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Remove everything unnecessary from Windows 10. Remove uninstallable pre-installed programs using the PowerShell tool and the command line

Windows 10, like its predecessors Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, comes with several pre-installed Modern applications(previously called Metro Apps). These are Calculator, Calendar, Mail, Cortana, Maps, News, OneNote, Groove Music Camera, etc. These applications are pre-installed for every user of the Windows 10 system. Even if you remove these applications from the Windows GUI, they will be installed again in your account from the system account the next time the system is updated.

In this article, we will show you how to correctly remove standard Modern applications in Window 10, which will save additional space on the system disk.

Uninstall modern apps using the new Control Panel

The easiest way is to remove the modern app from the updated Control Panel, which is tightly integrated with the Windows App Store (Windows Store).

To do this, click the Start button and go to the section Settings -> Apps and features(Applications and features). In the list of programs, find and select the application you want to remove. Click the button Uninstall(Delete).

However, most pre-installed Modern apps are protected and cannot be removed using this tool. The delete button for such applications is inactive. You can only remove such applications using the Powershell command line.

Advice. If the standard Modern application is completely removed from the system, restoring it will be problematic.

How to Uninstall a Specific Modern App on Windows 10

To remove a specific Modern application, you need to get the system name of that package. To do this, in the Start menu, type PowerShell, in the list of results, right-click on it and select Run as administrator(You cannot delete the application without administrator rights).

Let's display a complete list of modern applications installed on Windows 10 by running the command:
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers

Advice. The results of the command can be redirected to a text file for easier viewing and searching for the required package name. Get-AppxPackage –AllUsers>c:\folder1\modernapps.txt

In the list of applications, find the application you want to remove. Let's say we want to delete "Solitare Collection". For this we need the field value PackageFullName(full package name). In our example it is:

Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection_3.2.7340.0_x64__8wekyd3d8abwe

Copy the package name by highlighting it directly in the command line window and clicking Ctrl+C(this and other new features of the Windows 10 command line are described).

Let's remove the application with the following command:
Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection_3.2.7340.0_x64__8wekyd3d8abwe

When these commands are executed, the current user's applications are affected. If you need to remove an application from another user of the system, you need to use the parameter -User .

For example, like this:
Get-AppxPackage -User test_user

Accordingly, deleting the application is also performed by specifying the username:

Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection_3.2.7340.0_x64__8wekyd3d8abwe -User test_user

If you need to remove an application for all system users at once, use the option -AllUsers

How to remove all modern Windows 10 apps at once

Important. Deleting all apps will also delete the Store app (Windows Store). This means you will no longer be able to install apps from the Windows Store. However, Modern applications are possible (but here is a method that allows you to get the installation appx file of any Windows Store application).

UPDATE. This article describes.

To remove all Modern applications in the system account, run the command:

Get-AppXProvisionedPackage -online | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -online

This way, all new accounts will be created without the built-in Modern apps (this also means new user profiles will be created faster).

If you need to remove applications from an offline mounted Windows image (assuming the path to the mounted image is c:\offline), the command will be like this:

Get-AppXProvisionedPackage –Path c:\offline | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage –Path c:\offline

To remove all modern apps for the current user:

Get-AppXPackage | Remove-AppxPackage

If you want to remove pre-installed applications for another user:

Get-AppXPackage -User test_user | Remove-AppxPackage

Finally, to remove all apps for all Windows 10 users, use the command:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage

Advice. If you get an error when uninstalling modern Windows 10 apps 0x80073CFA, this means that this application is built-in and protected. You can remove such applications using these instructions

We have already discussed this in some detail, and as you can see, nothing has changed fundamentally in Windows 10.

If you use a computer for a long time, sooner or later you will have applications on it that, in fact, are not needed. They only take up free disk space and do not provide any benefit. The best solution would be to remove them. But this task can be difficult for an inexperienced user. Therefore, this article will present the most popular ways to remove applications. And in the end you can choose the best one for yourself.

