10 Cool and Free Portable Programs (You Need to See)

Summary

Discover 11 cool free portable programs for Windows that require no installation. These include Logitech Onboard Memory Manager for mouse settings, Bulk Rename Utility for file renaming, OBS Studio for streaming, WizTree for disk space visualization, ValiDrive for checking USB drive authenticity, OpenRGB for RGB lighting control, HxD for hex editing, OpenSpeedTest for local network speed testing, Visual Studio Code Portable for coding on the go, HWMonitor for hardware monitoring, and a collection of tools from Microsoft Sysinternals and Nirsoft for various system tasks. Portable programs are ideal for occasional use or when setting up a new computer, offering convenience and minimizing system bloat.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Portable programs are lightweight and don't require installation, offering convenience and ease of use.
• 🖱️ Logitech Onboard Memory Manager is a portable tool for managing Logitech mouse settings without installing any software.
• 🔄 Bulk Rename Utility is a powerful tool for renaming multiple files with various options, despite its initially overwhelming interface.
• 🔌 Ugreen Nexode Pro chargers are compact, high-powered devices with features like Airpyra Tech and GaNInfinity chips for efficient charging.
• 🎥 OBS Studio has a portable version for streaming that can be accessed through a 'Download Zip' option on its website.
• 🌳 WizTree provides a visual representation of storage usage, quickly identifying large files and folders.
• 💽 ValiDrive is a tool for verifying the true capacity of USB flash drives and detecting fake or misrepresented storage sizes.
• 🌈 OpenRGB allows control of RGB lighting for your computer and devices without the bloat of manufacturer-specific software.
• 🔧 HxD is a hex editor for advanced users, useful for examining and fixing raw data issues in files.
• 🏎️ OpenSpeedTest is an open-source tool for testing local network speeds without the need for installation on multiple devices.
• 📊 Visual Studio Code Portable Mode and HWMonitor are examples of popular software with portable versions that offer functionality without permanent installation.
• 🛠️ The Microsoft Sysinternals suite and Nirsoft tools provide a vast array of specialized utilities for advanced system troubleshooting and management.

Q & A

What makes portable programs preferable over installed ones in certain situations?

Portable programs are beneficial because they do not require installation, can be run directly from a file, and are convenient for situations where you only occasionally use the software or want to avoid cluttering your computer with too many installations.

What is Logitech Onboard Memory Manager and how does it benefit users with Logitech mice?

Logitech Onboard Memory Manager is a portable tool that allows users to configure their Logitech mouse settings and button bindings without installing any software. It saves the settings directly onto the mouse, providing a convenient and efficient way to customize the device without the need for ongoing software management.

How does Bulk Rename Utility assist with file management?

Bulk Rename Utility is a powerful tool that enables users to rename multiple files in various ways, such as replacing text, removing characters, adding prefixes/suffixes, and numbering. Despite its complex interface, it offers flexibility and efficiency for batch file renaming tasks.

What are the key features of Ugreen Nexode Pro chargers mentioned in the script?

The Ugreen Nexode Pro chargers, specifically the 100W and 160W models, feature multiple USB ports, compact design得益于Airpyra Tech and GaNInfinity chips, and the ability to deliver high wattage for fast charging of various devices, including MacBook Pros.

How does OBS Studio offer a portable version for users?

OBS Studio's portable version can be downloaded by selecting the 'Download Zip' option on the download page. After extraction, users can run the program directly from the 'bin' folder without installation. To save settings in the same folder, a 'portable_mode.txt' file must be created within the directory.

What is WizTree and how does it help with disk space management?

WizTree is a program that visually displays which files and folders are occupying space on your storage drives, allowing for quick identification of large files or folders that may need to be managed or removed to free up space.

How does ValiDrive help users determine the true capacity of their USB flash drives?

ValiDrive tests various sectors throughout a USB drive to verify its actual capacity and compares it to the claimed capacity. This helps users identify if their drive is fake or has been misrepresented, which can prevent potential data loss.

What are some of the basic effects that OpenRGB can control for your computer's RGB lighting?

OpenRGB allows users to control the RGB lighting within their computer case and attached devices like mice. While it may not offer as many fancy effects as the software provided by motherboard manufacturers, it is sufficient for basic lighting control needs without the bloat of additional features.

