Software : Round up: The best free PDF editor 2016

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Round up: The best free PDF editor 2016 Posted: Free PDF editors Edit, split, merge and convert PDFs Adobe describes PDF as "three letters that changed the world", and it has a point: the Portable Document Format, to give it its Sunday name, was invented by Adobe to make it easy to share electronic documents. It's now an open standard used in everything from publishing to public bodies, and there are stacks of tools to create, edit, annotate and organise PDFs. But which ones are best? We've collated 10 of the most useful document wranglers for Windows. If you're a Mac user, don't forget about the Preview app - it's a very useful PDF editor in its own right, although some other programs can do even more. 1. Foxit Reader A powerful PDF reader and editor that can be customized to suit you Of all the free PDF tools available for Windows, Foxit Reader is our favorite. It looks and feels rather like Microsoft Office so it's instantly familiar, it has a tabbed interface for working on multiple PDFs simultaneously, and it enables you to complete forms and annotate documents. It also includes security tools for protecting your PDFs. It's expandable via a bunch of add-ons and if you find yourself needing even more power its paid-for sibling, PhantomPDF, has extensive organisation, sharing and document tracking features for a very reasonable US$109 (about £82.82, AU$144.89). 2. Adobe Reader Adobe's cross-platform software is superb for marking up documents Yes, Adobe Reader on the desktop has a reputation for being overly complex and overly needy - but the iOS and Android editions haven't inherited its flaws and stand on their own virtual feet as fast, flexible and lightweight PDF editors. Some of the best features require an Acrobat Pro subscription, so for example editing text isn't possible without Pro, but you can sign and fill forms and export Office documents to PDF. There's support for Dropbox too. 3. PDF24 Creator A printer driver with added editing features for perfect conversions One of the simplest ways to add PDF to Windows is to install a PDF printer driver. Windows sees it as a printer driver, but instead of controlling hardware it actually converts documents to PDFs. That's what PDF24 Creator offers, but it also adds its own Assistant that can split or merge PDF files, adjust document properties, re-order pages, password protect PDFs and add digital watermarks or signatures. It's hardly the prettiest app around but it gets on with the job and doesn't require loads of system resources. 4. Adobe Acrobat DC (trial) Edit text, replace and tweak images, add signatures and much more besides The DC stands for Document Cloud, and Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is designed to cover every eventuality - for a price. You can try out the software for free, but the license is an annual subscription that works out at £11.42 (about US$15, AU$20) per month for the Standard edition and £13.33 (about US$17.54, AU$23.33) per month for Pro. The Standard edition gives you online access via Adobe's Document Cloud, the ability to create PDFs from almost any source, to work on PDFs via the mobile apps and to electronically sign documents. Going Pro adds multimedia support, the ability to edit scanned documents and the option to request electronic signatures. 5. Nitro PDF Reader Surprisingly powerful, with support for both image and text editing Here's another app that looks awfully like Microsoft Office, and once again that's no bad thing. Nitro PDF Reader has a feature set that shames some paid-for apps: despite a price tag of zero it offers document to PDF conversion, annotation and highlighting, image extraction, text editing and e-signatures. It's definitely one to try before you consider paying for a PDF app. 6. PDF-XChange Editor A free PDF editor with OCR for converting image-based PDFs Tracker's PDF-XChange Editor comes in three and a half flavours: a free Lite version for non-commercial use, two paid-for versions at US$43.50 (about £33, AU$58) and US$54.50 (about £41.38, AU$72.60) respectively and a free version of the $43.50 app that removes some of its advanced features. The Lite version doesn't do much - it's a print-to-PDF app to create searchable PDFs from pretty much any Windows app - but it also has has OCR scanning, Google Drive and Office 365 support, commenting and annotation, markup and file conversion. Paying for a license adds the ability to create forms, more advanced organizational tools and more extensive editing options. 7. SlimPDF Reader A tiny tool that's lacking features, but won't stress underpowered PCs The name should set expectations here: SlimPDF Reader promises to be "10% of the size of Adobe Reader but views 100% of PDFs". It's microscopic by app standards - just 1.43MB - and that's largely because it doesn't really do anything other than view PDFs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though: its tiny footprint means it doesn't drag your system down like more advanced PDF apps often do, and it's ridiculously fast on even the most modest PCs. 8. Icecream PDF Converter Split hefty documents into manageable sections before conversion Icecream PDF Converter comes from the same developer as the useful Icecream Ebook Reader (which also doubles as a good-looking PDF viewer). This app's all about the file formats, though. You can drag and drop PDFs onto the app and convert them to JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, EPS, HTML or WMF format, and you can also convert ebooks and Microsoft Office documents to PDF. It can also run batch conversions and partial conversions for when you only need a few pages of a huge document. That's the good news. The bad news is that you're limited to 10 page PDFs when you export and five files per conversion to PDF unless you buy the Pro version for £14.95 (about US$19.69, AU$26.21). 