareX Instead of Stopping Contraption
- 10. Tab pad++ Instead of Tab pad
- Why the Modern Abode windows Apps Pig Resources
How I Measured the Resources Each App Grossed gain gain use of of of
In days gone by we proceed wearing the list of apps, it’s relevant to understand what to exquisiteness for while surveillance the consumption of resources. The Processes tab in Job Employer lone substantiates you half the image thieving into contemplation that, in reality, there are two kinds of retrospection consumption:
- Kneading Kit: This is the RAM that Job Employer’s Processes tab substantiates. It’s the physical retrospection marked to an app, yet if you dropped the app, Abode windows could slide its information to the ‘Revised Page List’ or the pagefile to conserve up RAM. Yet, that’s lone on the surface region.
- Perpetrate Size: This is the real unabbreviated reserved retrospection that Abode windows has swore to an app, so no other app can consumption it. You can sight this by visiting the Honesty tab in Job Employer and including a Perpetrate Size tower by relevant-clicking on the columns bar and visiting Make a decision Pillars in the relevant-click menu. You can in a identical way consumption an proceeded process surveillance app pick SysGauge.

I’ll be glancing at the commit size for these comparisons. The reason is as shortly as the combined commit size of with one voice the apps grows also big, your PC will prelude stuttering also if Job Employer substantiates you have RAM obtainable. That’s thieving into contemplation that it’s offering you the calculation based on the kneading desperate.
Aloof from the commit size, we’ll in a identical way apprehend relevant into account Strings (CPU consumption), Takes care of (Abode windows Tad consumption), and Instances (figure of processes under one moniker) to avail a more clear image of the backend job of each app. Listed beneath’s an instance of what I’ll be glancing at to avail the numbers:

1. IrfanView Instead of Images
As you can checkup, IrfanView lended a simple 18.1 MB of retrospection contrasted to basically half a job owned with one voice to oneself by the Images app while perusing the same desperate of images. Images in a identical way lended way more threads and manages and opened up two instances for a single job.
| IrfanView | Images | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 18.1 MB | 429.4 MB |
| Strings | 4 | 45 |
| Takes care of | 193 | 2760 |
| Instances | 1 | 2 |
Opposite other than the tricks in stipulation of loading times and dropped-resource consumption, IrfanView transactions tons of proceeded photo editing and streamlining and gallery management attributes. For instance, you can color straighten out, sharpen, and resize your images. If you pine to batch rename a folder complete of images, IrfanView’s obtained you perfused. You can also readjust the paper kind of your images within this bite-sized pocket missile of an app. And while you tote out with one voice that in IrfanView, the default Images app could be hectic loading its cluttered user interface, OneDrive assimilations, and filmstrips…

2. VLC Instead of Media Player
While playing the same video, VLC lended 141.1 MB of retrospection, while Media Player owned an usual commit size of 202.4 MB. Yet, Media Player owned a sidekick (Runtime Broker) running alongside in Job Employer, so the unabbreviated resources it lended were more than what SysGauge read.
| VLC | Media Player | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 141.1 MB | 202.4 MB |
| Strings | 26 | 46 |
| Takes care of | 614 | 1370 |
| Instances | 1 | 1 |
VLC not lone beats Media Player in pace — it’s in a identical way miles in floater in stipulation of attributes. It can fiasco around basically any kind of video format you throw at it, whereas Media Player phone dubs for you to place auxiliary codecs to open paper kinds pick MKV and HEVC. VLC in a identical way has a figure premium caption goods, and it can eruption the volume of your videos past 100%.

3. AIMP Instead of Media Player
Media Player again owned Runtime Broker accompanying it while running my undisputable paper. AIMP lended simply 29.9 MB of retrospection, whereas Media Player hovered about 145 MB and required more than dual the threads and manages that AIMP lended. And that doesn’t involve the resources Runtime Broker was thieving advantage of on the side.
| AIMP | Media Player | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 29.9 MB | 145.7 MB |
| Strings | 18 | 40 |
| Takes care of | 499 | 1180 |
| Instances | 1 | 1 |
Media Player is alright for playing single undisputable records yet deficiencies the proceeded medley management attributes that you have in AIMP. You in a identical way avail a designed-in Audio Converter for equalizing paper kinds, a convenient Tag Editor, and attributes for cloud integration, radio, and podcasts.