What is HxD and how can it be useful for advanced users?

HxD is a free hex editor tool primarily for advanced users. It allows users to view the raw data of files, which can be helpful for diagnosing issues such as corrupted headers or understanding the structure of files for debugging purposes.

How does OpenSpeedTest facilitate local network speed testing?

OpenSpeedTest is an open-source program that enables users to test local network speeds between devices within a home network. It operates through a web interface, requiring no installation on the testing device, and provides the necessary address for local devices to connect and perform speed tests.

What information does HWMonitor provide about a computer's hardware?

HWMonitor provides detailed information from the computer's hardware sensors, including CPU and other device core temperatures, current clock speeds, GPU, CPU, and memory utilization. This can be useful for monitoring system health and performance.

What are the Microsoft Sysinternals and Nirsoft suites, and how do they benefit users?

The Microsoft Sysinternals suite consists of advanced troubleshooting tools published by Microsoft, while Nirsoft offers a collection of specialized utilities for specific Windows tasks. Both suites provide a wide range of tools that can be invaluable for system diagnostics, monitoring, and optimization.

Outlines

00:00

📦 Discovering Portable Programs

The paragraph introduces the concept of portable programs, which are free, cool applications that do not require installation. The speaker shares their preference for these over traditional installed programs and mentions they will discuss the reasons later. They present a list of 11 portable programs, emphasizing their variety and compatibility with multiple operating systems, and note that they will provide links in the description for further exploration.

05:02

🖱️ Logitech Onboard Memory Manager and Bulk Rename Utility

The speaker begins their list with Logitech Onboard Memory Manager, a portable tool for Logitech mouse users to customize settings and button bindings without installation. They express their satisfaction with the tool. The second program discussed is Bulk Rename Utility, a powerful tool for renaming multiple files in various ways, which may seem overwhelming at first but is actually user-friendly. The speaker explains its features, such as replacing text, removing characters, and adding prefixes or suffixes. They also mention the availability of a portable version of the software.

10:04

🔌 Ugreen Nexode Pro Chargers and OBS Studio

The speaker talks about Ugreen's Nexode Pro chargers, highlighting their high power density, compact size, and ability to charge devices quickly. They compare the new Pro series with the regular Nexode chargers, noting the increase in power density. The speaker then moves on to discuss OBS Studio, a streaming software that has a portable version available for download. They explain how to access and use the portable version, emphasizing the convenience of not needing to install the software.

🌳 WizTree and ValiDrive for Storage Analysis

The speaker introduces WizTree, a program that visually displays the space usage on storage drives, allowing users to quickly identify large files or folders. They share a personal anecdote about discovering a large cache folder. ValiDrive is then discussed, a tool for verifying the true capacity of USB drives and detecting fake or misrepresented storage sizes. The speaker praises the software's compact size, noting it was written in assembly language by Steve Gibson of Gibson Research.

🎨 OpenRGB and HxD Hex Editor

OpenRGB is introduced as a program that controls the RGB lighting of a computer and its devices, offering a simpler alternative to the software provided by motherboard manufacturers. The speaker mentions its basic functionality and support for various devices. HxD, a hex editor tool, is then described as a resource for advanced users to examine the raw data of files, with an example given of fixing a corrupted WAV audio file header issue.

🌐 OpenSpeedTest and Visual Studio Code Portable

OpenSpeedTest is presented as an open-source program for testing local network speeds without installation, allowing devices to connect and run speed tests through a web interface. The speaker then discusses Visual Studio Code Portable Mode, an advanced text editor and code runner from Microsoft, and explains the steps to enable portable mode, including the creation of a 'data' folder. They note that portable versions do not auto-update like the installed versions.

🔧 HWMonitor and Microsoft Sysinternals Suite

HWMonitor, or Hardware Monitor, is introduced as a tool for viewing computer hardware information, including temperatures, clock speeds, and utilization rates of CPU, GPU, and memory. The speaker then combines the last few programs into one category, mentioning the Microsoft Sysinternals suite and tools from Nearsoft, both of which offer a wide range of utilities for troubleshooting and specific tasks in Windows. They mention having made dedicated videos about these tools and encourage viewers to check them out.