9. AbleWord Convert documents from text format to PDF, and vice versa Here's a blast from the past: AbleWord looks very like an old version of Microsoft Word or a recent OpenOffice.org app. It works like those apps too, but the unique selling point here is that it supports PDF files as well as the usual DOC, DOCX and RTF formats, and that means it's a handy tool for anybody who needs to create documents in PDF format or convert between Word and PDF formats. OpenOffice can export text documents in PDF format too, but reading them requires installing an extension. AbleWord has PDF import built-in. 10. PDFsam Basic A versatile tool for merging and splitting PDFs in multiple configurations PDFsam is an acronym of PDF Split and Merge, so you can probably guess what it does. Yep, it splits and merges PDF files. You can use it to combine multiple documents or break a single document into multiples, you can merge alternate pages - handy if you're trying to turn single-sided scans of double-sided documents into something readable - and you can split by size, which is useful if you're splitting a huge document across USB drives or other small storage options. There's also a handy tool for rotating pages across multiple documents.

Use a VPN in one country and you could go to jail Posted: If you're visiting the United Arab Emirates, you're probably already aware of certain don'ts – like not drinking or being obviously inebriated in public – but now you can add another one to the list: using a VPN. The president of the country has issued an edict which effectively bans the use of VPN (virtual private network) tools, and those breaking this law could be jailed and slapped with a hefty fine. The new law states: "Whoever uses a fraudulent computer network protocol address (IP address) by using a false address or a third-party address by any other means for the purpose of committing a crime or preventing its discovery, shall be punished by temporary imprisonment and a fine of no less than Dhs 500,000 and not exceeding Dhs 2,000,000, or either of these two penalties." So essentially, this isn't actually a measure against those trying to hide their IP (or indeed watch iPlayer from the UAE) as such, but rather those using a VPN when engaging in a criminal act online. Proof problems Although as the Register, which spotted this development, points out, you might well be able to truthfully say that you weren't using a VPN service for anything illegal, but you'll have a hard time proving that given that obviously your traffic will have been encrypted. It's a very dicey area indeed, basically, and if you're visiting the country in the future, it would seem that using a VPN is a no-no, unless you want to take some big risks in having a brush with the local law. That maximum fine, by the way – Dhs 2,000,000 – is around £410,000 ($545,000). So the authorities are clearly taking a pretty serious view of violations of this law. Virtual private network software lets you connect to a third-party VPN server, offering an encrypted connection as mentioned, ensuring the security of your browsing (if you are using a public Wi-Fi hotspot for instance) and letting you get around certain geographical restrictions when it comes to streaming services and the like. Check out our round-up of the best free VPN services

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Software : Editor's pick: Download free PC cleaner GeekUninstaller and clear the junk from your system

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• Editor's pick: Download free PC cleaner GeekUninstaller and clear the junk from your system
• Round up: The best free YouTube video converter 2016
• Round up: The best free program uninstaller 2016
• Round up: The best free VPN service 2016
• Round up: The best free YouTube to MP3 converter 2016
• Round up: The best free PDF reader 2016

Editor's pick: Download free PC cleaner GeekUninstaller and clear the junk from your system Posted: Remove all traces of software with GeekUninstaller Give unwanted software an eviction notice Most programs come with their own uninstallers, but these often don't do a thorough job, leaving superfluous registry entries and system files in their wake. Antivirus programs are particularly notorious for leaving mucky footprints behind in the form of temporary files and small programs, which can cause software conflicts when you try to install another tool later. Other software is even more troublesome, not even appearing in Windows' Add/Remove Programs tool. These programs might be totally benign, or they might have been piggybacked their way onto your system along with a legitimate download. That's why you need GeekUninstaller. It's completely free, and doesn't need to be installed – just save the EXE file to a USB stick, then double-click to run it on any PC that needs a good scouring. Clear up the leftovers GeekUninstaller is incredibly simple to use. Run the EXE file and it performs an instant scan of your system, then displays a list of all the programs currently installed. The ones installed most recently are highlighted in orange, which is a thoughtful touch (if you're in a hurry to remove something, it's probably only appeared recently). You can also search for a program by name. When you've found the program to evict, right-click it and choose how to remove it. The standard option uses the program's own uninstaller, after which GeekUninstaller will sweep your system for leftover files and registry entries. Simple and thorough For particularly tough programs, or ones with broken uninstallers that throw up errors about missing components, the Force Uninstall tool performs a deep scan then mops up every trace. Other uninstallers include extra bells and whistles like drive cleaners and file shredders (tasks often performed better by a dedicated tool like CCleaner), but GeekUninstaller is a master of one trade and a jack of none. The only drawback is that you can't use it to remove pre-installed Windows 10 apps, but it's superb for cleaning up after downloaded software.

