As we all know, Windows Essentials was a collection of fun Microsoft programmes. Nearly everything was there for a user to get started with Windows OS. But in 2012, Microsoft stopped producing Windows Essentials and separated the programme into standalone programmes. While Windows Essentials can still be used on previous operating systems, some of its functions are damaged or completely unusable. Therefore, you have come to the proper place if you want to make Windows Essentials run on the most recent version of Windows 10. I tried to break down Windows Essentials in this blog and revealed how to get it running on Windows 10. I’ve also listed a few alternatives to the well-known Windows Essentials programmes.
Install Windows Essentials on Windows 10 PC
Let’s first learn a little bit about Windows Essentials and talk about some of the reasons why Microsoft discontinued the well-liked suite of applications before moving on to our tutorial.
What Happened to Windows Essentials?
With the release of Windows XP in 2006, Windows Essentials was also available. Because it contained the most entertaining and engaging apps that Microsoft was creating at the time, Windows Essentials quickly gained popularity. As an illustration, there was Live Messenger for instant messaging, Photo Gallery for viewing and sharing photos, Mail for email correspondence, the wildly popular Movie Maker for making some amazing movies, Live Writer for blogging, and OneDrive for cloud-based file uploading.
However, Windows Essentials was discontinued by Microsoft in 2012 and is no longer being developed. Microsoft has decided to discontinue Windows Essentials since it is concentrating solely on Windows 10. Currently, Windows 10 comes with pre-installed modern programmes that perform similarly to older ones. Users still choose to utilise the basic Windows Essentials suite, despite Microsoft’s move toward modern programmes being acceptable. Therefore, follow the instructions in the section below if you wish to instal Windows Essentials on your Windows 10 computer.
Steps to Install Windows Essentials in 2020
We will discover how to set up Windows Essentials on Windows 10 in this section. Although Windows Essentials is now considered outdated, the final stable build of Windows Essentials 2012 is still available on Archive.org. On our Windows 10 computer, we’ll instal it using the same build. So let’s see how it works.
1. Get Windows Essentials 2012 by clicking here. To download the setup file, click on the wlsetup-all.exe file.
Run the setup file now. You won’t need an internet connection because the installer is offline. However, if your PC does not already have the most recent version of the.NET framework installed, it will first download and instal the framework from the internet.
3. Two options will then be presented to you. Select the items you want to instal, or instal every app offered by Windows Essentials. Select your favourite option and carry on.
4. This screen is where you can select the applications. Click on the Install button after choosing your preferred applications.
5. The chosen programmes will begin to be installed by Windows Essentials 2012. So, exercise patience because it will take time. You will be presented with this dialogue box after the installation is finished.
6. You are now free to utilise Windows Essentials programmes as you please.
Here is a screenshot of Windows Movie Maker with Windows 10.
Windows Essentials Alternative
Note: Due to API changes, integration with numerous websites, including Facebook, Vimeo, etc., is broken. As a result, using other services directly from the programme will not be possible.
1. Windows Movie Maker Alternative Microsoft Story Remix
We will learn about every Windows Essentials substitute in this part. While Windows Essentials was fantastic, several features are broken as a result of API changes. The user interface also appears outdated and doesn’t fit well with the Windows 10 design aesthetic. In any case, read on to learn about the alternatives if you’ve upgraded to Windows 10 and want to locate a new set of apps that can take the place of Windows Essentials.
Because it was the most used programme of all the Windows Essentials tools, I want to talk about Windows Movie Maker first. Windows Movie Maker was a really good, feature-rich programme at the time. I really enjoyed making short films with background audio, videos, and synchronised graphics. However, Microsoft replaced Windows Movie Maker with a brand-new functionality called Microsoft Story Remix in Windows 10. On Windows 10, the feature is a component of the Photos app, and it lets you make beautiful videos. You can import images, videos, audio, and a lot more, similarly to WMM. You also have a new set of 3D effects, video filters, and transition effects, all of which are great and give the videos a nice appearance. Microsoft Story Remix is a contemporary programme with fresh features and improvements, whereas WMM was effective for its time. You ought to have a look at it.