💡 Benefits of Portable Programs

The speaker concludes by discussing the benefits of using portable programs, such as reducing computer bloat for infrequently used software and simplifying the process of setting up a new computer or after a reformat. They mention the convenience of portable programs for users who sync files across devices via cloud services. The speaker invites viewers to share their favorite portable programs or suggest others in the comments and thanks Ugreen for sponsoring the video, directing viewers to the links in the description for more information.

Mindmap

The video is abnormal, and we are working hard to fix it.
Please replace the link and try again.

Keywords

💡Portable Programs

Portable programs refer to software applications that do not require installation on a computer. They can be run directly from a storage device like a USB flash drive or a folder on the hard drive. In the context of the video, the speaker prefers portable programs for their convenience and minimal impact on the system, as they do not contribute to system bloat or require reinstallation on a new computer.

💡Logitech Onboard Memory Manager

Logitech Onboard Memory Manager is a portable tool provided by Logitech for configuring settings and button bindings for Logitech mice without the need for installing any software. It allows users to save settings directly onto the mouse, making it a convenient tool for those who wish to avoid installing additional software on their computers.

💡Bulk Rename Utility

Bulk Rename Utility is a software tool that enables users to rename multiple files in various ways, such as replacing text, removing characters, or adding prefixes and suffixes. Despite its initially overwhelming interface, it offers a powerful and flexible solution for managing file names on a large scale.

💡OBS Studio

OBS Studio, or Open Broadcaster Software Studio, is a popular streaming and screen recording software. The portable version of OBS Studio allows users to stream and record without installing the software on their computers, which is beneficial for users who wish to avoid cluttering their systems with additional software.

💡WizTree

WizTree is a disk space analyzer tool that visually represents which files and folders are occupying the most space on a storage drive. It is known for its speed and ease of use, allowing users to quickly identify and manage large files or folders that are taking up significant storage space.

💡ValiDrive

ValiDrive is a utility that verifies the true capacity of USB flash drives and detects if they are fake or have been misrepresented. It does this by testing various sectors of the drive to determine the actual usable space, which is crucial in preventing data loss due to fake or misrepresented storage capacity.

💡OpenRGB

OpenRGB is a software that allows users to control the RGB lighting of their computer components and peripherals, such as cases and mice. It provides a streamlined and less resource-intensive alternative to the typical software provided by motherboard manufacturers, which often comes with unnecessary features and bloat.

💡HxD

HxD, or Hex Editor, is a freeware hex editor tool that allows users to view and edit the raw binary data of files. It is particularly useful for advanced users who need to inspect or manipulate the low-level structure of files, such as fixing corrupted headers or analyzing file integrity.

💡OpenSpeedTest

OpenSpeedTest is an open-source program designed to test local network speeds between devices within a home network. It is particularly useful for diagnosing network issues or ensuring that the connection between devices is fast enough for specific tasks, such as streaming video.

💡Visual Studio Code Portable Mode

Visual Studio Code Portable Mode refers to the version of the Microsoft-developed code editor that can be run without installation. It is an advanced text editor that supports running certain types of code, such as Python scripts, and is lighter than the full Visual Studio IDE. The portable mode allows users to carry their settings and plugins with them without the need for installation on each new computer.

💡HWMonitor

HWMonitor, short for Hardware Monitor, is a software tool that provides real-time information about the hardware sensors and other system components, such as CPU temperatures, GPU usage, and memory utilization. It is useful for monitoring system health and performance, and can help identify potential issues or bottlenecks.

💡Sysinternals and Nirsoft Tools

Sysinternals and Nirsoft Tools are collections of specialized utilities for Windows, developed by Microsoft and Nir Sofer, respectively. These tools cover a wide range of system utilities, from advanced troubleshooting and security to everyday tasks like monitoring USB device activity or viewing event logs. They are known for their effectiveness and often come in portable versions.

Highlights

Cool free portable programs are better than regular free programs because they don't require installation and can be run directly from a file.

Logitech Onboard Memory Manager is a portable tool that allows you to customize your Logitech mouse settings without installing any software.

Bulk Rename Utility is a powerful tool for renaming multiple files in various ways, with an interface that may seem overwhelming but is actually quite user-friendly.

Ugreen Nexode Pro chargers, including 100W and 160W models, offer high power density and compact design, making them excellent for fast charging and travel.