Uninstalling programs in Windows 10

Before talking about how to remove applications, it is worth making a remark and saying that many users perform this task absolutely incorrectly. They simply go and delete the program folder. But the fact is that when installing it, you select only the folder where the main components with the executable file will be placed. However, the installer unpacks a bunch of other files, scattering them throughout the disk space. This is why this method cannot be used. After all, over time, the computer will become clogged and work worse.

Well, now let’s move on directly to how to remove applications correctly on Windows 10. Below are five methods that differ from each other to one degree or another. Therefore, we advise you to read the article to the end to decide on the most suitable one.

Method 1: using a special file

Without straying too far from the topic of incorrect program removal, it is worth immediately presenting one way to correctly remove it. When installing programs, you specify the folder on the disk where it will be installed. This folder contains not only the components that ensure the functionality of the program, but also a file that allows you to completely remove the program from your computer. Nothing complicated. We will now talk about how to remove applications on Windows 10 using this file.

So. This file is called uninstall. Sometimes it may have a different name, but it is not very different from the original one. So it won't be difficult to recognize him. At a minimum, an icon can serve as a reference; most often it is the same as the program itself.

If you have forgotten which folder you installed the application in, there is a great way to find it, because that is where the file we need is located. To do this, right-click (RMB) on the program shortcut located on the desktop. Or go to the “Start” menu and select “File location” in the context menu. After this, a folder will open in which you can find the uninstall file. Again, nothing complicated.

After you have been told how to find the file you need, you can proceed directly to how to uninstall an application on Windows 10 using it. And this is done very simply. All you need to do is run this file and agree to delete the application. After which the uninstallation process will begin, as a result of which all program files will be erased from your computer.

Method 2: using the built-in utility

If for some reason you were unable to remove the program using the previous method, you can use the second one. It eliminates the need to search for the folder in which the program was installed. Now we will talk about how to remove an application from a computer running Windows 10 using a special built-in utility.

It's called "Programs and Features", and first we need to open it. This is done through the “Control Panel”, so let’s open it first:

  1. Click the magnifying glass icon next to the Start button.
  2. Enter "Control Panel" in the search bar.
  3. In the results, click on the item of the same name.

Now we need to find that very utility in the panel. This is easier to do if your icon display is set to “Large icons”. If this is not the case, click on the one located in the upper right corner of the window and select the appropriate item. After that, find and open the Programs and Features utility.

In the window that appears, you will see a list of all programs that are installed on your computer. Now let's look at how to completely remove an application from Windows 10 using this utility.

  1. Find the program you want to remove from the list.
  2. Click on it once with LMB.
  3. Click the "Delete" button at the top of the list (you can also perform this action through the right-click context menu).

After this, the uninstaller window will open. Perform the remaining steps in accordance with the uninstaller's recommendations.

Method 3: using the Windows 10 utility

You can remove applications from your computer in a similar way using a special utility located in the system settings. This is exactly what we will talk about now.

First, you need to open the utility; to do this, do the following:

  1. Click on the "Start" button.
  2. Click on the Settings button, which has a gear icon and is located in the lower left corner of the Start menu.
  3. In the window that appears, click on the “Applications” button (in some distributions this button is called “System”).
  4. Go to the "Apps and Features" category.

Now you are in the right place. The removal process is practically no different from what was presented in the Programs and Features utility. It is as follows:

  1. Click LMB on the application you want to remove.
  2. In the menu that opens, click the "Delete" button.

After that, it will start in the same way and, following the recommendations, you can erase the program from the disk. By the way, if you are wondering how to remove applications from the Windows 10 store, you can do it this way. Just find the previously installed program in the list and remove it following the instructions.

Method 4: Using iObit Uninstaller

If all of the above methods do not work for you or you have difficulty performing them, you can use the special iObit Uninstaller program. Which you must first download and install on your computer.

Now we will tell you how to remove programs from your computer in this way:

  1. Launch the program.
  2. Select the application you want to remove from the list. You can also use the categories on the left side of the window to select a category.
  3. Click the button in the form of a basket to launch the program uninstaller.