Round up: The best free YouTube video converter 2016 Posted: The best free YouTube converters Download and convert YouTube videos YouTube is a great resource for viewing videos, but at some point you might want to download them to a computer or mobile device. You might want to watch them offline, burn them to a DVD for archiving, or convert the audio to an MP3 for entertainment while driving. So what's the answer? Hunting down a YouTube conversion tool would be a good start, and luckily there are plenty around that won't cost you a penny - such is the magic of freeware. It's important to note that you should only download videos when you have the copyright owner's permission to do so. YouTube's terms of service explicitly prohibit unauthorised downloading. 1. aTube Catcher Download and convert videos to play on your PC, mobile device or console aTube Catcher is an appropriately named YouTube conversion tool that will catch any video downloads you throw its way before converting them to your chosen format. It supports AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG and MP4, in addition to less common formats such as PSP, which is used for Sony's handheld games console. The installation process is speedy, and once up and running you'll be presented with a colourful Windows 10-like grid that clearly presents the available options. From there you can dive straight into aTube Catcher's video conversion utility for converting to another file format, or convert the soundtrack to an MP3 for audio playback. Once you've chosen a format, drag in the files you want to convert and right-click 'Start' to set them going. You can prioritize certain clips to have them converted first, or simply leave it to work on the queued files from top to bottom. 2. Free YouTube to MP3 Converter Convert YouTube videos and rip soundtracks to MP3 format Free YouTube to MP3 Converter is a freeware program that converts videos from YouTube to other popular video formats - including WMV and AVI - in addition to audio ones formats such as MP3. The program lets you queue up multiple files for conversion and features a clean interface that clearly displays what files are waiting to be converted. It's a particularly useful tool for musicians who may want to download guitar backing tracks to jam along to, or similarly you could grab a karaoke backing track to burn to a CD ready for that weekend party. 3. Freemake Video Converter Super-speedy conversion into almost any video format you can name Freemake Video Converter features an attractive design and supports more file formats than you can shake a USB stick at. You can convert your downloaded video into more than 200 formats - including AVI, MP4, WKV, WMV, DV, RM, QT, TS and MTS - and you can choose to rip and convert audio to MP3 if you just want the soundtrack. Freemake claims that a few of its features are unique - including integrated CUDA and DXVA technology that apparently converts videos faster while using less CPU resources. It's certainly one of the fastest on our list, but its speed will ultimately depend on the power of your PC. 4. Free Studio Tweak clips for perfect playback on your chosen device Developed by DVDVideoSoft, Free Studio comes with a massive 25 video conversion options that can convert your files automatically once they've downloaded for viewing on different devices. It's particularly useful because it bundles multiple convertors into a single program, saving you hunting for several solutions when converting to different formats. It's a flexible program that allows you to work with HD video file types in addition to high quality MP4 video. It also comes with an advanced screen capture tool that allows you to record a section of the screen, flip it and rotate it before saving the edited output to disk with the option of saving to another device. 5. YTD (YouTube Downloader) Dropped connection mid-rip? No problem with YTD YTD (formerly known as YouTube Downloader can download and convert videos from some of the most popular video websites - including Facebook, DailyMotion and College Humor - in addition to YouTube. It features the ability to convert videos into most popular video formats - from MP3 and MP4 to WNV, FLV, MOV, 3GP and AVI. The program's makers claim that the latest version is faster and more stable than previous releases. It also has the handy feature of resuming downloads automatically if your internet connection goes down temporarily. Have we missed your favorite tool for converting YouTube videos to a different format? Let us know in the comments below.