Look for and launch the Photos app, which is pre-installed on Windows 10. To begin using Microsoft Story Remix, click New Video in the top bar. Here is the actual URL if you can’t find the Photos app.
2. Windows Live Mail Alternative Mail
Install images (Free)
Although Windows Live Mail was a decent email programme, there were several problems with emails that were deleted automatically. But on Windows 10, a sleek Mail app has taken the role of Windows Live Mail. It contains practically all of Windows Live Mail’s features, and I’d think it makes significant improvements. On the plus side, it offers a stable experience, enables notifications, numerous email protocols, and has a great user interface. Additionally, Calendar and Tasks are now integrated with the Mail apps so your schedule is always up to date. The new Mail app is worth a look if you want to replace Windows Live Mail.
On Windows 10, the Mail app is pre-installed. You may find the Mail app by just searching for it. Here is the straight URL to the Mail app in case you can’t find it.
3. Windows Photo Gallery Alternative Photos
Set up Mail (Free)
Among the Windows Essentials applications, Windows Photo Gallery was unquestionably a hit. All of your images might be organised on a computer and edited without leaving the current window. A photo-sharing option was also available via Facebook and OneDrive. However, Windows 10 features a standalone Photos app that can do all of the functions of Windows Photo Gallery. Within a single application, you can arrange all of your pictures and videos, make albums, and edit them. The Photos app’s ability to identify similar human faces and classify them into different categories is fantastic. On the basis of similar locales, it may also arrange images and videos. As you can see, Windows 10’s new Photos app is pretty powerful and can be a terrific replacement for the Windows Photo Gallery.
Windows 10 already has the Photos app pre-installed, so just search for it. Here is the actual URL to the Photos app in case you can’t find it.
4. OneDrive
Install images (Free)
The OneDrive application bundled with Windows Essentials 2012 is outdated and you should use the latest version of OneDrive on Windows 10. OneDrive has gone through many iterations of active development and now it supports seamless sync without any latency issues. You can upload photos, files, folders and huge volumes of data instantly. The great part is thatany changes in local files are reflected in real-time on the cloud. So to sum up, if you are using the old OneDrive that came with Windows Essentials, you should install the latest version.
OneDrive comes pre-installed on Windows 10. Anyway, here is the direct link for the latest OneDrive build.
5. Family Safety Alternative Family Group
Install OneDrive (Free)
Family Safety was part of Windows Essentials in Windows 7. It had a few options like web filtering and access to activity history of family members enrolled in Family Safety. However, after 2012, Microsoft decoupled Family Safety from the OS toa unified portal on the web called Family Group. If you are a parent, you can access your kids activity history from the Family Group dashboard. You can also set screen time limits, filter content, share your Office 365 subscription, access your kids location, and a lot more. We can see that the new Family Group is a much robust management center to control and access various aspects of your family members. I would recommend you to go with Family Group instead of the limited Family Safety app.
6. Windows Live Writer Alternative Open Live Writer
You can access the Family Group dashboard on the web fromhere.
Windows Live Writer was one of the popular Windows Essentials apps for bloggers and publishers. It supported many blogging platforms including WordPress, Blogger, Squarespace, etc. For writers, it was truly a great application with various features and integration with many blogging platforms. However, Microsoft chose to discontinue Windows Live Writer and currently there is no official alternative on Windows 10. But there is nothing to worry as the.NET foundation has forked Windows Live Writer and created Open Live Writer. The new Open Live Writer looks and works very similar to its old predecessor. The integration with various blogging platforms have been fixed and now you can use Open Live Writer without any issues. The application is available on Microsoft Store so you can easily grab it.
Install Windows Essentials 2012 and Get Productive
Install Open Live Writer (Free)
