Best Apps for Touch Screen Laptops for Every Daily Task (2026)

The best apps for touch screen laptops make a touch display a daily tool, because the right app makes tapping, drawing and writing feel natural instead of awkward. A good touch app accepts finger and pen input and keeps menus large enough to tap, and this guide rounds up seven apps across whiteboard, notes, PDF, photo, layout and media use.

Quick verdict: the best apps for touch screen laptops

Microsoft Whiteboard is the best overall pick for touch screen laptop owners, because it is free with a Microsoft account, works well with finger and pen, and covers sketches, brainstorming and shared notes. Nebo suits anyone who writes longhand notes, while Drawboard PDF and Xodo cover PDF markup and the two Affinity apps cover creative work.

Our top pick at a glance

Microsoft Whiteboard wins the top spot because it opens fast, accepts pen and touch input without a learning curve, and lets several people draw on the same board when everyone signs in. It is free with a Microsoft account, so there is no extra cost to try it, and it works on Windows touch laptops with a pen or a finger.

Buyers who want handwriting conversion should look at Nebo instead, while photo editors and layout designers should look at the two Affinity apps further down this guide.

Best apps for touch screen laptops at a glance

This table compares the seven apps on what decides a download: what each app is best for, how it handles touch and pen input, how it is sold, and which operating system it runs on. Every app here is a real product available for Windows touch laptops, and two of them also work on ChromeOS through a browser or an Android app.

How we selected the apps

Every app in this guide is a real product available for Windows touch laptops, judged on the same points: touch and pen support, tools for its main job, ease of everyday use, and whether it saves work in a format you can open elsewhere. Apps that need an iPad or a phone were left out, and so were apps that only accept mouse and keyboard input.

We gave extra weight to apps that work with both finger and pen, because most touch laptop owners switch between the two during the day. We also favored apps that state their cost model plainly, so there are no surprises after you install them.

We also checked which apps work on ChromeOS, since some touch laptops run ChromeOS rather than Windows and an app that needs Windows will not run there at all. Only Xodo and VLC work on ChromeOS, through a browser or an Android app, so the guide says so plainly for each app instead of assuming every reader uses Windows. We left out apps that only run on iPad or Android tablets, even when they are popular, because this guide is for laptops. We also left out apps that accept only mouse and keyboard input, since they waste the touch screen entirely.

The best apps for touch screen laptops

The seven apps below cover the most common jobs on a touch laptop: whiteboard sketching, handwritten notes, PDF markup, photo editing, page layout and media playback. Each one works with touch input on a Windows laptop, and each one states plainly whether it is free, paid or subscription based.

Microsoft Whiteboard: best overall whiteboard app

Microsoft Whiteboard is the best overall whiteboard app for touch screen laptops because it is free with a Microsoft account and works with pen and finger from the first tap. You can sketch ideas, add sticky notes, drop in shapes and images, and share the board with other people who sign in with a Microsoft account.

The app runs on Windows touch laptops and suits students, teachers and teams who plan together on screen. Ink to shape turns rough circles and arrows into clean shapes, and ink to text turns handwritten words into typed text on supported setups. Boards save to the cloud, so work stays available when you switch devices.

Buy it if you want a free whiteboard that starts fast and shares easily. Skip it if you need offline drawing tools or print-ready page layout, since Whiteboard is built for live boards rather than finished documents.

Whiteboard also includes a ruler for straight lines, a lasso tool for moving ink around, and a choice of pen colors and thickness, so a quick sketch stays readable when the board fills up. It works with any Windows Ink pen, including the Surface Pen and pens from Lenovo, HP and Dell, and finger drawing can be switched on or off in settings. Sharing needs an internet connection and a Microsoft account for everyone on the board, so it suits connected teams more than solo offline work.

Nebo: best handwriting notes app

Nebo is the best handwriting notes app for touch screen laptops because it converts handwriting into typed text as you write, which makes longhand notes searchable and easy to paste into other documents. It works with an active pen on Windows and keeps the page free of small menus, so the writing area stays large.

The app suits students and professionals who take notes by hand and want clean text at the end of a meeting or lecture. It handles math and diagrams too, turning handwritten equations into typed math and rough shapes into clean lines. Notes export to text, Word and PDF formats, so nothing stays locked inside the app.

Buy it if you write notes by hand every day and want them as searchable text. Skip it if you only type notes or want a free app, since Nebo is a paid app and its strength is handwriting, not typing.

Nebo recognizes handwriting in many languages, so the same notebook works for notes in more than one language, and it keeps working offline when there is no internet connection. The app also reads handwritten math and turns it into typed equations, which suits students in science and engineering classes. A Windows Ink pen gives the best result, since pressure and palm rejection matter more here than in a typing app.