Round up: The best free program uninstaller 2016 Posted: The best free software uninstallers Why use a third-party uninstaller? Software installers are rarely tidy - they spread files throughout your system, and their built-in uninstallers don't always clear it all away afterwards. Sometimes you'll be informed that "some elements could not be removed" as the uninstaller effectively shrugs its shoulders and leaves the mess behind - whether it's temporary files, old shortcuts or broken registry entries. All this detritus builds up over time, and can slow down your system or cause conflicts further down the line - particularly in the case of security software, which won't run properly if it detects files associated with another tool. Third-party uninstallers can clear up the mess in a few. If you're already having trouble with a program you thought you'd removed, the tool can scan your drives for files and broken links left over. If you want to uninstall a program thoroughly, the tool will run the program's own uninstaller, then perform a cleanup scan immediately afterwards. More advanced tools will monitor what happens when you install a new program - what files are created and changed - so it can rapidly reverse those changes when you want to remove it. Uninstallers can be very handy, but some try to offer too many tools at once (like watered-down versions of Piriform's excellent CCleaner), or even attempt to install additional 'optimization' software on your machine, which is the last thing you want. Keep an eye out for potentially unwanted programs while installing a new tool, or try the portable version if one is available. 1. IObit Uninstaller Thorough and thoughtfully designed - as good as many premium alternatives IObit Uninstaller gets right down to business, scanning your system for installed software the moment it starts. Its smart, clear interface displays a list of all your installed software, with extra tabs if you're only interested in the newest programs (if you've tried something new and don't like it), and the biggest ones (which will have the greatest impact on system performance). There's a batch processing option for removing multiple programs at once. If you've already uninstalled a program but suspect it's left mucky footprints across your drive, IObit's deep scanner can hunt down junk including broken shortcuts and caches created when installing software updates. IObit Uninstaller also takes a look at your web browsers to identify any plugins that could be uninstalled to speed up your surfing. It currently supports Firefox and Internet Explorer, but not Chrome or Edge. Each extension is accompanied by a user rating to help you decide whether to keep it. There's a file shredder thrown in too, which doesn't really fit with the premise of an uninstaller, but all the other tools are relevant and useful. IObit Uninstaller is well worth keeping on hand, and its thorough scanning makes it the equal of many premium uninstallers. 2. Wise Program Uninstaller Light as a feather, but less thorough than IObit Wise Program Uninstaller is a portable app, so you don't have to worry about it leaving mess of its own, though it offers you a free trial of a product called Spyhunter that you might prefer to decline. It's a very quick and lean little program that scans your system for already installed programs and displays ratings to show you how other users feel about them. You probably already know what you want to erase, but it's a thoughtful touch. Your choices for each program are Safe and Forced uninstall (some also have a Repair option, but only if it's part of the software in the first place). Safe uninstall is simply a way to access the program's own uninstaller, whereas Forced performs a deep scan to track down scrap files and broken registry entries. It shows you everything it's identified before deleting them, but this doesn't serve much purpose; you're unlikely to be able to pick out an individual Registry entry and say "Hang on, I need that!" The main downside of its small size is that it can't log new programs as you install them, but it's well designed and isn't bulked out with unecessary system tools. 3. GeekUninstaller A streamlined little app to mop up messy software GeekUninstaller is another neat portable uninstaller, weighing in at just 2.5MB. Although a 'Pro' version is advertised on developer's site, this is actually a completely different program called Uninstall Tool - GeekUninstaller is completely free, It performs a speedy system scan and provides the usual options: regular or forced uninstall. If you don't recognize something, GeekUninstaller will Google it for you - a simple but welcome addition that saves you loading up a browser. That's pretty much it - there's no deep scan for remnants of previously uninstalled programs, and no monitoring for new installations, but if you're simply after something to clean up as you go, uninstallers don't come smaller and simpler than this. It comes in over 30 languages too, which is undoubtedly a bonus. 