OBS Studio has a portable version that can be downloaded and run without installation, making it convenient for streaming software on the go.

WizTree is a visually intuitive tool that quickly scans and displays what is occupying space on your storage drives.

ValiDrive is a tool that verifies the true capacity of USB flash drives, helping to identify and avoid fake or misrepresented storage devices.

OpenRGB is a program that allows control of RGB lighting for your computer and devices, offering a simpler alternative to manufacturer-specific software.

HxD is a free hex editor that can be useful for advanced users who need to inspect the raw data of files for issues such as corrupted headers.

OpenSpeedTest is an open-source program that facilitates local network speed testing without the need for installation on multiple devices.

Visual Studio Code Portable Mode allows for coding on the go without the need for installation, and settings are stored within a 'data' folder.

HWMonitor provides detailed information from your computer's hardware sensors, including temperatures, clock speeds, and more.

The Microsoft Sysinternals suite and Nir Sofer's tools from Nearsoft offer a vast array of specialized utilities for troubleshooting and specific tasks in Windows.

Portable programs are ideal for occasional use, as they don't clutter your computer, and they simplify the process of setting up a new computer or after reformatting.

Portable programs can be synced across devices using cloud storage, ensuring that preferences and settings are updated across all your computers.

Transcripts

You know what's better than cool free programs?  Cool free portable programs, meaning you don't  

have to install them, you can just run the file  and it's good to go. Later on I can go over  

some reasons why I do prefer these two installed  programs, and no, they're not just for putting on  

your flash drive. But anyway, let's just get right  into it, I've got 11 of them in no particular  

order. There's quite a variety in what they  do, and while these mostly will be for Windows,  

many do support multiple operating systems. And of  course I'll put the links in the description. So  

let's go. Starting off with number one, for anyone  out there with a Logitech mouse, you may know that  

Logitech has their clunky, bloated software  for changing the settings and button bindings,  

but they also have a portable tool called Logitech  Onboard Memory Manager that is just one file and  

lets you set up profiles and buttons without  having to install anything. You can just have it  

save the settings onto the mouse itself, so it's  not even like you need to keep running the tool.  

I was so happy when I found out about this one.  Next up is one of my long time favorites, Bulk  

Rename Utility. You may have heard me talk about  it in the past, and just like the name suggests,  

it makes it really easy to rename as many files  as you want in pretty much every way imaginable.  

I know the interface looks overwhelming at first,  but it's not as complicated as it seems. You just  

select a bunch of files in the explorer at the  top, then each section at the bottom is just  

a different way to change the file names. But  it's not like you need to set every single one,  

you only have to set the ones you want to use, and  99% of the time, the basic ones are enough. For  

example, there's a section to replace certain  text with different text wherever it appears.  

There's also a section to remove characters  from the beginning or end of all the file names,  

or anywhere in between, and a section to add  prefixes and suffixes too. There's even one  

specifically for adding numbering in various  formats. I don't have time to go over them all,  

and it's not like I've used them all anyway, but  I bet it will come in handy. Just note that to  

get the portable version of it, you just have  to choose that option on the download page. Now  

before I get to number 3, I've got something else  that's really cool. Today's sponsor, Ugreen, and  

their brand new line of state of the art chargers,  the Nexode Pro series. For example, here are the  

Ugreen Nexode Pro 100W and 160W chargers. The  100W charger has two USB-C and one USB-A ports,  

and it can indeed provide the entire 100W through  a single port. It can even charge a MacBook Pro  

14" from 0 to 50% in just 27 minutes. And thanks  to Ugreen's new technology called Airpyra Tech,  

plus the latest GaNInfinity chips, the Nexode Pro  100W charger is so compact that it's similar in  

size to the regular Nexode 65W charger. Compared  to the regular Nexode 100W charger, that gives  

the Pro a 37% increase in power density. And of  course, you are able to split the 100W among all  

three ports to charge three devices at once,  anything from laptops to tablets or watches.  

