My new favorite Windows app has made my PC more secure and reliable – and it’s free

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ZDNET Highlights

• Most of the Windows apps you use are in the Store or WinGet repository.
• UniGetUI is a free, open-source app that is easy to use.
• It’s also a great way to back up and transfer a collection of apps.

If you want to keep your Windows PC safe from malware, spyware, and ransomware, you should stop downloading random installers and only use digitally signed packages from trusted sources.

Every security expert on the planet says this, but I can hear the screams of protest. Your apps come from everywhere, and you have a carefully curated collection of EXE files that you protect like crown jewels. You tried the Microsoft Store years ago, found it useless and haven’t been back since. And there’s no way you can find your apps in Microsoft-managed repositories. Correct?

Also: How to check your Windows PC for expiring security certificates – a big one is expiring in June

Oh, do I have good news for you? Most of the Windows apps you use today are already available through the Microsoft Store or the WinGet package repository. Using those sources is both safer and more reliable than fetching random EXEs from developer websites.

The best part is that I found an amazing free, open-source app that can help you install, manage, and update all those apps. It’s called UniGetUI, and it’s a game-changer.

Put those two pieces together, and you’ve solved the biggest problem in the Windows ecosystem. And, of course, it’s in the Microsoft Store. From Windows 11, type “unigetui download” in the search box, and you will get this link To install it directly.

Most of your Windows apps are already in a trusted repository

Executable installers are the top malware delivery vector on Windows. Even legitimate developer sites are compromised, and ad-supported download mirrors sometimes inject unwanted add-ons into their packages.

Several years ago, Microsoft opened up the Microsoft Store to third-party apps, and since then, the collection has grown impressively. These are the same Win32 packages you’ll find on the developer’s website, but they’re vetted, signed, and ready to install with a single click.

Also: After installing Windows 11, these 9 steps are irrelevant to me

And for apps that aren’t in the store, there’s WinGet Package RepositoryA massive, community-curated catalog of Windows software hosted on GitHub. It contains thousands of manifest files that explain how to safely install and update applications from their original publishers. The WinGet client uses these manifests to fetch software directly from trusted sources without exposing potentially compromised installer packages.

The sheer amount of good stuff in those two places is mind-boggling:

• Every Microsoft-published app
• Most major business apps, like Google Chrome, Zoom, Dropbox, 1Password, Adobe apps, and even Spotify and iTunes
• One billion open-source apps, including Rufus, VLC, 7-Zip, and Notepad++
• All the developer tools you could ask for, like Git, Python, and Docker

For example, when you search Adobe Acrobat you get this:

Click, install, done.

UniGetUI takes the pain out of command-line pain

I’ve been using Wingate, the Windows package manager, to download and update apps on my Windows PC for years. But I freely admit that using Wingate is a PITA.

This is a command-line tool. It is not user friendly at all. Even if you’re a PowerShell guru and know exactly what you’re looking for, finding the right package and installing it can be a challenge. And good luck keeping those packages updated.

Also: 5 Windows apps I always install first on a new PC – and they’re free to download

The Microsoft Store is easy to use, but it’s still hard to find apps and install them one by one.

This is where UniGetUI comes in.

The PC I’m using to write this post has over 200 apps installed on it. About half of the apps were preinstalled on PCs either as part of Windows, or by the PC maker’s OEM, Dell. Only two were downloaded from the developer’s website. Everything else came through UniGetUI.

Back up your apps and clone them from one PC to another

Yesterday, I set up a new PC. In olden times, as part of that arduous process, I would diligently install a folder full of EXE files after checking for the latest version.

This time, I went to the replacement PC, ran UniGetUI, selected the apps I wanted on my new PC, and created a bundle – a single file with the details of all those apps.

On the new PC, I installed UniGetUI, opened that little bundle file, clicked Install, and watched as everything downloaded and installed automatically. I had to be present to click a series of permission boxes to allow the UniGetUI elevator to do its thing, but that was the extent of my participation. The whole process took a few minutes.

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UniGetUI also handles packages from other repositories including scoop, snap, chocolatey, pip, and npm. If you’re a developer, you know how big a deal this is.

Keep all those apps updated

This app monitors every app on your PC, not just the apps it has installed. You can use its list to uninstall any unnecessary apps. Do you want to give up those annoying pre-installed Microsoft apps like news and weather? No problem.

It automatically keeps track of updates and even offers to install them as needed. That list includes many libraries and runtime packages required by third-party apps.

As I finished typing that last sentence, I was informed that an update was available for seven apps, including Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable. One click in the pop-up and the job is done.

Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 – free

UniGetUI was originally a labor of love by developer Marty Clement. Earlier this year, Devolutions, an enterprise software maker, took over the project“Making a promise.”Protect its open-source foundation “While strengthening its long-term stability, security and potential for sustained growth.”

If you consider yourself a Windows power user, you need this tool.