What Is Utility Software?

Date First Published: 7th September 2023

Topic: Computer Systems

Subtopic: Computer Software

Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 3/10

Learn about what utility software is in this article.

Utility software is a type of software specifically designed to help configure, manage, optimise, and maintain a computer. Utility programs keep the computer running well, keep it secure from threats, enhance the functioning, and often come built-in with the operating system. For example, Windows includes a built-in antivirus utility, called Windows Defender, but third-party options are available.

Software utilities usually run as background processes, so they only occasionally require any user interaction during the processes. Users can still use the computer whilst they are running, but they use up memory and other system resources, slowing the computer down.

Types Of Utility Software

The most commonly used utility software is:

• Antivirus software - A software program designed to detect and remove computer viruses and other unwanted programs that harm a computer. Once an antivirus detects a virus, it may display a message asking the user if they want to quarantine, remove, or keep it.
• System monitoring software - A software program that displays information about the processor, memory, storage, and networking activities of the computer. It allows users to see how much memory each program is using and provides a way to end unresponsive programs. The built-in Task Manager utility on Windows is an example of a system monitoring utility.
• Task scheduling software - A software utility that provides basic task scheduling utilities so that programs and scripts can be run at predefined times. For example, users may want to launch a specific program each time the computer starts.
• Disk utility software - A software utility that checks a hard disk for errors and manages disk partitions. Disk utilities often allow users to see the largest files on the computer and allow them to delete unwanted files to free up space.
• Disk defragmentation software - A software utility that analyses the hard disk and regroups any data so that data related to the same file is in the same location on the hard disk drive to help improve the system performance.
• Network utility software - A software utility that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and sometimes writes log files of the network activity. Tools, like ping, traceroute, whois, ipconfig, and packet analysers are examples of network utility software.
• Backup utility - A computer program that makes a copy of the files and folders and then copies it to another storage device. This process is usually automated, saving users from having to manually backup each time.
• Compression tools - These condense files to smaller sizes so that they take up less space on the hard disk. 7-Zip and WinRAR are examples of compression tools.
• Registry cleaning software - This type of software scans and removes any unneeded or outdated registry keys or data that the computer no longer uses. Registry cleaners are designed for the Windows operating system.
• Clipboard managers - These extend the clipboard functionality of an operating system. Usually, they allow users to share clipboard data across devices and search saved data, including images and text.
• Data recovery utilities - These recover and restore data from previously deleted or corrupt files. Recuva is an example of a data recovery utility.

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