Use these free Utilities and Extensions for Productivity

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In today’s world, technology is an essential part of our daily lives. From work to leisure, we rely on various software programs to help us get things done quickly and efficiently. However, not all software programs are created equal, and many of them come with a hefty price tag.

There are a lot of software programs available that can help you with various tasks, but not all of them are free.

In this blog post, I will share some lightweight free utilities and extensions that will help you with a variety of tasks, such as image editing, video playback, screen capturing, and more enhancing your productivity.

Graphic display of utilities of a house surrounding it 24 hours depicting free utilities and extensions
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Free Utilities and Extensions

Free Utilities

IrfanView

IrfanView is a free image management and editing program that can be used for tasks such as viewing, editing, and converting images. It supports a wide range of image formats, including JPG, PNG, BMP, WebP, and more.

IrfanView also includes basic image editing tools, such as cropping, resizing, and color adjustments, making it a great option for simple image editing tasks. To open various file formats you have to download and install plugins available on its website.

Screenshot of irfanview homepage with download button
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PotPlayer

PotPlayer is a free video player that supports a wide range of video formats. It has a user-friendly interface and offers advanced features such as an immersive viewing experience, 3D support, support for subtitles, and video playback speed control. 

PotPlayer also includes a built-in video converter, making it easy to convert video files to different formats. This feature-rich player with a file manager is quite fast and smooth in its operations.

Screenshot of pot player homepage with download button
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ShareX

ShareX is an open-source screen capturing and image editing program that you can use to capture screenshots, record videos, record screens, and more. It includes basic image editing tools, such as cropping, resizing, and color adjustments. 

ShareX also offers a wide range of customization options like assigning hotkeys, image effects, creating gifs, etc after taking windows screenshot. In fact, I have used ShareX to create this gif.

Screenshot of sharex home screen showing all tools
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PDF24

PDF24 is a free program that can be used to create, edit, and convert PDF files. It includes a wide range of features, such as the ability to merge and split PDFs, add and edit text, and more. PDF24 also includes a built-in PDF printer that makes it easy to convert any document to PDF format.

Screenshot of pdf24 tools list from its homepage
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Google Drive for Desktop

Google Drive for Desktop is a backup and sync client from Google that allows you to easily manage and share files and folders across devices and the cloud. It allows you to access your files even if you don’t have an internet connection. 

Screenshot of the google drive homepage showing its features
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Free Extensions

Google Docs Offline

This free Chrome extension allows you to access and edit Google Docs offline. It’s particularly useful for those who frequently use Google Docs and need to access their documents when they don’t have an internet connection.

Screenshot from the chrome web store of google docs offline  extension with rating
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Application Launcher For Drive

This Chrome extension allows you to launch apps and files directly from Google Drive. It offers a simple and convenient way to open files, such as documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, without having to download them first.

This extension is particularly useful for those who frequently use Google Drive and want to save time and effort by opening files directly from the cloud.

Screenshot from the chrome web store of the application launcher for drive with rating
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Dark Reader

Dark Reader is a free Chrome extension that allows you to apply a dark theme to any website you visit. This can be useful for reducing eye strain when working on a computer for long periods of time. Dark Reader also has the option to invert images and videos, which is useful for some users.

Screenshot of the dark reader extension with rating from the chrome web store
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Video Resource

Here is a video resource from Brett in Tech who also talks about some of the resources I have mentioned above.

Conclusion

These five free utility programs and three free extensions can be a great addition to your toolkit, helping you with a variety of tasks such as image management and editing, video playback, screen capture, editing pdf, data sync, etc. Also, all of these applications are updated regularly. 

Let me know in the comments if you have found them beneficial to accomplish your tasks.

Affiliate Disclosure This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service through such a link I may receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. The commission helps support my blog and allows me to continue providing free content. Rest assured that only those products or services that I believe in and think will help my readers are recommended here. For more details you may read the Terms & Conditions.
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Koushik Chakroborty
Koushik Chakroborty

I love to skim the internet for solutions and information on productivity, AI, cybersecurity and blogging that can add some value to my life and in turn help me make informed decisions. Through my posts I like to share the same with you.

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