4. Ashampoo Uninstaller (trial) A premium trial to give your system a thorough scouring This is a time-limited trial of Ashampoo Uninstaller rather than the full program, but is well worth considering if you need to purge your PC of one particularly stubborn piece of software, or want to give it a thorough spring clean. The basic trial lasts 10 days, but you can extend for an extra month by signing up for an account (a standard requirement with Ashampoo's free software). The uninstaller itself is impressive, as you'd expect from a premium product - it can remove existing applications, and log new ones as you add them. You can set it to start automatically at the same time as Windows, though your startup time might take a knock as a result. There are also system optimization tools like a file shredder, file restorer, disk defragmenter and even a font manager, but Ashampoo Uninstaller is an excellent tool without these - they are just padding. 5. Revo Uninstaller Free Effective, but bloated with strange and unnecessary extras Revo Uninstaller Free's icon-strewn interface is colorful but cluttered, and includes tools like a startup program manager, plus links to Windows' own system tools (including defrag and on-screen keyboard). These really aren't necessary, and just distract from an otherwise solid free uninstaller. There are four uninstall options: built-in, safe (built-in with additional registry scanning), moderate (with extra scanning of common locations for leftover files) and advanced (moderate mode, followed by a thorough scanning of your whole system). There's also a strange 'Hunter Mode', which lets you uninstall programs by dragging their icons onto a crosshair on your desktop. It's much more work than selecting the program from a list - a metaphor gone rogue. Unlike some uninstallers, Revo begins by creating a system restore point, which is reassuring. It can't log new installations, though - if you want that, you might like to give Revo's Pro version a whirl for 30 days. It's worlds away from the free edition's late-90s styling, and will give your drives a good scrubbing.

Round up: The best free VPN service 2016 Posted: Protect your privacy online The best free VPN tools With the eyes of ISPs growing ever more suspicious and government monitoring fast becoming something tangible and terrifying, the 'private' part of Virtual Private Network has never been more important. But hiding your internet traffic inside an encrypted tunnel isn't the only reason you might want to run a VPN on your machine. Perhaps you want your network traffic to appear to emanate from elsewhere in the world in order to use region-locked services (presuming, of course, you can do so legally). Maybe you're looking to seamlessly access your home network while on the road, or don't trust the security of public Wi-Fi access points. The VPN tag covers a lot of potential uses. Bear in mind that using a VPN does come with certain disadvantages, primarily that you'll experience slower internet speed as your traffic is encrypted and routed through the servers of your chosen provider. Free options usually end up throttled compared to their paid-for siblings and might also serve up ads or, in some cases, track your browsing habits to sell on to third parties. 1. CyberGhost 5 The best VPN tool to keep your browsing activity private CyberGhost is a VPN that truly has its users' ideals in mind: the company proudly declares that it doesn't track your activity, and publishes a transparency report to back up its claims. You can even use its interface to restrict the amount of information you're passing on to the sites you visit, shutting down tracking cookies, malicious websites, and more. If you want your traffic private and protected, this is our number one choice. It's also supremely easy to use, with a simple interface which allows you to select the location of your new IP address, and good visual indication of what's going on. That said, CyberGhost does run a reasonably limited number of servers, with selections mainly focused in Europe – at the time of writing, the free version offers no location option for Canada or any servers located in Asia. You're also restricted to three hours per session, with a moderate delay and a few ads before you're able to connect – a small price to pay for privacy. 