When you need to test a dozen apps every day, it’s not feasible to install and uninstall them repeatedly. Worse still, the entire process is cumbersome if you work with different PCs.
To solve this, I keep portable versions of my most-used apps on a USB drive. But instead of downloading a bunch of individual portable apps, I prefer to keep the entire PortableApps.com platform on my USB storage and a backup on OneDrive. This is a handy way to keep my primary computer clutter-free, save storage space, and I can grab whatever I need from any PC.
What is PortableApps.com?
A free repository for over 450+ portable apps
PortableApps.com is a free app store and launcher that lives on your USB drive or cloud storage. Unlike regular Windows apps that scatter files across your system, portable apps are self-contained programs that run directly from wherever you save them. They do modify the Windows registry, leave no traces in AppData folders, and generally don’t require administrator privileges to run.
The platform itself is a small launcher application that organizes all your portable apps in one place. You can plug your USB into any Windows PC and get instant access to your entire toolkit. Everything runs exactly as you left it, with your settings and preferences intact.
When installed, PortableApps.com automatically categorizes apps by their use cases. It also offers an easy way to keep your apps up to date from a single place, something you’d have to do manually if you were managing individual portable apps.
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Windows
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PortableApps.com
Using PortableApps.com
You can run it from a USB or cloud drive
To install the PortableApps.com platform, go to PortableApp.com and download the platform installer. Run the installer, and select a USB drive or a folder in your cloud storage. The installer creates a PortableApps folder structure with subfolders for each app category. You also get a Documents folder for your files to keep everything organized.
Once installed, you can launch the app from the system tray. It shows a clean menu with all the pre-installed apps. If you don’t find an app that you want, click Apps and choose Get More Apps to view the entire catalog sorted by category. Check the boxes next to the apps you want and click Install. It’ll download and configure the selected apps automatically.
You can also install PortableApps.com on your cloud storage folder for automatic backup and syncing across multiple PCs. I keep mine in OneDrive to access my entire portable app collection from any computer, even when I don’t have my USB with me.
The catch is that the cloud provider’s sync client must be installed on each PC, and the PortableApps folder needs to be fully downloaded locally, as you can’t run these apps directly from the cloud. Once synced, though, any changes you make on one machine appear on all the others.
When you want to delete an app you don’t need, remove its folder to delete it permanently. You can also add a portable app that’s not in the store by manually copying it to the PortableApps folder; the launcher will then detect it automatically.
Portable apps I always carry
Must have portable apps for any situation
Over the years, I’ve settled on a core set of apps that handle almost any situation. At the top of my list is Everything Search, the best alternative to Windows search. It indexes and searches files on any Windows machine instantly, much more efficiently than Windows’ built-in search.
HWiNFO64 is another one of my favorites. You use it to perform hardware diagnostics and check temperatures, clock speeds, and hardware health immediately to identify the cause of the issue. CrystalDiskInfo runs alongside it to monitor drive health and catch any failing drives before I lose any data.
Revo Uninstaller is useful for removing stubborn Windows files and folders that won’t uninstall normally. Recuva handles the opposite problem and helps you recover accidentally deleted files from drives, memory cards, and even formatted disks.
Finally, TeamViewer’s portable version allows you to connect to any PC for remote support without installation. You can generate a quick support session, share the ID and password, and connect to the PC.
I also keep a handful of productivity apps: Notepad++ for code editing, GIMP for image editing, VLC for media playback, and 7-Zip for archives. I’m not limited to just these, though. With over 450 apps available, I can grab specialized tools when needed without cluttering up my main setup.
Running apps straight from the USB drive
The PortableApps.com platform addresses several real-world problems simultaneously. You can keep essential apps on your USB or cloud storage without filling up your PC, which saves local storage space. And if you regularly work on different computers or want your tools available wherever you are, it’s a no-brainer solution to carry everything you need with you.
