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How to uninstall apps on Windows 11
Besides installation, uninstalling applications is also one of the important tasks on any computer system. For an application that is no longer needed, or causes software errors, system conflicts, uninstalling it is necessary. This article will guide you how to uninstall an application on Windows 11 extremely quickly and simply.
Table of Contents
- Uninstall an app using the Start Menu
- Uninstall apps using Settings
- Uninstall an application using Control Panel
- Uninstall software via File Explorer
- Remove Software Using Command Prompt
- Remove Software Using PowerShell
- Remove software using third-party uninstaller
- Uninstall software via search engine
- Uninstall software with game client
- Uninstall software using Registry Editor and Run
- Uninstall software via context menu
- How to uninstall apps that cannot be uninstalled on Windows 11
Uninstall an app using the Start Menu
First, click the Start button on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. In the Start menu interface that appears, click on “ All Apps ” in the upper right corner.
On the “ All Apps ” screen , find the application you want to uninstall in the list of applications currently on the system. Right-click on the application icon and select “ Uninstall ” from the small menu that appears.
If this is a Windows Store app, you will see a confirmation pop-up. Click “ Uninstall ” and the app will be completely uninstalled immediately.
In case this is a classic Win32 application, Control Panel will open to the “ Programs and Features ” page. On this screen, find the application you want to uninstall, select it, then click the “ Uninstall ” button on the toolbar just above the application list.
Click “ Yes ” in the confirmation window that appears and Windows will uninstall this program completely.
Uninstall apps using Settings
You can also uninstall an app easily using the Windows Settings menu.
First, open the Windows Settings app by pressing the Windows + i key combination . Or you can also right-click the Start button on the taskbar and select “ Settings ” from the pop-up menu.
When the Settings window opens, click on “ Apps ” in the list on the right, then select “ Apps & Features ”.
On the Apps & Features settings screen, scroll down the list of apps and find the app you want to uninstall. Click the three-dot button next to that app and select “ Uninstall ” from the menu that appears.
When the system asks for confirmation, click “ Uninstall ” and the app will be uninstalled immediately if it is a Windows Store app. In case it is a Win32 app, you will need to click “ Yes ” on another confirmation window, and the uninstallation will take place.
Uninstall an application using Control Panel
Windows 11 still includes the legacy Control Panel interface, although Microsoft is gradually moving more of its functionality to the Settings app. If you want to uninstall an app through the Control Panel, first open the Control Panel, then click “ Uninstall a Program .”
On the “ Programs and Features ” page, scroll through the list and find the app you want to uninstall. Once you find it, select it and click the “ Uninstall ” button on the toolbar just above the list.
Click “ Yes ” when the confirmation window pops up and the program will be uninstalled.
Uninstall software via File Explorer
Many desktop software packages will have an uninstall.exe file in their folder that you can click to uninstall. To do so, you need to find their uninstall.exe files in Explorer. Here's how to uninstall software using File Explorer.
1. Press Win + E key combination to open File Explorer .
2. Open the installation folder of the software you want to uninstall. If you kept the default installation folder, it will probably be in the "Program Files" folder.
3. Then find the uninstall.exe file in the software folder.
4. Double-click uninstall.exe to open the uninstall window.
5. Select the required options in the uninstaller window to remove the software.
Remove Software Using Command Prompt
Command Prompt is one of the two command-line interpreters in Windows 11. It has a Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) utility that you can use to uninstall software. If you prefer the command-line method, you can uninstall software using Command Prompt's WMIC tool as follows.
1. Click the search button (magnifying glass icon) on the Windows 11 taskbar button.
2. Type Command Prompt to find that application.
3. Select the Run as administrator option for the Command Prompt search result.
4. Type wmic into CMD and press Return.
5. Type this command and press Enter :
product get name6. Make a note of the name of the software you want to uninstall from the list. You will need to add that name to the uninstall command.
7. Then enter this command:
product where name="program name" call uninstall8. Press Enter to run the command.
9. Then press Y key and press Return to confirm.
10. You will need to replace the program name in the command specified above with the software title you wrote down. For example, here is the command to uninstall Epic Games Launcher:
product where name="Epic Games Launcher" call uninstallRemove Software Using PowerShell
Some built-in Windows UWP apps, like Camera and Photos, can't be uninstalled in Settings. If you want to remove some of those built-in apps, you can do so using this PowerShell command-line method. Follow the steps below to uninstall software using PowerShell.
1. Open Windows 11 search by pressing Win or using the search bar on the taskbar.
2. Type PowerShell in the search box to find that command line interpreter.
3. Right-click on the Windows Powershell search result to select the Run as administrator option .
4. To see the list of applications, type this command and press Return :
Get-AppxPackage5. Find the application you want to uninstall in the list and note down the PackageFullName assigned to that application. You can copy the PackageFullName by selecting its text and pressing Ctrl + C .
