Before now, users could only participate in the Reddit community via a standard web browser. The introduction of a native app — though currently only available for Windows users — helps simplify users’ experience. Even though the app was developed as a Progressive Web Application (PWA), many community members have cited the lack of some features, which somewhat subtracts from the original Reddit experience on a standard web browser.
In this review, I’ll walk through a quick and simple guide on downloading and installing the Reddit native Windows application on your PC for free. For ardent Reddit users who have yearned for a desktop application, you finally get to test and compare which is better.
See the instruction below to get started.
How to Download and Install Reddit on Your PC for Free
- Click on the Download button on the sidebar to go directly to the Reddit download page on Microsoft app store.
- Click on “Get” to install it directly on your computer.
- Wait for the installation to finish, then click launch from the top right to start the app.
- You can now log in to your account or sign up if you’re joining Reddit for the first time. See overview to learn more about Reddit.
How to Uninstall Reddit from your PC
If you’re not satisfied using the Reddit application on your PC, you can uninstall by following these simple steps:
- Type Add or Remove Programs in the Windows search bar and click the Enter key.
- Scroll and locate Reddit in the list of installed programs and click the Uninstall button.
- Once the uninstallation wizard opens, click “Uninstall” to confirm that you want to remove the software, and it will be uninstalled from your computer.
If you prefer to install a different social news aggregator, check the free alternatives below.
Reddit Overview
Reddit is a popular social news aggregation platform and discussion website, where members can sign up for free and share content on just about any kind of topic. This includes web content rating, links, reviews, memes, texts, images, and videos. Registered members can also participate in polls; submitted content can be voted up or down by other members. All posts on Reddit are organized by subjects and grouped into user-created boards known as communities or subreddits.
These discussion groups can range from topics like news, politics, religion, fitness, and science to more fun subjects, such as books, sports, movies, video games, music, cooking, pets, etc.
Reddit is an excellent place to get answers to questions that you might be shy to ask publicly, and you can also remain anonymous if you choose. In fact, the anonymity of Reddit is a key element in its popularity.
Note that there are strict rules regulating users to check occurrences like harassment and any misuse of the platform. Moderation is conducted by Reddit administrators and occasionally by community-specific moderators. The Reddit desktop app has been much anticipated, but it turned out to be a rather disappointing one for many loyal users, mainly because the application does not offer a similarly immersive experience as the web version.
Features of Reddit
- Instantly switch between accounts while using the application.
- Stay anonymous by hiding your real username when you’re logged in to Reddit.
- Use the comment navigation to find comments by OP, mod, etc., easily.
- Filter out NSFW content or links by keyword, domain, or subreddit.
- Hover over the parent link of any comment to show the parent comment.
- Hide all child comments for easier reading.
- Save comments so you can view them easily in the future.
- Use the User Tagger feature to add more customization.
- Customize the top bar with your own subreddit shortcuts.
- Live video streams, chats, and talks.
- Fully customizable dashboard.
- Use your keyboard to upvote, downvote, hide posts, and perform most other major Reddit actions.
Free Alternatives to Reddit
Lemmy: Lemmy is often regarded as more advanced and preferable to Reddit when it comes to moderation, user interface, and performance. Lemmy functions as an open-source, federated link aggregator that shares similarities with Reddit and is constructed using Rust. It offers the convenience of self-hosting, effortless deployment, and includes a docker. The interface of Lemmy is characterized by its simplicity and uncluttered design.
Steemit: A non-censored blockchain-based blogging and social media website that incentivizes users to contribute and curate content. By voting, users decide which content is valuable, and any content regarded as valuable is rewarded with monetary compensation.
Feedly: Feedly is one of the best content aggregator tools that collect related content on various topics of interest. Once you subscribe to any favorite content category, you can easily follow the trends and discussions on that topic. The Feedly app is available as a cloud-based service on web browsers and for iOS and Android.