Windows’ vast ecosystem means that not every popular app has made the jump to Apple’s macOS world. Here are some of the most popular Windows apps that you won’t find on macOS, plus the best alternatives where applicable.
Netflix
The Netflix app for Windows offers all the handy features available in the mobile app, including picture-in-picture (PiP) and rich 5.1 audio support. The app used to allow you to download movies and shows to watch offline. However, the most up-to-date version of the app is now a web wrapper. This means that streaming quality and performance have improved significantly, but the download feature is no longer available.
If you revert to version 6.99.5, you can still get the download feature, but you may have to download the old Netflix app from a third-party source to do so, as Netflix doesn’t make it available directly. Mac users, meanwhile, are limited to the web app only.
Paint.NET
Paint.NET is one of the most popular image editing tools on Windows. Thanks to third-party plugin support, it stands out for its ease of use and is a great tool for everything from quick, on-the-go edits to professional pixel art.
Standard image editing options are intuitively laid out and easily accessible, allowing you to adjust colors or add filters. There’s also a wide variety of special effects to blur, sharpen, or distort images. Other notable features include an excellent edit history for unlimited undo/redo, and a well-executed image resizing option.
Paint.NET isn’t available for macOS, but Pinta is a comparable alternative. It offers similar editing features and mimics the UI, but lacks third-party plugin support.
Notepad++
If a full-blown IDE seems too bulky for quick edits or code reviews, Notepad++ could be the solution. This free app supports most scripting languages and is one of the best code editors for syntax highlighting. You can take quick notes, read text files, and even compile and execute code.
Notepad++ offers features like text wrap, automatic language detection, multi-tab support, and third-party plugin support to extend its functionality. It doesn’t have some IDE-specific features like built-in error detection and code formatting. However, it’s perfect for tasks like modifying system configuration files for web servers.
It handles large files efficiently, loads quickly, and saves changes automatically, so you won’t lose unsaved work if you forget to save or experience an unexpected restart.
Notepad++ is a Windows-exclusive utility. Fortunately, many of the best Mac text editors offer similar features.
WinRAR
Although Windows 11 now has native support for TAR and RAR file archives, WinRAR remains a popular file management utility in the Windows ecosystem thanks to its versatile file compression and extraction features. But there’s more to it than that. It allows you to reduce the size of files by compressing them and protect file archives with a strong password and encryption.
WinRAR isn’t free, but individuals can continue using the tool after a 40-day trial. Most people will find 7-Zip to be a great alternative, as it’s free and has the same robust features.
Unfortunately, macOS only has access to the command-line version of WinRAR. If you’re looking for a more accessible option, both The Unarchiver and Keka are great options on Mac.
PowerToys
PowerToys is a collection of free productivity-enhancing tools that aren’t in the default Windows installation. The main window provides access to all the different tools separated by tabs, such as Always on Top, Color Picker, Crop and Lock, etc.
Some of the PowerToys that I use almost every day include Peak, which allows me to quickly preview files in File Explorer, and Awake, which I can use to temporarily disable Windows sleep mode.
I also use Fancy Zone to create custom window layouts in Windows, and Mouse Without Borders to move the mouse across multiple devices. Finally, Always on Top lets me keep the most important app windows at the forefront on my desktop so I never lose them.
You can use other tools like Workspaces to configure and launch a set of applications in a custom position on your desktop with a single click. With over 26 tools, PowerToys is a must-have utility for any Windows user who wants to streamline their PC usage.
macOS doesn’t have an exact equivalent to PowerToys, although many of the same features are integrated directly into the OS. Preview offers quick file viewing, like Peek, and you can easily batch rename multiple files at once using the default rename option.
For more advanced features, you’ll need to use Rectangle, MySize, and Circle to mimic Fancy Zones, Video Conference Mute, and Always on Top, respectively.