How to uninstall apps on Windows 10

On Windows 10, the ability to uninstall apps is an essential feature that allows you to remove apps that are no longer needed. It can also help you to get rid of bloatware, free up space, and troubleshoot problems.

If you no longer need a specific app or have to reinstall one of them, Windows 10 includes multiple ways to uninstall apps completely using the Settings app, Control Panel, Windows Package Manager, PowerShell, and even Command prompt.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to uninstall apps on Windows 10.

Uninstall apps using Settings on Windows 10

Uninstall a Microsoft Store or a classic (win32) application, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

2. Click on Apps.

3. Click on Apps & features.

4. Under the “Apps & features” section, select the app (or game).

   Quick tip: If you have a lot of apps, you can use the search box, the “Sort by,” and “Filter by” options to find the app faster.

5. Click the Uninstall button.

   

   Windows 10 Settings uninstall app

6. Click the Uninstall button again.

   Quick note: If you are removing a classic desktop program, continue with the on-screen directions to complete the process.

Once you complete the steps, the application will be removed from your computer.

If the app has the Uninstall button grayed out, you may have stumbled upon a system application that can’t be removed from the Settings. You may still delete this app, but you will need to go through a more complex process using PowerShell using the steps below.

Uninstall apps using Start menu on Windows 10

In addition to using the Settings app, you can quickly uninstall Microsoft Store apps from within the Start menu.

To remove apps with the Start menu, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Right-click the application and select the Uninstall button.

   

   Start menu uninstall app

3. Click the Uninstall button again.

After you complete the steps, the Microsoft Store application will be removed from the computer.

Uninstall an app using Optional features

Through the Settings app, you can also remove system apps known as “features on-demand,” including apps like Notepad, Paint, WordPad, Windows Media Player, and many others.

To uninstall optional features on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Apps.

3. Click on Apps & features.

4. Under the “Apps & features” section, click the Optional features option.

   

   Windows 10 Optional features

   .Windows_Software_Technology-Big-343{display:inline-block;width:300px;height:600px}@media(min-width: 500px){.Windows_Software_Technology-Big-343{width:300px;height:600px}}

5. Select the app you want to uninstall – for example, Notepad, WordPad, and Microsoft Paint.

6. Click the Uninstall button.

   

   Uninstall features on-demands

After you complete the steps, the system application will no longer be available on the device.

Uninstall an app using Windows Package Manager on Windows 10

Windows Package Manager (winget) is a command-line tool available with the latest version of Windows 10, and it has been designed to save you time and frustration by automating the process of searching, downloading, installing and uninstalling, upgrading, and configuring software.

To uninstall an app with the Windows Package Manager tool, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to confirm whether the uninstall option is enabled and press Enter:

   winget features

   

   winget check enabled features

   Quick note: If the feature is disabled, use the steps below to enable it, and continue with the steps below.

4. Type the following command to view a list of the app you can uninstall with the Windows Package Manager and press Enter:

   winget uninstall

   

   winget list of installed apps

5. Type the following command to uninstall an app with winget and press Enter:

   winget uninstall "APP-NAME"

   In the command, change APP-NAME for the app’s actual name. Quotations are only required if the app has spaces in the name.

   For example, this command uninstalls the Microsoft Teams app on Windows 10:

   winget uninstall "microsoft teams"

   

   winget uninstall app

Once you complete the steps, the app will be removed from the computer. If you are removing a traditional desktop application, the app uninstaller interface may appear with additional steps to complete the uninstall.

If the command option to uninstall apps is not available, you can use these steps to turn it on and use the feature.

Uninstall an app using Control Panel on Windows 10

On Windows 10, you can still use the Contro Panel to remove programs, but only classic apps, not the ones you install from Microsoft Store.

Uninstall classic desktop apps (win32) from your PC with these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.

2. Under the “Programs” category, click the Uninstall a program option.

   

   Control Panel uninstall a program option

3. Select the program you want to remove.

4. Click the Uninstall button.

   

   Windows 10 Control Panel uninstall app

5. Continue with the on-screen directions (if applicable).

After you complete the steps, the win32 app will be removed from Windows 10. You can always repeat the instructions to uninstall other apps.

Uninstall an app using PowerShell on Windows 10

Although it is possible to use the Settings app to remove classic and modern apps, you still cannot uninstall many built-in apps like Camera, Alarms & Clock, Cortana, and many others, and this is when PowerShell comes in handy.

In addition to using Settings and Control Panel, you can also use PowerShell to uninstall classic, modern, and built-in apps and tools.

To uninstall apps using PowerShell commands on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and click the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to view all the apps installed in your device and press Enter:

   Get-AppxPackage

   

   PowerShell Get-AppxPackage command

   If you want to see all the Windows apps installed in the computer, type the following command and press Enter:

   Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers

   In the output, you will see a long list of apps, which can be overwhelming, but you need to do this to know the name of the apps you want to uninstall. For example, if you want to uninstall the Camera app, you will notice that the system name is “Microsoft.WindowsCamera” in the listing.

4. Type the following command to uninstall an app and press Enter:

   Get-AppxPackage PROGRAM-NAME | Remove-AppxPackage

   In the command, make sure to replace PROGRAM-NAME with the application’s actual name as listed in the above step.

   For example, this commands uninstall Cortana on Windows 10:

   Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.549981C3F5F10 | Remove-AppxPackage

   

   PowerShell uninstall Cortana app

Once you complete the steps, the app will no longer be available on your device, but you can always reinstall it using the Microsoft Store.

Uninstall an app using Command Prompt on Windows 10

Alternatively, you can also use Command Prompt to uninstall applications using the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) tool, but only classic desktop programs, not Microsoft Store apps.

Uninstall apps with the WMIC command-line tool with these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to launch the WMIC tool and press Enter:

   wmic

4. Type the following command to list all the installed applications and press Enter:

   product get name

   

   WMIC Product Get Name command

5. Type the following command to uninstall a program and press Enter:

   product where name="PROGRAM-NAME" call uninstall

   In the command, make sure to replace PROGRAM-NAME with the application’s actual name as listed in the above step.

   For example, this command removes the Microsoft Edge Dev app:

   product where name="Microsoft Edge Dev" call uninstall

   

   Windows 10 WMIC uninstall app command

6. Type Y to confirm the uninstall process.

Once you complete the steps, the program you specified in the command will be uninstalled from the Windows 10 installation.

.Windows_Software_Technology_ResLinks-343{display:inline-block;width:320px;height:50px}@media(min-width: 500px){.Windows_Software_Technology_ResLinks-343{width:200px;height:90px}}