Any operating system has a certain set of firmware, so immediately after installation, you can do things and play. Windows 10 - is no exception, moreover, has a considerable set. Of course, these are rather primitive tools with minimal functionality, so they are usually replaced with more convenient specialized programs. Preinstalled applications, meanwhile, continue to occupy a considerable place on the hard drive, hang in the Start menu and in other places. They can consume traffic and use the Internet for their own purposes. Since they are usually not used, but only interfere, it is desirable to get rid of them. This can be done in different ways - through the command line or through special utilities that have been created. Consider different options, but note that it is impossible to get rid of some applications, because they are tightly integrated into the system and necessary for its normal operation or some other programs.
Ways to remove embedded Windows applications.
List of applications available for removal
What built-in Windows 10 applications can be removed? The list is quite large, including, for example, 3D Builder, Camera, Calculator, OneNote, Solitaire, and much more. With system updates, some other programs may be added, but usually they cannot be removed. For example, Edge cannot be deleted. In addition, some programs after updating the system appear again. Large updates, in fact, represent a reinstallation of the system, so everything returns to its original state. Sometimes after this, it is impossible to remove these components by any means - developers block this possibility.
Uninstall individual application
Windows 10 has a tool to remove some components - PowerShell and the command line. Write "powershell" in the search on the taskbar, and it will be quickly found. It needs to be run as administrator. To see a list of available firmware, use the command:
Get-AppxPakage | Select Name, PackageFullName
After that, the list is displayed in two columns - the short name on the left and the full name on the right. This is useful, since you can remove the built-in Windows 10 applications individually, just by specifying their names. Removal is done through the command:
Get-AppxPackage * name * | Remove-AppxPackage
The name between the asterisks you can enter the one that was in the list of short names on the left. For example, the command to remove the People application looks like this:
Get-AppxPackage * people * | Remove-AppxPackage
Please note that the deletion only happens for the current user - if you log in with a different account, everything will still be in place. To remove these components for all users, add the –allusers command before the name.
How to remove all standard applications
Batch removal of Windows 10 firmware is pretty easy if all of them are not needed. This is done with the command:
Get-AppxPackage | Remove-AppxPackage
Consider that then the Windows Store will disappear, thanks to which you can install something useful, so use this method with caution. The use of the additional command –allusers is also allowed, so that deletion takes place for all accounts, otherwise it will be performed only for the current one. You can completely disable standard applications or completely uninstall them through third-party utilities. This is much more convenient than working with the command line.
Uninstalling pre-installed applications through special software
Removing some standard applications is very convenient using special utilities. There are a lot of them, so we will consider only some of the most popular ones. CCleaner is a popular utility whose main purpose is to clean the system from debris and optimize it. But the latest versions have the function of uninstalling embedded applications. You can find it on the tab "Service" - "Uninstall programs."
- 10AppsManager is a very easy to use utility. It shows the icons of embedded applications, and any of them can be selected and immediately removed. May restore them back.
- Windows 10 Default App Remover - does the same thing and is also simple. There is a portable version that you don’t even need to install, but simply run, for example, from a flash drive.
- Destroy Windows 10 Spying - in general, this utility was originally used to disable the user tracking tools built into the system, which is a great disadvantage for version 10. But as a bonus, developers added the ability to remove any of the embedded applications.
How to repair embedded Windows 10 applications
Sometimes after uninstalling any components, the system may become unstable. Then it is best to return everything back, or at least the most necessary. It is quite simple to do this - use the Windows Store, if it is not deleted too. If this is impossible or impossible, you can use PowerShell, as described at the beginning of the article, and enter the command:
Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$ ($ _. InstallLocation) \ AppXManifest.xml"}
In general, the removal of any component integrated into the system can cause unpredictable consequences, because you can never know in advance which service or service uses its resources. Therefore, this should be done deliberately, aware of all the possible consequences. Previously useful to make a backup, as well as create a system restore point.