Windows 10 is actively used in around one billion devices, essentially capturing the biggest share of the operating system market. And it's constantly on improvement as well.

It isn't without fault, though. There are still plenty of issues with Windows 10, and the frequent nature of updates and fixes illustrates that perfectly. However, you can attempt to fix the majority of Windows 10 problems using nothing more than a few free tools. Let's take a look.

First, Ensure Your PC Is Updated

Before you start installing these best programs to fix Windows 10 problems, make sure you have done something vital: update your Windows to the latest version. Yes, we just said updates can introduce unexpected issues. But that isn't always the case. More often than not, Windows updates can obliterate a swath of annoying bugs.

Press Win + I to open the Settings panel and head to Update & Security > Windows Update. If there is an update waiting, save your work, bookmark your browser tabs, and hit Restart now.

Aside from updating your system, you should also check out our list of the best computer security and antivirus tools, closing off another common source of issues when using Windows 10 (i.e. malware).

Now, on to the best programs to fix almost any problem in Windows 10.

1. IOBit Driver Booster

free windows driver updater driver booster

Windows 10 tries to handle driver updates, but it isn't perfect. Sometimes it'll leave some essential driver updates behind. So, when a hardware issue strikes, it's always worth checking if you need to update your drivers.

One of the best ways to check the status of your Windows drivers is by using a free driver update tool, and IOBit Driver Booster is one of the best Windows 10 driver update tools, claiming to fix and update over 1,000,000 drivers.

Follow these steps to install and use the tool:

  1. Download and install Driver Booster, making sure to deselect any additional software offered to you.
  2. Open Driver Booster. You'll spot three tabs: Outdated, UpToDate, and Action Center. The first two are fairly self-explanatory, containing the lists of your system drivers and their status. The Action Center tab contains download links for other IOBit utilities.
  3. Select the Outdated tab. You can choose to Update Now using the big red button, or head down the list and update individual drivers as you see fit. You can also choose to ignore specific drivers, roll them back to their previous state, or uninstall them entirely. Driver Booster automatically downloads and applies the drivers to your system, but you may require a system reboot to finish the installation process.

Driver Booster creates a system restore point before updating your drivers, as well as including options for automatic shutdown or reboot after the driver installation process completes---handy for leaving the tool running just before bed!

Download: IOBit Driver Booster (Free, paid version available)

Alternative: Snappy Driver Installer

snappy driver installer

Snappy Driver Installer (SDI) is a free and open-source driver updater with a vast driver collection for offline use. Microsoft keeps Windows 10 up-to-date, but sometimes your drivers get left behind—and outdated drivers can often cause weird issues.

Head to the Snappy Driver Installer download page. Download and unzip the SDI Lite version, then run the SDI application. Select Download Indexes Only to let SDI to quickly scan your computer to see which drivers need updating or installing (and then marvel at the "grass" theme, and change it if you see fit!).

After SDI scans your system, it offers a list of potential new drivers. Head down the list and select the drivers you want to install (or click Select all in the left-hand option menu), make sure to select Create a new restore point, then select Install. The download and update process can take a while, depending on how many drivers need updating.

Once the download and installation process completes, restart your system.

Download: Snappy Driver Installer (Free)

2. FixWin 10

fixWin software

FixWin 10 isn't just one of the best Windows 10 repair tools, it's portable! You can use FixWin 10 to repair a huge variety of operating system issues.

The program is divided into six neat sections, each representing problems with a specific component (File Explorer, System Tools, etc.). Each section contains at least ten fixes (see the full list on TheWindowsClub site). Some fixes may require a reboot, but you'll be informed of this when you click the Fix button.

Fixes vary from common irritants, such as the Recycle Bin icon failing to automatically update after emptying, to more advanced fixes like restoring access to the Registry Editor.

The Additional Fixes section contains novel-but-useful tweaks, such as restoring the Sticky Notes delete warning dialog box, while the Troubleshooters section directs you to the relevant Windows 10 troubleshooter tool on your system. The integrated troubleshooters are sometimes the easiest option, at least before delving into the depths of your system.

Download: FixWin 10 (Free)

3. Ultimate Windows Tweaker

ultimate windows tweaker

Ultimate Windows Tweaker has the same developer as FixWin10 (The Windows Club). This is immediately evident because both programs share the same easy-to-use interface.

Unlike FixWin 10, which addresses Windows 10 issues and lets you fix them, this program enables you to quickly enable, disable, hide, or remove specific features from Windows.

You can make each change listed in this program using the Windows 10 Settings app, the Registry Editor, or the Group Policy Editor. However, Ultimate Windows Tweaker puts all the options within neat sections that list relevant issues, which you can then address quickly.