As you can see, this method is not much different from the previous ones. Everything is almost exactly the same. However, it is worth noting that this program is able to detect more software on the computer for its subsequent removal.

Method 5: Using PowerShell

Finally, let's talk about how to remove built-in Windows 10 applications. Unfortunately, to do this you will have to resort to the PowerShell utility, which many users will find quite difficult to work with. However, using the instructions, anyone can remove standard OS applications.

  1. Press Win+R.
  2. Enter the powershell command.
  3. Run the Get-AppxPackage command.
  4. Find the application you need in the list (identify it by the Name line).
  5. Copy its full name from the "PackageFullName" line.
  6. Enter the command Remove-AppxPackage and, separated by a space, insert the full name of the program to be removed.
  7. Press Enter.

After the manipulations have been completed, the program will be deleted. Do not worry.

Conclusion

So we’ve looked at five ways to remove a program in Windows 10. Some will seem more difficult to you, some easier. But choosing which one to use is up to you.

Over time, a huge number of installed but unused programs accumulate on the system. Unnecessary applications take up a significant portion of the memory on your hard drive and significantly slow down your computer. This problem is especially relevant when each of these applications strives to get into startup and launch along with the OS. Often the user is not even aware of this. Today we’ll talk about how to remove a program in Windows 10 and make the “life” of your own PC easier.

Uninstalling unnecessary components is as important a procedure as removing trash from an apartment. In this manual, we will look in detail at all removal methods, including those tools that were already pre-installed on the system. There are many ways to uninstall programs in Windows 10:

  • using section ;
  • using the uninstallation service generated during application installation;
  • applying Windows 10 settings;
  • using the delete option via the menu;
  • using PowerShell;
  • downloading special tools.

Let's move on to consider each method and draw some conclusions about their convenience and effectiveness.

Manual removal (including removal of pre-installed programs) is the first group of options that does not require the installation of additional software. Let's look at several types of actions.

Through

One of the simplest and most familiar methods from previous versions of Windows. The uninstallation sequence (except for standard utilities) in this case can be represented as follows:

  1. Go to the control panel. To do this, click on the search icon next to the menu and enter the corresponding query, after which we go to the first result:

  1. Among the numerous blocks we find and go to it:

  1. The system will compile a list containing all applications, among which you need to find the one you want, click on it and press the button. The application will be completely uninstalled from the computer:

As you can see, removal in this way occurs as quickly as possible and does not require any additional actions. Let's move on to another method.

Through the uninstallation service of the program itself

To use this option, you need to find the folder with the installed program on your hard drive. By default, any component on Windows 10 is installed in the folder « ProgramFiles" to the system disk. If the user did not change the installation path, the application will be installed in this folder.

Knowing the location of the desired folder, you need to carry out the following sequence of actions:

  1. Open the folder and find a file called « exe":

  1. Let's run this file. The uninstallation wizard will open:

  1. We follow all the instructions of the master.

This method will be useful when for some reason the desired application is not displayed in the automatically generated list.

Let's move on to an alternative course of action.

Through system parameters

Any application can also be deleted through the system settings. This option was added to Windows 10 and could not be used on previous versions of the OS. To implement it you need to follow the following instructions:

  1. Open the menu and click on the gear symbol to go to the OS parameters:

  1. Opening the block:

  1. In the proposed list, find the desired option, click on it and click on . If the list is too large, you can find the application you need using the built-in search bar:

You can also open this menu by pressing the Win + X key combination on your keyboard and going to the item:

You can also get to this menu by request in the search bar located directly next to “Start”:

In essence, this method is similar to uninstallation through the control panel. Let's go to consider another option.

Via the menu

In this case, everything is simple - so much so that there is no need to even write separate instructions.

  1. To remove it through the Start menu, simply find it among all the items, right-click and select:

  1. A window will open, instructions for uninstalling through which are located two points above:

Let's look at another, more non-standard way to remove programs on Windows 10.

