Application (App)

Applications (often known by the abbreviation "apps," especially on mobile devices), are computer programs designed to complete or contribute to completing particular tasks.

See below the image for further detail.

App icons on a smartphone screen

MS Word (word-processing software) and Excel (a spreadsheet program) are examples of popular applications, but there are also apps that allow us to use our computers as calculators, music or video players, and to play games or browse the internet.

Some software applications are made by commercial organisations and may be sold for profit or offered for free. Some are developed independently or collaboratively, and some are open source.

Whilst all applications are examples of software, it is not the case that all examples of software are applications. For example, Windows is not an application but an "Operating System" (as are Linux, iOS and Android).

Some common types of applications used by organisations

• Word processors, such as MS Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice Writer
• Spreadsheets, such as MS Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc
• Slide presentation applications, such as Powerpoint, Google Slides, or LibreOffice Impress

Next Steps:

• Consider taking this free online course about using Microsoft's Office 365 web apps at work...
• ... or this one if your organisation uses Google Workspace instead.

Further Reading:

• Related entries: Audacity | CPU | Excel | Word
• External links: Application Software (Wikipedia) | Most Popular Apps | Application Examples (Google Search)