Best Windows apps this week
by Martin Brinkmann · BetaNewsSix-hundred-twenty-three in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.
Microsoft confirmed several issues this week that affect Windows 11, version 24H2. One plagues Ubisoft gamers in particular.
As always, if I've missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email.
Discounts this week
The following list is a selection of the best deals. Make sure you check out the Store for all offers.
Some apps are discounted for more than one week. Only new apps and games are listed below. Check out the previous post in the series for past offers that may still be valid.
- Desktop Screen Locker for $1.49
- Ink Calendar and Journal for $4.99
- Lock Key Notifications for $1.99
- Scorpio Player X for $2.99
- Torrex Pro for $4.99
- TP Clock for $1.99
New or notably improved Windows apps
A new long-term service support version of the open source 3D creation suite Blender is now available on the Microsoft Store.
It features a number of important upgrades, including integration of the newest version of the render engine EEVEE.
Files is a File Explorer alternative for Windows 10 and 11. The latest version of the app introduces several new features.
Tags can now be managed from the sidebar, and a direct link to Storage Sense is provided to free up space. There is also support for creating alternate data streams now and a handy option to copy the path of the current tab.
Notepad++ is a popular open source text editor. It is as fast as Notepad, but supports additional features, including syntax highlighting, improved search, or support for plugins and macros.
The latest release adds the option to pin tabs to the mix. This improves manageability of tabs, as pinned tabs are always displayed before any regular tab in the editor.