2. Tunnelbear Tunneling made simple - but watch out for the data limit Tunnelbear is, as its dev crows, 'really really simple' to use. It's probably the most friendly VPN you'll find, with straightforward apps available for for Windows, MacOS and mobile devices. It's also one of the most well-travelled, with a truly worldwide network of tunnels to connect to, routing your data everywhere from Hong Kong to Norway – only its Australia and India nodes are restricted in the free edition. Much like CyberGhost, Tunnelbear promises high-end encryption and a complete absence of traffic logging. There's a pretty big kicker: the free version only offers 500MB of data transfer per month, so it's going to be reasonably useless if you're using it as a location-spoofing tool to watch geo-restricted video. For those moments when you're doing light browsing in a coffee shop, though, Tunnelbear's simplicity – and mobile compatibility – may come in very handy as long as you can cope with its slightly twee collection of bear puns. 3. VPNBook VNPBook is a simple, convenient way to protect your privacy If you're a confident computer user or want to protect more than just a Windows device, VPNBook is a great option. It doesn't even require any specific software – you just plug the appropriate info into your machine's system settings and you're connected. It uses your choice of point-to-point-tunneling (PPTP) or OpenVPN to encrypt your traffic and fire it out of one of six servers, three in Europe and three in North America. Being rough-and-ready, though, VPNBook does have its issues. We can't vouch for the specific encryption used, for a start, and its open nature (and potential for abuse) means it uses a password which changes frequently. If your ISP blocks PPTP connections, you'll need to use OpenVPN's client software – which pretty much nullifies the benefit of its compatibility with phones and games consoles. But for an ad-free, no-nonsense VPN connection it's a great choice. 4. OpenVPN Server Setting up your own VPN server is an enterprise-level option While the OpenVPN team produces a more user-friendly VPN option in the form of PrivateTunnel – which offers only limited data transfer in its free form – and many of the other options here use OpenVPN tech to get the job done, it's worth putting in the (considerable) effort to install an OpenVPN server on a home machine. You'll need to stump up some cash if you want to make use of more than the two client connections included with the server installation, but this is a proper VPN. Set up its server properly, connect to it with the OpenVPN client software, and you'll not only encrypt your network traffic but gain access to your home network as if you were connected locally -- all your shares, files and machines at your fingertips. Make no mistake, though: building your own OpenVPN server is enterprise-level stuff, certainly not for the faint-hearted given the amount of configuration required, and its absolute overkill for most purposes. But if you're in this for the 'network' side of VPN, look no further. 5. Hotspot Shield Free A promising VPN tool, but the ads and toolbars are overbearing It's been around for a while and has something of a mixed reputation: Hotspot Shield is a cracking VPN, but suffers some pretty heavy drawbacks that are required to contribute to its upkeep. However, Hotspot Shield dev Anchorfree has recently made steps to improve its service to free users. While you'll have to put up with a decent number of ads and frequent pleading to upgrade to its Elite version, some of the more insidious aspects – browser toolbars, page-injected advertising – are on the outs. While it's quick, easy to install and available in a neat Chrome extension version, we still struggle to recommend Hotspot Shield Free fully. There's a 750MB data cap per day, a single USA output locale, and access to many video streaming sites is hidden behind the paid Elite subscription. You might also be interested in How to set up and maintain a VPN How to make your VPN more secure How to build a dedicated VPN router

Round up: The best free YouTube to MP3 converter 2016 Posted: Download the best free YouTube to MP3 converters Save YouTube audio in MP3 format YouTube is a great site, packed with amazing content, and it's easy to spend hours just browsing from one video to another. But sometimes, when you're out and about, driving, maybe running, that's just not possible. The solution? Download your favourite videos, maybe convert them to MP3, then burn them to CD or listen to them anywhere with your favourite music app. There are websites that can help you do this, but they're often slow, packed with ads, and only able to download one file at a time. Specialist YouTube to MP3 converters deliver much better results. They're easy to use, just paste your file URL and it's usually downloaded and converted with a single click. The top programs add support for other video and music-sharing sites, and can download complete playlists as well as individual files, yet still won't cost you anything at all. Isn't freeware great? Before we begin, note that you should only download videos when you have the copyright owner's permission. YouTube's terms of service explicitly prohibit unauthorized downloading. 