The Windows distribution includes preinstalled applications which allow to use the system at full extent after installation. Not all of them are convenient and many of them are not needed later on. You can take the standard Mail app as an example. Most users are satisfied with the capabilities of the web interface, and very few people set up a separate program for e-mail correspondence. Our experts tell you how to get rid of unused Windows 10 built-in apps.
owerShell
There is no provision for uninstalling preinstalled software in either the new or classic system control panels. This operation can be performed using only the shell, using the built-in Windows means. Before you do the following actions our experts recommend you to create a restore point in order to be able to return to the initial state.
Call up the remote Start menu by pressing Win+X. Run the default PowerShell shell in elevated privileges.
To get the list of preinstalled applications use the “Get-AppxPackage” commandlet. For each program it shows a list of half a dozen parameters. There are only two options you need to uninstall. At the prompt, type the command with the filtering options “Get-AppxPackage | Select Name, PackageF
- lName”. Press Enter on the PC keyboard to execute it.
Get a list in the PowerShell window, divided into two columns. The first one should have a short name, the second one should have a full name.
Copy the obtained list of programs to Notepad. You can preedit commands by substituting names of packages.
The following screenshot shows an example of uninstalling the “Maps” application. Type “Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.WindowsMaps | Remove-AppxPackage”. The “-allusers” option is optional and can be excluded. It uninstalls the application for all registered users of the system. The name “Microsoft.WindowsMaps” is taken from the “Name” column of the list obtained earlier. It can be shortened by removing the name of the company and bordered on both sides with asterisks. The command in this case will have the form: “Get-AppxPackage -allusers *WindowsMaps* | Remove-AppxPackage”.
The “Remote-ApppxPackage” commandlet for uninstalling programs can be used separately. In this case you have to type the long name which is taken from the column “PackageF
- lName”. The following screenshot shows an example of deleting the “Your Phone” application.
Third-party software
Users, who don’t like working with the command line can use the free utility from OO Software GmbH.
Go to the developer’s website and download AppBuster by clicking on the “Download” button highlighted in the screenshot.
The utility does not require installation and can be used immediately after downloading to your PC. By clicking on the line with the name of the application expand the information area. The number “2” is the full name of the package. If necessary, it can be copied to use the deletion method described above. Tick the unnecessary program by placing it in the position marked “3”. Click on the “Remove” button, which becomes active on the toolbar.
To summarize
Our experts have described two methods of removing pre-installed applications from the Windows 10 operating system. Choose the most convenient and get rid of unused software.