As for the Nexode Pro 160W charger, it has three  USB-C and one USB-A port, and it can deliver a  

whopping 140W to a single port. That makes it able  to, again, in just 27 minutes, charge a larger 16"  

MacBook Pro from 0 to 50%. Also thanks to the  same new AirPyra Tech and GaNInfinity chips,  

the 160W Nexode Pro is similar in size to the 140W  regular Nexode charger. That's a 20% increase in  

power density. While still fitting in the palm of  your hand, you can charge up to four devices at  

once from a smartphone to a MacBook Pro, meaning  you can finally replace all those gigantic AC  

adapters and charging bricks. So be sure to check  out the Ugreen Nexode Pro 100 and 160W chargers,  

as well as the rest of the Nexode Pro series.  I'll put some links in the description you can  

visit to learn more. And with all that being said,  let's continue. Alright next up, number three is a  

program many of you have heard of, but probably  didn't realize there's a portable version. And  

that is OBS Studio, the streaming software. This  one's easy to miss because on the main page,  

if you click one of the buttons for your operating  system, it immediately starts the download for the  

installer. But if you instead go to the "Download"  links at the top, you'll see more options,  

including one called "Download Zip", which  is the portable version. After extracting it,  

to run it, you just go into the "bin" folder,  short for binaries, then "64bit", then run the  

main executable, obs64.exe, and it works like  normal. Though one extra note, if you want it  

to store the settings in this same folder, you  have to create a file called "portable_mode.txt",  

and just put it there, and then it will store  the settings here too. Now, one tip I want to  

emphasize, which you've just seen twice now, is  that you will often see software like that, where  

by default they offer the installer to download,  but there's an extra option for a portable version  

elsewhere. As you saw, sometimes it's literally  called the portable version, and other times  

it's often called the zip version, because all the  files are just in a zip folder, but it's the same  

thing. Okay, now onto number 4, we have WizTree.  This one is super cool, it lets you visually see  

what is taking up space on your storage drives  with just a quick glance. For example, literally  

as I was making this video, I realized that my  Adobe After Effects cache folder was taking up  

almost 100 gigabytes. I also have a ton of huge  files in my downloads folder that I don't need,  

like a bunch of Windows ISOs I was using in past  videos. WizTree is also really fast at scanning  

the disks, much faster than similar old software  you may have heard of like WinDirStat, which is  

what I used before I found this. Alright, moving  on to number 5, we have a tool called ValiDrive,  

which I actually made a video about a few months  ago. Basically it lets you see if your USB flash  

drive actually has the capacity it claims, or  if it's fake. Lately there have been USB drives  

sold on Amazon that claim to be a terabyte  or more, but really are just 64 gigabytes,  

and have their firmware hacked to show the fake  amount in Windows. This can lead to all sorts of  

possible file loss that I won't get into, you can  just watch the original video for details. Anyway,  

how this tool works is you plug in your drive,  and then it tests a bunch of sectors throughout  

the drive, and it shows how much of it is real  or fake. One cool fun fact about this software  

is notice how absolutely tiny it is, under  100 kilobytes. That's because the creator,  

Steve Gibson of Gibson Research, actually wrote  the whole thing in assembly language by hand. And  

for those of you who know what that means, I don't  need to tell you why that's impressive. Okay,  

now up to number 6, we have OpenRGB. This is a  really cool program I actually use every day,  

and what it does is lets you control the RGB  lighting of your computer, like inside your case,  

and also some attached devices, like  your mouse for example. In my opinion,  

this is so much better than having to install  the typical software required to control it from  

your motherboard manufacturer, which is often  extremely bloated and full of unnecessary junk.  

OpenRGB might not be able to do as much fancy  stuff, but if you just want basic effects, it  

works fine. I personally only use it for the most  basic use of controlling my PC case lights, but  

it does apparently support lots of other devices  too, so definitely worth checking out. Alright,  

on to number 7 is HxD, a free hex editor tool.  Obviously this one is more for advanced users,  

and I admit I've only used this a handful  of times, but if you know what you're doing,  

it can come in handy for certain situations.  Usually this is when you might want to look  

at the raw data of some file, like maybe if you  have a file with corrupted headers. With this,  

you might be able to see what is the problem. One  example is this WAV audio file from a project I  

was working on, that had a weird popping sound at  the start. And if you open it in the hex editor,  

turns out that somehow the file got a partly  duplicated header. You can see this riff bit twice  

when compared to the good file. In this case, you  can basically just see the same if you open it up  

simply in Notepad, but sometimes the hex values  can help you spot things. Ok, on to number 8,  

we have OpenSpeedTest. I made a video about this a  little while ago, but it's an open source program  

that really makes it easy to test your local  network speed, like between computers within  

your own home. In addition to downloading through  the various app stores, you can also just download  

an EXE. And when it's running, it allows any  local devices to connect to it and run a speed  

test just through a web interface, without having  to install anything on the other device. It even  

tells you what address to use. This one could be  helpful for diagnosing network issues, or making  

sure the connection between two devices is fast  enough for doing something like streaming a video  

from your computer to phone via wifi or whatever.  Alright, we still got a few more, and number 9 is  