Via Windows PowerShell

Windows 10 comes to the user with a huge number of built-in components and applications (for example, the Photos application or the Calculator utility), which do not have an uninstaller and cannot be removed through the general ones (they simply do not appear in such lists). Let's figure out how to remove built-in applications in Windows 10.

You can remove standard programs using the PowerShell technology provided by the developers. To take advantage of this opportunity, you must carry out the following set of actions:

  1. Click on the search icon next to Start and enter the appropriate query, then select the first result, right-click and select the item:

  1. We register Get-AppxPackage | Select Name, PackageFullName to get a list of all installed programs. Press Enter. The most important line for us will be PackageFullName, because it contains full names:

  1. Find the full name of the required component from this list and enter the command to remove it Get-AppxPackage APPLICATION_NAME |Remove-AppxPackage –package(the application name must be taken from the listPackageFullName). This method will remove even those programs that cannot be removed using standard means. Press Enter and the removal from the PC will be carried out without any accompanying notifications. There is no need to worry - the uninstallation is not complete, because you can restore deleted programs of this kind by simply downloading them from the official store.

PowerShell is extremely interesting because it can be used to, for example, remove an application from the Microsoft store. In fact, this is the only way to remove such programs. It is recommended for more experienced users to use it, since a person takes responsibility for such changes in the OS.

Let's move on to the next group of methods.

Removal using additional tools

There are a large number of programs designed to uninstall components in Windows 10 and clean the OS as a whole. Let's look at the most popular and user-tested options. All of them can be used on systems of any bit size – both x32 Bit and x64 Bit. It is only important to remind you that you should not use unlicensed programs, because removing software is an operation that has a direct impact on the OS.

– an extremely convenient program for removing any Windows components. In order to take advantage of its capabilities, you must follow the following instructions:

  1. Open the application. The bottom part of the window displays the number of installed programs and the amount of memory they occupy:

  1. Right-click on the component that needs to be removed and click on « :

  1. Select the removal mode. Normal is activated by default. It is recommended to use this:

  1. The process of creating a system restore point will start, after which the standard uninstall wizard window will open, with the help of which you will need to carry out the uninstallation procedure.

Let's move on to the next utility for removing installed programs.

– the most simple utility that does not require any additional knowledge from the user.

  1. At the first launch, a list of installed applications is generated, among which you need to select the one you want, click on it and press the button in the top menu:

  1. The removal process is no different from the standard one. The point of using such utilities is only that many of them remove all connections left by the program being removed and compile the most complete lists of available applications.

Let's move on to the last utility.

is undoubtedly the most popular utility for cleaning the system, excluding startup from startup, and removing components, among other things. In order to use it, you do not need to read separate instructions - you just need to open this tool, go to the section "Service", stay in tab "Remove programs" and select the one you need there. Having selected, click on the button "Uninstallation" in the right menu. The removal process is similar to the previous ones:

At its core, the process of using CCleaner is similar to using the control panel built into the system.

Removing uninstallable programs

A situation may arise when the application is simply not uninstalled. The only way to remove an uninstallable program is to remove data about it from the registry:

  1. Open the system registry. To do this, press the combination Win + R on the keyboard. A window will open where we enter the command « , then click on "OK" or Enter :

  1. Be sure to make a backup copy of the registry before making any changes. To do this, go to the tab "File" from the main menu, click on , select the location to save the copy and create it:

  1. Let's go along the path:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

  1. We find the name of the required component in this list or select it from among the numerous codes. If the name is not specified in the folder, it will be displayed in the key « DisplayName":

  1. Double click on the key « and copy its value:

  1. Press Win + R again and paste the copied data, then press "OK" or Enter. The program will be removed from the PC:

It is necessary to clarify that changes to the registry must be made with extreme caution. It contains a large number of keys, and therefore the user must know exactly which ones can be deleted and which ones are best left untouched, because forcibly deleting important components can lead to OS instability. However, the registry option can help remove spyware from the OS.

Results and comments

We have fully covered how to uninstall unnecessary and remove standard applications from a PC. All of the above options are effective and can be used in a specific situation. Choosing one of them is a decision for each individual user, since all methods are convenient in their own way.