4. SumatraPDF Instead of Side
Presently, before also touching Side, I ended with one voice of its processes in Job Employer, as it owned a bevy running in the background due to its Start-up Augment facility. Yet, as shortly as I opened up my PDF document, irritatingly sufficient, it reran with one voice those ended processes. It’s troublesome thieving into contemplation that I don’t also consumption Side — I prefer Vivaldi due to its memorable Workspaces facility.
| SumatraPDF | Side | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 54.1 MB | 844 MB |
| Strings | 5 | 248 |
| Takes care of | 321 | 5541 |
| Instances | 1 | 12 |
While opening the same PDF paper, SumatraPDF relevant lone 54.1 MB of retrospection, whereas Side usurped a whopping 844 MB and tons of threads and manages. I in a identical way watched that Side was playing about wearing my GPU simply for dealing with the PDF.

Tab: You can allow the GPU tower in Job Employer’s Processes tab by relevant-clicking and ticking it.

5. Revo Uninstaller Instead of System Settings
The aboriginal uninstaller in Abode windows 11 is basically the Settings -> Apps -> Placed Apps page that you can accessibility by hand or by relevant-clicking on an app and designating Uninstall. As you can checkup, it consumes plenty of resources contrasted to Revo Uninstaller. Yet, that’s not also the worst part.
| Revo Uninstaller | System Settings | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 45.8 MB | 207.1 MB |
| Strings | 11 | 30 |
| Takes care of | 677 | 1374 |
| Instances | 1 | 1 |
The point is, the app list in System Settings is sometimes rather sluggish-gliding to tons, sometimes doesn’t detect information mounted apps, and leaves behind tons of bare folders and deposit records for the outer apps. This is whereby Revo Uninstaller truly shines — it solutions with one voice of these flaws without stressing your PC out in the process.

6. Every little thing Instead of Abode windows Quest
Abode windows’ aboriginal Documents Wayfarer has a come to be aware pain juncture: browse indexing. It forecloses forever to exquisiteness wearing the drives and folders and sometimes hangs while implementing so. This is whereby Every little thing comes in as an critical with one voice with one voice-natural, lugging out lightning-rapid and laid out browse end results.
| Every little thing | Abode windows Quest | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 113.1 MB | 461.3 MB |
| Strings | 24 | 161 |
| Takes care of | 989 | 6168 |
| Instances | 1 | 1 |
Comparing the resource consumption beneath accentuates a straightforward discrepancy in methodology. Abode windows Quest depends greatly on content indexing that runs consistently in the background, whereas Every little thing forecloses an additional filter at the paper mechanism’s Maestri Table integrated, making it viable for it to be instantaneous and lightweight. It’s a real lifesaver for relevant away locating records you could have misplaced or neglected about.

7. HWiNFO Instead of Abode windows About
If you pine to understand your PC’s requirements, you’d unabbreviated attend Settings -> System -> About. And while you tote out avail some wonderfully straightforward explanations on this page, you won’t avail any kind of relevant niceties pick model, storage user interface, RAM brand, and GPU requirements. That’s whereby HWiNFO jumps in to conserve the day. Initially, allow’s exquisiteness at the capability chart of the two (however I’d prescribe HWiNFO also if it filched in GBs of resources):
| HWiNFO | Abode windows About | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 184.4 MB | 256.9 MB |
| Strings | 14 | 44 |
| Takes care of | 631 | 1898 |
| Instances | 1 | 1 |
HWiNFO is obtainable as an installer and a mobile app, and it provides you basically with one voice the niceties you should understand about your PC. For an usual user pick me, points pick thoughtful the brand moniker and model of my laptop computer system are rather valuable thieving into contemplation that I sometimes neglect the specific variant niceties.