6. Then enter the command uninstall this application and press Return :
Remove-AppxPackage [App Name]
Make sure you replace [App Name] in that command with the PackageFullName for the app you want to uninstall. The Edge uninstall command will look like this:
Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_44.19041.1266.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbweRemove software using third-party uninstaller
There are many third-party uninstallers for Windows 11/10 that can uninstall both desktop software and UWP apps. Many of them include options to remove leftover files and registry keys from uninstalled software. As such, the best third-party uninstallers will remove software more thoroughly than Programs and Features, making them a better alternative.
Some third-party uninstallers even allow users to uninstall software packages in bulk, which is a handy feature. IObit Uninstaller is a free software uninstaller tool that incorporates such a feature.
Uninstall software via search engine
In addition to finding software using Windows 11's search tool, you can also choose to uninstall software from there. Here's how you can uninstall software using the search tool:
1. To access the file search utility, click Search on the taskbar or press the Windows logo and S keys at the same time .
2. Enter the name of the software you want to remove into the search engine.
3. Click on Uninstall option to get the matching software search results.
4. If the software you want to install is not the best fit, right-click on its search result and select Uninstall .
Uninstall software with game client
Many users install games using game clients, such as Steam and the Epic Games Launcher. If you installed a game using a game client, you can also uninstall it using the same software. You can do this by selecting the uninstall option for the game in the client software. See How to Hide or Remove Games from Your Steam Library for more details.
Uninstall software using Registry Editor and Run
Using the Registry Editor to remove software packages is not something many users would consider. However, you can remove software by entering the UninstallString values for them that appear in the registry into Run. Sometimes it may be necessary to use this method to remove software packages that have uninstallation errors. Here is how you can uninstall software using the Registry Editor and Run applications:
2. Next, go to the Uninstall key location :
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall3. Select the key with the name that matches the software you want to install.
4. Double-click UninstallString to display the string editing window.
5. Select the text in the Value data box and press Ctrl + C to copy.
6. Click OK on the Edit String window and close Registry Editor.
7. Next, you will need to launch the Run dialog box .
8. Click on Run's Open box and press Ctrl + V to paste the copied value for UninstallString .
9. Click OK to bring up the software uninstallation window.
10. Select uninstall software from there.
Some programs will have keys with alphanumeric codes that don't match their titles in any way. So you may need to identify the program keys in another way. To do so, select a key with an alphanumeric code and look at the value for the DisplayName string . The DisplayName string shows you the name of the software package that the key belongs to.
Uninstall software via context menu
Uninstalling software via the right-click context menu is a convenient way to remove a program. The only thing is that File Explorer does not include a context menu option to uninstall software. However, you can add a context menu option to uninstall programs using software like Windows Uninstaller and IObit Uninstaller.
Once you've added the uninstall shortcut to your context menu, you can remove the software by right-clicking on its desktop shortcut and selecting the Uninstaller option. Note that the shortcut will be on the classic context menu, meaning you'll need to click Show more options to access it. Alternatively, right-click on the program's EXE (application) file in its installation folder and select the uninstall context menu option.
How to uninstall apps that cannot be uninstalled on Windows 11
On Windows 11, there are a few apps that you want to uninstall that are not uninstallable in the usual way. For example, Microsoft doesn't want you to uninstall apps like Windows Maps, Cortana, Alarms, Windows Camera, Your Phone, etc. However, you can still uninstall them without affecting the operating system and then reinstall them using the Microsoft Store whenever you need.
Note: If you are installing Windows 11 from scratch, you will need to update Windows Package Manager (App Installer) before proceeding to remove apps that cannot be removed using Windows PowerShell.
Step 1 : Right-click the Start button then select Windows PowerShell . You do not need admin rights.
Step 2 : Type winget list and press Enter. If you are using winget for the first time, you need to agree to Microsoft's terms. Press Y and then press Enter. Windows PowerShell will then show you a list of applications installed on your computer.
Step 3 : All you need is the first column called "Name". Some applications in the Start Menu and in Windows PowerShell are named differently, for example Camera and Microsoft Camera or Weather and MSN Weather. You need to write down or remember the application name that appears in Windows PowerShell.
Step 4 : To uninstall an application that cannot be removed from Windows 11, type the following command: winget uninstall app_name and press Enter. Replace "app_name" with the corresponding application name. For example: winget uninstall Cortana. Repeat the winget uninstall command for all the applications that you want to remove from your computer.
Note : If the app you want to uninstall has two words in its name, you need to put the app name in double quotes. For example: winget uninstall "Your Phone" .
Good luck!
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