Video instruction

For clarity, we recorded a separate video with an overview of how to remove any program installed on a computer or laptop.

Compared to previous systems, Windows 10 has many more tools and capabilities for uninstalling both user applications and programs preinstalled on the system. We will talk further about how you can remove this or that application. If you include specialized utilities in the list, you can count at least five such methods.

How to uninstall apps in Windows 10 through the options menu?

So, the surest way to uninstall programs is to use the settings section, called directly from the main Start menu, where you select the applications item, and in it - the line of applications and features.

Next, a list of absolutely all programs registered in the system will appear. How to remove apps on Windows 10? You just need to click on the program icon, and then use the delete button in the block that appears. This technique is good because after activating uninstallation during the removal process, the user will not see any windows for the process and the result of its completion. When the removal is complete, the application will simply disappear from the program list.

However, not all programs can be removed in this way. Some of them, in particular the pre-installed applications of the system itself, will be inaccessible, and the move and delete buttons will be inactive.

How to remove an application from your computer through the Control Panel?

In principle, a simpler method of uninstalling user applications with almost similar actions is to use the standard “Control Panel”, as was done in earlier systems.

In the question of how to remove applications in Windows 10, the first step is to call the panel itself. For quick access, you can use the “Run” menu, in which the control command is entered. After that, you just need to go to the programs and components section.

In the list, if you compare it with that described for the previous case, the components built into the system will not be presented. But you can use a hyperlink to view installed updates, select an update and immediately remove it.

Uninstall Uninstallable Preinstalled Programs Using PowerShell and Command Prompt

As you can already see, the first two methods are good in their own way. But in neither the first nor the second case, it will not be possible to uninstall the pre-installed standard programs of the system itself. No unlockers will help.

So how can you remove such programs? To do this, you will have to use either the PowerShell toolkit or the command line. To the unaccustomed to the ordinary user, this technique may seem quite complicated, however, if you understand the essence, there will be no special problems here.

So, first we use the “Run” menu and enter the powershell command (you can also use search), after which the console must be started as an administrator.

Consider a situation where we need to uninstall the Evernote application from the Windows Store. First of all, we execute the Get-AppxPackage command, after which absolutely all programs from the “Store” will be shown on the screen.

The list may be quite large, so it is better to specify the request by writing the line Get-AppxPackage -Name *Evernote* (instead of this application you can insert the name of any other program to be removed).

In the information block, you need to copy the line with the full name of the application (PackageFullName field). After this, you can proceed with uninstallation.

Enter the Remove-AppxPackage command and paste the copied full name separated by a space. In our case, the entire line will look like the image above. Now the matter remains small. We press the enter key, after which the deletion process is activated.

In the question of how to remove applications in Windows 10, one of the solutions can be used the command line, which is called from the “Run” menu with the cmd command (again, it must be launched as an administrator).

To obtain a list of software products, execute the line product get name. Let's say we need to remove the Word test editor.

First of all, let's filter the list of office programs. To do this, use the command wmic product where “Name like ‘%Office%"” get Name.

For complete uninstallation, write the line product where name=”Microsoft Word MUI” call uninstall /nointeractive and press the enter key. The /nointeractive operator is only necessary to prevent the uninstallation progress from being displayed on the screen.

Note: if you want to sort by the name of the software developer (vendor), you can use the command wmic product where “Vendor like ‘%Name%"” get Name, Version (instead of Name, enter the name of the software manufacturer).

Using highly targeted utilities

All these were just tools of the system itself. And for many they may seem quite complicated. A simpler method of removing everything possible is to use special uninstallers. As an example, consider iObit Uninstaller

To remove custom applications, you can use a list that is very similar to the one we see in the programs and components section (by the way, you can also use batch removal of several applications at once).

To uninstall programs built into Windows, you need to go to the Win Manager section, use the applications item in the list that appears, and select the Windows applications block in the window on the right. Now we simply mark unnecessary applications and press the delete button.

iObit Uninstaller is also good because it can scan and remove residual objects, including files, folders and registry keys. To do this, in the settings, so as not to repeat the steps each time, you need to activate an in-depth scan, and upon completion, select all objects, check the file destruction option and click the delete button.