1. YouTube Song Downloader Download, convert and listen to music from YouTube with just one program Despite the name, YouTube Song Downloader isn't just another simple converter. It's a complete YouTube client with everything you need to find, hear and download your favourite tunes. Smart search tool helps track down the songs you need, both individual tracks and entire albums. If you're not sure whether you've found the right version, no problem - a built-in player means you can watch the video right now. Once you're ready, single tracks can be downloaded with a click, or you can select multiple files and grab them all at once. And if you're still not convinced, YouTube Song Downloader has another big advantage over most of the competition: it can download the source video, as well as a converted MP3. The free edition does have ads, and a nag screen when you close the program, but they're not too annoying. 2. Free YouTube to MP3 Converter Download music from YouTube quickly and easily, complete with artwork Video conversion tools can be complex, but Free YouTube to MP3 Converter shows they don't have to be that way. The program really couldn't be much easier to use. Copy your source YouTube link to the clipboard, click 'Paste', and the video name, quality and a tiny thumbnail appear to confirm your choice. Choose a different quality setting if you prefer, otherwise simply click 'Download' and wait as the video is downloaded and converted. A progress bar keeps you up to date with what's happening, and once it's finished, there are buttons to play the MP3 or open its folder in Windows Explorer. The file even has its YouTube frame embedded as sort of 'cover art', which means you'll see it in Windows Explorer's preview pane, or when viewing a folder as icons. 3. MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter Not just YouTube - this downloader works with Vevo, Vimeo and more At first glance, MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter seems a little basic, limited, too short on features to be really useful. But start to explore and you might be surprised. Choosing a file can be as easy as dragging and dropping the URL, for instance, or pasting it from the clipboard. The program doesn't just fetch YouTube files: it also works with Vevo.com, Vimeo, DailyMotion, Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Hype Machine. MP3 tag support enables entering the correct artist and album name from within the program, and you can start the download with a click. That's good, but the real highlights are hidden away in a tiny toolbar. MediaHuman YouTube to MP3 Converter can also download entire playlists, use a 'speed limit' mode to prevent it hogging your bandwidth, add music to iTunes, or - for really big jobs - automatically sleep or shut down your PC when the downloads have finished. 4. 4K YouTube to MP3 Stress-free MP3 downloading from whole YouTube playlists or channels 4K YouTube to MP3 is a straightforward converter which aims to download your chosen music with the absolute minimum of hassle. The program works with individual videos, full YouTube playlists or channels (up to 25 videos in the free version), and accepts links from other sites including SoundCloud, Vimeo, Flickr and DailyMotion. It's all very simple to use. Paste in a link and you don't have to consider options, or click a separate 'Download' button, as with some of the competition. 4K YouTube to MP3 just downloads and converts your files immediately. But there's also real power here, when you need it. You're able to download files using multiple threads, for example, use your preferred quality settings, and choose from several output formats (MP3, M4A, OGG). And if you're downloading a complete YouTube playlist, good news: M3U file generation means you can use that playlist in most media players immediately, no extra steps required. 4K YouTube to MP3 is also available as a portable app. 5. Lacey Search dozens of video sites to find exactly what you want If you're tired of adware-infested 'freeware' then Lacey should appeal right away. There's no registration, no sneaky setup program, in fact no installer at all: just unzip the download and run Lacey.exe. The program opens with a simple search box. Type the name of your favourite artist, a song, album, whatever you like, and matches are displayed in seconds. Other tools do something similar, but Lacey stands out because it's not restricted to YouTube. If you can't find your track there, it's also able to search Baidu, BandCamp, MP3Fusion, VEVO, Vimeo, SoundCloud, XMusic.Me, and a lengthy list of other sites. There's no detailed preview of your search results, and often all you'll see is the title, artist and duration. But if the program locates songs that others miss then you probably won't care much, and Lacey can download whatever you like in a couple of clicks. Have we missed your favorite YouTube to MP3 converter? Let us know in the comments below.

