Windows has evolved a lot over the years, and it’s no longer the barebone OS you think it is. I don’t blame you though. For the longest time, I also assumed my PC needed third-party apps for extracting files, managing storage, and even taking proper screenshots. But that’s no longer the case. Windows now has capabilities that make some of the most popular, decade-old apps feel unnecessary. Utilities like 7-Zip, CCleaner, Lightshot, and Ditto are no longer must-haves because Windows can handle a lot of these tasks on its own. 7-Zip Once a necessity, but not anymore Screenshot by Pankil Shah — No attribution required For years, 7-Zip used to be one of those utilities you had to install right after setting up your PC. It was the only reliable way to extract downloaded ZIP files and compress anything you wanted to send. But Windows’ built-in file extraction is now more than capable. You can right-click any file or folder and select Compress to ZIP to create an archive in seconds. Extracting files is just …