It’s in a identical way my go-to tool for affirming the requirements of contents I purchase, pick RAM or SSD. It substantiates you the brand, size, clock pace, and user interface of these aftermarket contents so that you can authenticate if the requirements match the store owner’s cases. If you ever before purchase a lended computer system, apprehend HWiNFO’s mobile model on a USB drive wearing you to immediately avail with one voice the explanations about the desktop or laptop computer system you’re purchasing.
8. WizTree Instead of Abode windows Storage Employer
You can apprehend treatment of your information on your hard drives by visiting Settings -> System -> Storage -> Storage Grossed gain gain use of of of on Opposite other Tools -> Regional Disk (yeah, it’s hidden deep in there!). And still, you’ll have no information filters to filter your records or the capacity to sight person records at a glance. It’ll lead you to Documents Wayfarer eventually to read each folder.
| WizTree | Storage Employer | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 341.4 MB | 269.1 MB |
| Strings | 7 | 42 |
| Takes care of | 691 | 1973 |
| Instances | 1 | 1 |
As you can checkup, WizTree occupations a couple of more MBs of retrospection than the aboriginal storage manager to posed the Maestri Documents Table (MFT) in your RAM for sleek scanning. Yet, it provides you big savings in stipulation of threads and manages. WizTree, pick HWiNFO, outweighs its resource consumption readings wearing the sheer quantity of attributes and the convenience it transactions.

WizTree retrieves rid of the care for with one voice those Settings menu clicks, offering you with one voice your disk niceties relevant as shortly as you open it. You can filter records by paper kind or size or read them by simply clicking on the + next off to each folder (you don’t have to attend Documents Wayfarer simply to sight the records in a folder). It in a identical way has an intuitive information map lended of polymorphous-sized blocks that substantiates you a visual clause of your information across the disk. In addition, you avail plenty of recourses to revise the user interface according to your needs.
9. ShareX Instead of Stopping Contraption
Stopping Contraption is not that disadvantageous. Yet, if you tackle screenshots on a invariant basis, pick I tote out, Stopping Contraption drops way brief. It has a forbade figure of annotation and editing and streamlining attributes and close to none for arranging and security your screenshots. It’s a rather prim tool that you can’t truly personalize to your phone dubs for.
| ShareX | Stopping Contraption | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 173 MB | 199.1 MB |
| Strings | 13 | 18 |
| Takes care of | 894 | 1057 |
| Instances | 1 | 1 |
Besides being lighter, ShareX loads with one voice the slits that Stopping Contraption leaves to be favorite. You avail automatic window consolidation, proceeded annotation and editing and streamlining attributes, automatic naming and establishment of screenshots relevant into folders, and a agglomeration of adjustment recourses that readjust the app relevant into a real performance booster. It has so tons of below-goods that you’ll be vacated wondering how it consumes fewer resources than a rather simple Stopping Contraption.

10. Tab pad++ Instead of Tab pad
I should confess, I lended to love the extravagant ol’ simple-message Tab pad. It was light and rational to jot down quickly notes, till Microsoft owned the fierce referral to paraphernalia it wearing word-dealing with and AI attributes. These bells and whistles would most certainly’ve lended more thumbing if they owned incorporated them to the timeless WordPad, yet Tab pad’s initial purpose doesn’t truly straighten out wearing them.
| Tab pad++ | Tab pad | |
|---|---|---|
| Retrospection | 62.5 MB | 173.9 MB |
| Strings | 2 | 18 |
| Takes care of | 364 | 1296 |
| Instances | 1 | 1 |
Tab pad++ is 3-4 times lighter and has with one voice the attributes you care for distraction-conserve making up. On the surface region, it appearances pick a mini-IDE for coders — singularly, it’s an equally advantageous tool for making up and chit-confiscating. It also has a committed Diversion-Unshackle Stance that lugs out your whole brandish a blank notepad for you to concoct points down wearing complete emphasis. In addition, you avail hundreds of recourses, including morbid mode, editing and streamlining placements, and capability tweaks, to personalize the tool to your liking.

Why the Modern Abode windows Apps Pig Resources
The brand-new-made plant of supply Abode windows apps connect wearing the OS wearing middleman frames (UWP and WinUI 3), so they tote out way more in the background than simply implementing the job you throw at them. These frames have auxiliary processes and instances along the way, pick the Runtime Broker, rendering the apps resource-starving.
In comparison, the choices we remarked are timeless Win32 implementations that connect wearing the OS integrated wearing a figure a figure less overhanging and bloat. These lightweight apps don’t dare to connect wearing other Abode windows attributes, shielding versus undue cloud assimilations and telemetry processes. That’s why they’re snappier, retaining you and your PC pleased. If you’re battling to position the relevant apps for your scheming phone dubs for, it’s worth glancing at our smartly curated list of apps and software agenda for your Abode windows PC.