Drawboard PDF: best PDF annotation app

Drawboard PDF is the best PDF annotation app for touch screen laptops because it opens PDFs fast and lets you mark them up with a pen, highlight text, add shapes and leave comments without converting the file first. It is built for Windows and feels at home on a touch screen, with large tools that are easy to tap.

The app suits students, teachers and office workers who review documents, grade papers or sign forms on screen. The free version covers basic markup, while the paid Pro upgrade adds tools such as text editing, form filling and document comparison. Annotated files save as standard PDFs that anyone can open.

Buy it if you mark up PDFs every day and want a pen-first tool on Windows. Skip it if you only read PDFs and never annotate them, since a free reader such as Xodo covers reading with no extra cost.

The free version includes pen, highlighter and shape tools, so basic markup costs nothing, while the Pro upgrade adds text editing, form filling and side-by-side document comparison. Ink is pressure sensitive with a Windows Ink pen, which makes handwritten margin notes look natural instead of blocky. Files stay on your device unless you choose to share them, and the app opens large PDFs without the long load times that browser readers often show.

Affinity Photo 2: best photo editing app

Affinity Photo 2 is the best photo editing app for touch screen laptops because it offers professional layers, masks, retouching and RAW editing in a one-time purchase with no subscription. It runs on Windows and accepts pen input for brush work, selections and retouching, which makes detailed edits easier on a touch screen.

The app suits photographers and designers who edit photos on a laptop and want desktop tools without a monthly bill. It opens common formats including JPEG, PNG, TIFF and PSD files, and it handles large images without the slowdown that browser editors often show. Touch and pen work on Windows, though the touch interface is more limited than the iPad version.

Buy it if you edit photos seriously and want to pay once rather than monthly. Skip it if you only crop and filter phone photos, since a free editor covers light edits with less to learn.

Affinity Photo 2 also includes live filters, panorama stitching and focus stacking, so it covers the advanced jobs that free editors usually leave out. It runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11 and opens PSD files with layers intact, which helps when you share work with Photoshop users. A pen speeds up brush work and selections, though most menus still need a mouse or a finger tap, since the Windows touch interface is more limited than the iPad version.

Affinity Publisher 2: best layout and publishing app

Affinity Publisher 2 is the best layout and publishing app for touch screen laptops because it builds books, brochures, posters and magazines with linked text frames, master pages and precise typography, all in a one-time purchase. It runs on Windows and accepts pen and touch input for moving frames, zooming pages and tapping tools.

The app suits designers, teachers and small business owners who lay out multi-page documents on a touch laptop. It opens InDesign files and works with Affinity Photo 2 and Affinity Designer 2 through linked files, so images and graphics stay in sync across apps. The interface is dense, so a stylus helps with small controls on a 13-inch screen.

Buy it if you lay out multi-page documents and want a one-time purchase. Skip it if you only write single-page letters, since a word processor covers that job with less setup.

Publisher 2 also includes data merge for letters and labels, footnotes and endnotes for longer documents, and linked Affinity Photo and Designer files that update when the source image changes. It suits self-published books, school newsletters and club magazines, where the same layout repeats across many pages. The learning curve is real, so new users should start with a short document before building a full book.

Xodo: best free PDF reader and markup app

Xodo is the best free PDF reader and markup app for touch screen laptops because the free version reads PDFs, highlights text, adds notes and fills forms without asking for payment first. It works on Windows and in a browser, so it also runs on ChromeOS touch laptops, which most Windows-only PDF apps cannot do.

The app suits anyone who reads and marks up PDFs on more than one device, since files sync through the cloud and the interface stays the same everywhere. A paid upgrade adds extra tools such as batch actions and stronger redaction, but the free version covers everyday reading and markup. Signed and filled forms save as standard PDFs.

Buy it if you want a free PDF reader that also works on ChromeOS. Skip it if you need advanced document editing, since Xodo is a reader and markup tool rather than a full PDF editor.

Xodo also syncs files through Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, so a marked-up PDF started on a Windows laptop can be finished on a phone or a Chromebook. Night mode and text reflow help on small screens, and the app remembers where you stopped reading in each document. The paid upgrade adds batch actions and stronger redaction for work documents, but everyday reading and markup stay free.

VLC media player: best media player app

VLC media player is the best media player app for touch screen laptops because it is free, open source and plays almost any video or audio format without extra codecs or a paid upgrade. It runs on Windows and on ChromeOS through its Android app, and its large playback controls suit touch use for play, pause, seek and volume.