What to use?

When it comes to preferences, many users are inclined to think that the best option would be to use a special uninstaller, since in the first two cases the removal may be incomplete, and the second two look quite labor-intensive (and even incomprehensible to many).

The latest version of the operating system from Microsoft is literally packed with various components and services. And if some of them can be considered conditionally useful, then it would be advisable to turn off some of them and not think about them again. And many who want to download and try it in action, note this very desire. Because every action within the operating system, every word entered subsequently turns into advertising. In this way, Microsoft is trying to get maximum benefits from owners of the shareware Windows 10.

It’s quite easy to remove everything unnecessary that can track your actions and analyze them. Moreover, this can be done absolutely at any time. Don't worry if you didn't immediately turn off unnecessary components.

During system installation

To use this method, during the installation of Windows 10, you should abandon the default settings and click on the barely visible “Customize Settings” sign. It is located at the very bottom of the existing text.

In this section, you will see all the components that may interfere with your future work in Windows 10. To prevent this, you need to disable them all by moving the slider to the appropriate position on the left. In total, you will have to disable two pages of functions.

It is also undesirable to enter your username and password registered on the Microsoft website during the installation process. You can simply skip this step; it does not affect anything. To do this, there is a small inscription at the bottom “Skip this step”.

If these minimum requirements are met, then the new operating system will practically not indicate any information about the user. It simply will not have special functions for this. Because all the necessary components for this are simply disabled. Therefore, you can use it easily and fearlessly.

If the operating system is already installed

On an existing operating system, disabling all unnecessary components that may interfere with a quiet and anonymous life is not very difficult. You just have to disable only some Windows 10 functions that are particularly annoying. Namely:

  • Windows Defender.
  • Contextual search.
  • Advertising ID.
  • Cloud services.

Each of them has its own way of turning off.

Windows Defender

To get rid of this tool, you need to go to Settings, and then go to the “Update and Security” section. There is a tab called “Windows Defender” in which we need to work. You should disable the functions responsible for sending data and protecting the cloud, as in the screenshot.

By the way, if you don’t want to mess around with the settings, just install any other antivirus. This will turn off Defender automatically.

Contextual Search and Cortana

These two tools are disabled together. Of course, in Russian Windows 10 the latter does not work by default, since Russification was not invented for it. However, it's better to be safe than sorry.

You should click on search in the bottom line of the desktop, and then click on the bottom-most icon in the left column, which displays Settings. And there you need to disable both Cortana and Internet Search.

Advertising ID

To disable this functionality, you need to go to the Settings we already know, and from there go to the Privacy section. In the general settings, located at the very top of the left column, you will have to remove the “on” status. for the first three components.

The next tab we need is “Speech, Handwriting and Text Input”. Here you need to prevent Windows 10 from forwarding your speech in order to study the functionality of Cortana. We've already turned it off anyway.

After completing these steps, do not close Confidentiality - it will come in handy later.

Telemetry

To get rid of passing these parameters, you will have to do a little programming. This is done using a built-in tool called PowerShell. To use it, you need to put your PC into console mode using the Windows + X key combination.

A command line will appear in which you need to enter the combinations written in the screenshot.

In short, these commands delete already collected telemetry data, disable the service, and completely disable the ability to record any new data.

After that, open Confidentiality again, and from there go to “Reviews and Diagnostics”. You need to completely disable the generation of reviews (select the appropriate item in the drop-down menu), and then in the “Diagnostics and Usage Data” select the “Basic Information” item.

Clouds

To prevent cloud storage from working, it is enough not to use your account when working with Windows 10. To do this, you need to find the section in Settings that allows you to manage accounts, and then from there go to the “Your Account” section.

You can opt out of using an entry on the Microsoft website if you log in with a local account. To do this, just click on the corresponding inscription and enter the data. This way, you can keep only those components of the 10th generation system that are required.

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