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Windows comes complete with essential apps that you practically use on the daily. There's Notepad for your brain dumps, Snipping Tool for your screenshots and screen recordings, and Calculator for quick math. But beyond these useful built-in programs are more underrated free Windows apps you probably didn't even know existed, one of which is Sound Recorder.

Just as its name suggests, Sound Recorder is designed for capturing your voice and all the sounds around you either through your PC's built-in microphone or an external microphone connected to your computer. The app works much like the voice recorder on your phone, but with the added convenience of being right on your PC. This comes in handy when you need to start recording and already have your PC open — say, during a face-to-face meeting or while in class. Instead of grabbing your phone to record, you can just launch Sound Recorder and record away.…