Click the Create Restore Point button at the bottom left before you start, tick the changes you want to make, then click Apply at the bottom. The Additional section lets you bring back Windows 7's Windows Photo Viewer with one click.

TheWindowsClub offers over 200 Windows 10 tweaks at the click of a button. Modifying your OS has never been easier.

Download: Ultimate Windows Tweaker (Free)

4. Windows Repair

windows repair driver software

Windows Repair (All in One) is another free and useful Windows 10 repair tool you can use to repair numerous Windows 10 issues. The Windows Repair developer strongly suggests you should boot your PC in Safe Mode for maximum effect. The Windows Repair tool has its own Reboot to Safe Mode button for a quick reboot.

The repairs cover registry permissions, file permissions, Windows Firewall settings, Winsock and DNS cache fixes, Windows Update issues, and much more. The Windows Repair tool guides you through a fixing process that automates the Windows Check Disk (chkdsk) and System File Checker (sfc) utilities.

If the utilities don't fix your Windows issues or errors—and you know what you're doing and understand the risks—you can head to the Repairs tab. Here you have six options. The Open Repairs button opens the repair panel containing the numerous fixes available. The other options are preset to fix specific issues such as malware cleanup, broken file permissions, and Windows Updates.

Download: Windows Repair (Free)

5. Windows Repair Toolbox

windows repair tool

Windows 10 is a great operating system, and despite some well-documented irritations, most users seem to enjoy using it. And while we don't necessarily disagree with the often repeated advice of using specialist tools, there's a case to be made for the ease of usability that an all-in-one tool gives.

Because let's be honest, who has the time and money to go out and look up fixes for every other PC problem that pop-ups—especially when an alternative exists.

With Windows Repair Toolbox, you get a complete package of pretty much all the important repair tools you'll need for your PC. When you open up the application, you'll see a host of other tools on the home screen, arranged in separate sections like Hardware, Repairs, Uninstaller, and more.

So, when you have, say, a PC rife with generic Windows 10 errors, you'll have with you a plethora of useful applications to choose from, available in the Repairs section. To use any of these applications, simply click on one, and it'll be downloaded and ready to use.

The tool has other handy features as well. For instance, the Malware Removal tab offers a multitude of malware scan and removal solutions. RKill, Kaspersky, Microsoft, and even Ccleaner—it's all here. There's also a Run Unattended option that lets you run a scan without downloading any specific tool.

All in all, we believe you won't go wrong with this application as your first choice for a free Windows 10 repair tool.

Download: Windows Repair Toolbox (Free)

6. O&O ShutUp10

O&O shutup

Windows 10 has privacy issues, and Microsoft knows it. Windows 10 privacy control has improved slightly since its 2015 release, but the core issues of tracking, telemetry, and data gathering remain.

While some users believe this is a necessary evil for the operating system development to continue with lashings of user-data, you don't have to give up your data. Several tools curtail Microsoft and Windows 10 data gathering tendencies, and O&O ShutUp10 is one of them.

The program has nine sections offering various privacy settings, many of which are not directly available in the operating system. ShutUp10 makes turning off the unseen options as simple as flicking the numerous switches.

Most importantly, each option comes with a brief description, so you know what you're turning off and what functionality it might affect. Unfortunately, there are some downsides to turning everything off, so move slowly and check each option out.

O&O ShutUp10 has a handy Apply only recommended settings option, as well as the Recommended and somewhat recommended settings option that goes even further.

Download: O&O ShutUp10 (free)

7. DISM++

dism++ tool main menu

You can think of DISM++ as a GUI (Graphical User Interface) version of DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management)—the free Windows command line utility tool that can help you prepare, modify, and repair system images.

So, DISM++ is the tool you turn to when you’re experiencing crashes or errors on your Windows 10, and all the other tools have been unable to help you.

Since the app doesn’t need to use a command line, all you’ve to do after the installation is complete is launch the app and choose the utility you’d like to use.

For example, if you click the Disk Clean-up option, you can choose various clean-up options. From there, you must click on Clean Up to begin the cleaning-up process. You can then remove everything from download history, search history, and error reports, to your cache files.

Download: DISM++ (Free)

How Do You Fix Windows 10 Problems?

These are some of the best programs that will fix (almost) any problem in your Windows 10. Hopefully, though, you found the one that's most relevant to your needs right now. Of course, there are tons of free and paid programs out there that cater to different Windows problems; be it corruption, data loss, or something else.

But, in some cases, no matter how many tools you try, your Windows just won't work as before. For situations like that, we always recommend more potent solutions like Windows Restore or Factory Reset.