Round up: The best free PDF reader 2016 Posted: Download the best free PDF readers The best free PDF readers When you need to open a PDF, you'll usually opt for one of two options: the Reader app for Windows 8 and 10 (often pre-installed with the operating system, or available from the Windows Store), or trusty stalwart Adobe Acrobat Reader. Both are solid options, but there are many other free programs available that do much more than just open PDFs for you to read. If you want to merge documents, convert them to a different format or extract images, there's a free tool that will make it straightforward. If you're short on drive space, there are also ultra-lightweight viewers available that will occupy under 2MB (compared to Adobe Acrobat Reader, which takes up 148MB), plus portable apps that run directly from a USB stick. After installation, each of these programs will ask if you want to make it your default PDF reader. We recommend leaving your settings as they are until you've had a chance to try the new software and see if it's right for you. If you're satisfied with its performance, you can make it your go-to program for PDFs by right-clicking one and selecting 'Open with'. Browse to the EXE file for your new PDF reader, check 'Always use the selected program to open this kind of file', then click 'OK'. Most programs will also ask you to install their corresponding browser extensions. Again, we recommend skipping this until you've had a chance to get used to the new software. You can always install the extensions through your browser's store at a later date. 1. Foxit Reader A clear interface and all the tools you remember from Adobe Acrobat Reader Foxit Reader is perhaps the best known alternative to Adobe Reader, and it's easy to see why. Its ribbon-based interface takes inspiration from Microsoft Office, so you'll instinctively know where to find its impressive array of tools. The tabbed interface makes it easy to work with multiple PDFs at the same time, and there are some nice extra touches such as form filling and PDF annotation. The ubiquity of the PDF format makes it a popular target for malware and virus developers, so Foxit Reader offers a Safe Reading mode that provides control over things such as internal links and Javascript integration. Downloadable add-ons are available to convert PDFs to other formats (and vice versa) and to combine multiple PDFs into a single file. File conversion is incredibly simple thanks to the inclusion of an entry in Windows' context menu. It's very easy to see why Foxit Reader is so popular. Read on to discover four more of our recommended PDF readers. Have we missed your favorite? Let us know in the comments below. 2. Nitro PDF Reader A great PDF reader for collaboration, with tracked changes and sticky notes Like Foxit Reader, Nitro PDF Reader bears more than a passing resemblance to Microsoft Office applications - and this is no bad thing. Right from the start this feels like a highly accomplished piece of software and there are plenty of document viewing options to choose from. But this program is about more than just viewing. As well as including an annotation and highlighting option, Nitro PDF also lets you add sticky notes to the documents you open. You can use Nitro PDF Reader to convert text documents to PDF format, and vice versa. You can also extract all of the images from a PDFs in one fell swoop, digitally sign electronic documents with an e-signature. This is without doubt one of the most polished PDF tools out there, and it would be easy to forget that it's completely free to use. 3. PDF-XChange Editor A classic PDF reader, overhauled for the Windows 10 generation PDF-XChange Editor replaces the now discontinued (but still superb) PDF-XChange Viewer. The free edition contains handy features such as tracked comments and the ability to insert or extract pages, but those marked 'Pro' in the menu are only available in the paid-for version. The free edition's killer feature is OCR (optical character recognition). You can scan printed documents, have the text converted into searchable format, and save the resulting document as a PDF. During installation, we recommend selecting the 'Custom' option rather than 'Complete', then deselecting the components you don't want to install. They are presented as an expandable tree, so make sure you click all the '+' icons to discover what's hidden there. PDF-XChange Viewer is also available as a portable app for your mobile toolkit. 4. SlimPDF Reader A frill-free PDF reader that barely makes a dent in your disk space SlimPDF Reader is by far the smallest download in this roundup, occupying just 1.43MB of space, and makes a virtue of its frill-free approach. This really is little more than a viewer, but that's no bad thing. Controls and navigations are simple and self-explanatory, and the program benefits from being lightning-fast. Search, print and rotate are the most advanced features you'll find, although you are invited to try a free trial of the PDF to Office converter. If you're looking for a PDF reader without the bloat, SlimPDF Reader could be the ideal choice. The only real drawback is the inability to view two pages side-by-side as a spread. 5. Icecream Ebook Reader Not just for ebooks - Icecream's tool is great for PDFs as well As the name suggests, Icecream Ebook Reader is designed primarily for viewing EPUB and MOBI documents, but it doubles as a simple PDF reader. As this is an ebook reader, you are encouraged to organise all of your books into a library, sortable by type and fully searchable - but there's nothing to stop you from just opening individual PDFs. The program has a slightly unusual look, but it is a joy to use. Navigation of PDFs is wonderfully simple, and there are a number of viewing modes to choose from, including an eye-friendly night mode. You can quickly add bookmarks and create notes, which are accessed through the fly-out Contents pane. If you have a Word document or ebook that you'd to convert to PDF format, or vice versa, you might like Icecream PDF Converter, from the same developer.

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