A portable application is a computer software program that is able to run independently without the need to install files to the system it runs. They are commonly used on a removable storage device.

Below is a list of 15 portable applications that you must have on your USB or External drive, all of which will help you avoid uncertainties that you commonly face when you reach a computer other than yours.

These software are selected after careful consideration of our common computer tasks. However, you may add or remove applications as per your own requirement and nature of work.

Here we go!

VLC Portable (Media Player):
VLC is one of the most downloaded media players which supports almost all the media formats. It often happens that you want to play a video file on the computer you reach, but end up getting “file not supported” message. So save VLC portable in your USB and avoid such uncertainties in future.

Foxit PDF Reader (PDF file viewer):
Foxit is a light and simple PDF viewer. It comes up with a portable version. Save it on your USB for the day when you don’t find a PDF viewer in the computer you reach.

IrfanView Portable (Image Viewer and Editor):
IrfanView is a fast and compact image viewer/converter. It supports almost all the image format and comes up with lots of additional features. People usually rely on the default image viewer. If you are a person who hates default image viewer, you might want to have IrfanView saved in your USB.

Mozilla Thunderbird Portable (Email Client):
With Thunderbird Portable, you can take your email, address book and account settings with you. It is easy to use, safe and fast. To know more about Thunderbird, click here. You may want to see the installation instruction on the download page.

Mozilla Firefox Portable (Internet Browser):
Firefox is my preferred web browser. It comes with built-in security measures and numerous addons to increase its functionality. Many of us do not bother to install another web browser, but stick with the default Internet Explorer. If you are one of those who hate Internet Explorer, you may want to have this portable version of Firefox in your USB stick. You can even save the tracks on your flash and not in the computer.

Word Web (Dictionary):
Word Web is a dictionary which will make your life easier in finding definition, synonyms, and antonyms of any given word without requiring you to go online.

PS: Change the directory to your flash drive’s directory during setup process.

Pidgit Portable (Instant Messenger):
With Pidgin Portable, you can connect to your AOL, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ and Jabber networks. It also allows you to take your IM settings and buddy lists with you. You can also easily add portable encryption plugins for secure, encrypted messaging. You can log into multiple networks at the same time. All your IM settings and buddy lists are self-contained, so it leaves no personal information behind on the machine you run it on.

Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack:
By installing the Compatibility Pack in addition to Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003, you will be able open, edit, and save files using the file formats new to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. The Compatibility Pack can also be used in conjunction with the Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003, Excel Viewer 2003, and PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view files saved in these new formats.

PowerPoint Viewer (PPT Viewer):
PowerPoint Viewer 2007 lets you view full-featured presentations created in PowerPoint 97 and later versions even if you don’t have PowerPoint installed.

Microsoft Word Viewer (MS Word File Viewer):
With Word Viewer, you can view, print and copy Word documents, even if you don’t have Word installed.

Microsoft Excel Viever (MS Excel File Viewer):
With Excel Viewer, you can open, view, and print Excel workbooks, even if you don’t have Excel installed.

Eraser Portable (File Remover):
Eraser is an advanced security tool for Windows which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. You might want to have the portable version of Eraser in your USB for completely removing your saved private data after using any public computer. Select the portable .zip file to download, from the below link.

Open Office Portable (Productivity Suite):
OpenOffice is a free substitute of Microsoft Office. It is an office suite which includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation tool, drawing package and database etc. It can do almost anything which its commercial counterpart Microsoft Office can do.

CDBurner XP (Disk Burner):
CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It also includes the feature to burn and create ISOs, as well as a multilanguage interface. Don’t confuse the name with its compatibility with operating system other than XP. It also supports Windows 2000*/XP/Vista/7.

Truecrypt (Encryption Tool):
It is a free disk encryption software compatible with Windows 7/Vista/Xp, Mac OSX and Linus. It makes your private data locked down. It can encrypt an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive. You may want to add it to enhance the security of your USB drive.