The app suits anyone who watches films, lectures or music videos on a touch laptop and wants one player for every format. It handles subtitles, playlists and streaming links, and it plays damaged or partial files that other players refuse to open. The interface is plain, but it stays out of the way once a video starts.

Buy it if you want a free player that handles any format you throw at it. Skip it if you only stream from one service, since that service already has its own app with a larger touch interface.

VLC also converts files between formats, streams video from a local network drive, and lets you change playback speed, which helps when you rewatch lectures or listen to long talks. Subtitle files load with one tap, and playlists keep a series of videos in order without extra setup. The plain interface hides most of these tools in menus, so new users should open the media and playback menus once to see what the player can do.

How to choose the right app for your touch laptop

The right app depends on the job you do most on your touch laptop, not on which app has the longest feature list. A student annotating PDFs needs different tools from a photographer editing RAW files or a team sketching ideas on a shared board. Start from your main job, then check pen support, operating system and cost model.

Start with the free apps before you pay for anything, since Whiteboard, Xodo and VLC cover whiteboard, PDF and media work at no cost and show you how touch input feels on your laptop. Add a paid app only when a specific job needs it, such as handwriting conversion in Nebo, professional photo editing in Affinity Photo 2, or page layout in Affinity Publisher 2. That way you spend money only on the tool that does a job the free apps cannot do, and you learn your own touch habits first.

Check pen and touch support first

Pen and touch support should come first, because an app that ignores your pen wastes the touch screen you paid for. Look for apps that accept pen input for drawing and writing, not just finger taps on menus, and test palm rejection with your own pen before you commit to a paid app.

A pen that writes well in one app can feel different in another, so try the free version first when one exists. Check whether pressure levels change brush size, since that matters for drawing and retouching more than for notes.

Match the app to the job

Match the app to the job you do most, because a great photo editor makes a poor whiteboard and a great PDF reader makes a poor layout tool. Pick one app per job rather than one app for everything, and keep the number of apps small so each one earns its place on your laptop.

If you do two jobs often, such as notes and PDF markup, look for one app that covers both well, such as Nebo for notes or Drawboard PDF for markup. A second app is cheaper than a wrong app, so add tools one at a time.

Check the operating system and cost model

Check the operating system and cost model before you install, because most apps here run on Windows only and will not work on a Chromebook. Xodo runs in a browser and VLC runs through its Android app, so those two are the picks for ChromeOS touch laptops.

Cost models vary: Whiteboard, Xodo and VLC are free, Nebo and the two Affinity apps are paid once or paid outright, and Drawboard PDF and Xodo offer paid upgrades. Read the store listing on your exact device before you buy, since prices and features change over time.

Frequently asked questions

These questions cover the points touch laptop owners ask most about apps: which apps are free, whether a pen is required, and whether the apps here work on ChromeOS. The answers below keep to what the makers state about each app, with no guesses about future updates.

Do I need a pen to use these apps

You do not need a pen to use these apps, because every app here accepts finger touch for tapping, scrolling and basic drawing. A pen helps most for handwriting in Nebo, detailed brush work in Affinity Photo 2, and precise markup in Drawboard PDF, where a fingertip is too broad for fine lines.

If your laptop came with a pen, try it in each app before you buy anything, since pressure and palm rejection differ by app. If your laptop has no pen, a passive stylus works for tapping but will not give pressure control.

Which of these apps are free

Microsoft Whiteboard, Xodo and VLC media player are free to download and use, with no payment needed for their main features. Drawboard PDF and Xodo offer paid upgrades for extra tools, while Nebo, Affinity Photo 2 and Affinity Publisher 2 are paid apps with no free full version.

Free does not mean weak here: Whiteboard covers full whiteboard work, Xodo covers full PDF reading and markup, and VLC covers full media playback. Try the free apps first, then pay only for a job the free apps cannot do.

Do these apps work on ChromeOS touch laptops

Most apps in this guide run on Windows only, so they do not work on ChromeOS touch laptops. Xodo works on ChromeOS through its web app, and VLC works on ChromeOS through its Android app from the Play Store, so those two are the picks for Chromebook owners.

Nebo, Drawboard PDF, Affinity Photo 2 and Affinity Publisher 2 need Windows, and Microsoft Whiteboard needs Windows too. Check the Play Store or the web version of each app before you buy a Chromebook for a specific app.

Conclusion

The best apps for touch screen laptops are the ones that match your main job and work well with your pen, and the seven apps here cover whiteboard, notes, PDF, photo, layout and media work on Windows. Start with the free picks, Whiteboard, Xodo and VLC, then add Nebo or an Affinity app only when a specific job needs it.