Having a laptop is great, but to take it to the next level, you’ll have to install some apps to take advantage of the processing power, memory, and storage. This can be as simple as downloading a browser or music player, or downloading large applications such as photo editing tools or an IDE for software development.
An application, short for application, is a program created to perform specific tasks. Your Chrome browser, MS Word, MS Excel, Photoshop are all applications that you use on your computer. Most modern laptops come with built-in applications such as a browser, photo viewer, and media player. But what if you want more apps on your laptop? Here you will need to install applications.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to download apps on Windows and Mac devices using the official app store, and later on, we’ll also introduce you to some safe websites to download apps for your laptops.
Download apps from the Microsoft App Store on Windows
- Click the Start button or press the Windows key on a Windows computer.
Select “Microsoft Store”from the list, or just start typing store and select “Microsoft Store”.
With the Microsoft Store app open, click on the search bar at the top.
Find the app or game you want to download to your computer.
Click the “Install”button if you got the app/game you are looking for, or check the apps from the list below.
Select the app or player you want to download.
Click on the install button to start the download process.
After downloading the app, you can simply press the Windows key on your computer, find the app, and open it.
Download apps from the App Store on macOS
- Click on the Apple menu (Apple logo).
- Select “App Store”from the menu at the top of your computer screen.
- The App Store app on your macOS device will open
- Browse or search for the app you want to download
- Click on the price (paid app) or the “Get”button (free app).
- If you see an “Open”button instead of a “Price”or “Get it”button, then you have already bought or downloaded this app.
- After installing the application, you can click
Download applications from the official website to your computer
Not all apps and games are available in the Microsoft Store and App Store for Windows and Mac. The best alternative in this case is to use the official app site of the game you want to download. This method can also be used if you encounter errors or issues when trying to download an app from the Store.
If you are trying to download a browser, a security application, a media application, or something else, you can simply visit the respective official website and then find the Download section. You can click on the download button and start downloading that particular application. If the app is available for multiple platforms, you will see a separate button for Windows, Mac, etc.
When the file is downloaded, you will see the file in the download section. exe, just double-click the file to start installing the application on your Windows computer.
For Mac users, you will see the file extension. dmg/.app, just double click the file and start the installation process. After you double click on the file and finish checking, you will get a new window, just drag and drop the newly installed application into your Applications folder. Once this is done, you can find the installed application in the applications folder.
Third Party Websites to Download Apps on a Laptop
Another way to download apps on your computer is to use a third party website. But not all websites are safe to download apps for your Windows and Mac devices.
Softpedia
Softpedia is an all-in-one app downloader for Windows, Mac, and even Android APKs and drivers. The site hosts various Windows software, PC drivers, games, applications for Mac, Linux and Android. It has a clean user interface and user friendly menu. You can filter apps by all, free and paid, and find the app you want to download here.
Softonic
An alternative to Softpedia, Softonic is similar to the one mentioned above. If you have previously downloaded any apps for your laptop using a Google search, there is a good chance that you ended up downloading the app from this website.
Macupdate
As you can guess from the name, this is a Mac website and one of the most trusted and popular websites for downloading Mac apps. There are over 30,000 apps on this site, and all of them are handpicked by experts and are safe to download.