Visual Studio Code Portable Mode. Visual Studio  Code is a program created by Microsoft, made for,  

well, coding. Though, not to be confused with the  much bigger program called Visual Studio. VS Code  

isn't a whole IDE or integrated development  environment like regular Visual Studio,  

but rather more of an advanced text editor that  can also run certain types of code like Python  

scripts. Like other software, it usually is  installed, but if you go to the downloads page,  

you'll see a zip download option. With this,  there is one more step to use the portable mode,  

which is to create a "data" folder within the  main directory. Then it will see that, and will  

put all the settings and stuff into that folder.  Otherwise, it will go into the AppData folder,  

just like the regular installed version. Also be  aware that it won't auto-update like the installed  

version. We're now up to number 10, which is  HWMonitor, short for Hardware Monitor. The  

name is pretty self-explanatory, it simply lets  you see a whole bunch of information from your  

computer's hardware sensors and other hardware  info. This includes stuff like the various core  

temperatures of your CPU and other devices, or  the current clock speed of your CPU cores. Plus,  

it can show you stuff like GPU, CPU, and memory  utilization. You can probably imagine cases where  

this might be useful. Okay, finally for number 11,  I'm just going to combine a whole bunch into one,  

and those would be all the tools in the Microsoft  Sysinternals suite, and any tools from Nearsoft.  

There are way too many from these to even mention,  literally hundreds, and many of you probably know  

about these anyway, so I'll keep it quick.  I've made a dedicated video about both of them  

if you want to see more specifics though. The  Sysinternal suite is a bunch of tools published  

by Microsoft that are super useful, especially for  troubleshooting, though they can be very advanced.  

A couple popular examples would be Process  Explorer and Process Monitor, which I've used  

on many occasions. Then there are all the tools  from Nir Sofer of Nirsoft, which are a ton of  

random tools each dedicated to some specific task  in Windows. Some of my favorites are USB Log View,  

for monitoring the USB devices that are being  plugged in or unplugged, and Full Event View Log,  

where you can see every event from all Windows  Event Viewer logs in one place, for when maybe you  

want to search for some error logs, but don't know  what category it would be in under Event Viewer.  

I'll put the links to the videos I made before  about these in the description as well. Okay, now  

that you know a bunch more cool portable programs,  you might be wondering why you might want to use  

these versions instead of the installed ones.  Once again, this is actually a topic I went  

into in more detail in a separate video, but there  are two main big reasons for me at least. First,  

it's great for software that you might only use  once in a blue moon, but you don't want to install  

it and further bloat up your computer. With this,  you can just keep a bunch of portable programs in  

some folder, and they just sit there until they're  needed. The other main reason is for whenever you  

get a new computer or reformat your current one.  Any software you have that's portable is one less  

program you need to reinstall and reconfigure  to how it was before. And it's great if you use  

a cloud drive to sync files between computers,  like Dropbox or OneDrive, because any changes to  

preferences and stuff will update across all your  devices too. So for these reasons, whenever I go  

to download a program, I usually check to see if  there's a portable version, and decide whether it  

makes more sense to get that one based on how I  expect to use it. And now you should be even more  

well equipped with these cool new tools, and you  don't even need to install any of them. I would be  

curious which of these are your favorite, or maybe  you think I should have included other tools,  

we can talk about that down in the comments.  Thanks again to Ugreen for sponsoring, definitely  

check out their new Nexode Pro 100 and 160 watt  chargers, and the rest of the Ugreen Nexode Pro  

series, links in the description. If you want to  keep watching, what I'll do is put links to the  

videos with all those tools from Sysinternals  and Nirsoft, you can just click on those right  

there if you're interested. So thanks so much  for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.