There are several reasons why you might want to remove apps and/or programs from your Windows 10 PC. You may be trying to free up space, or you no longer use that application, or the program came with your computer and you don’t really need it.
Depending on the app you’re trying to uninstall, there are actually a few different ways to uninstall it. If one method doesn’t work, try another.
Be warned: Not every app can be uninstalled using the methods described here. Some built-in apps like Microsoft Edge can only be uninstalled with a tool like: Windows PowerShelluses a command line interface. Deleting these apps is a much more complicated process. you can follow here.
However, for most applications, the process is fairly straightforward.
Uninstall an app from the start menu
It’s easy to remove simple apps from the Start menu, like most of those installed from the Microsoft Store. For larger apps and programs that may store settings in the Windows Registry and other places on your system, you may need to do a more formal uninstall. (Because Windows can store bits of your application in various parts of the system, it’s important to properly uninstall applications rather than delete them.)
Here’s how to get started:
- Click the start button.
- Find the app.
- Right-click the app and select “Uninstall”.
- If you see an “Uninstall” button in the pop-up with the message “This app and information about it will be removed”, just press the button!
- If it’s a more complex app, you’ll only see a button that says “Uninstall”. You will be taken to the “Uninstall or change a program” page in Control Panel.
Uninstall an application using Control Panel
If you wish, you can reach this page by typing “Control Panel” in the search bar and clicking “Uninstall a Program” under the Programs subheading.
- Proceed to the program you want to remove. (If you can’t find it, you may need to uninstall it via settings – instructions are below).
- Once you find the program, you can click on it and then the “Uninstall” or “Uninstall/Change” button at the top of the page. You can also right-click and select “Uninstall” or “Uninstall/Change” or double-click the program.
- The next steps differ depending on the program. In some cases the app will be uninstalled and you won’t need to do anything else. You may get a popup asking you to confirm. In this case, click “Uninstall”. “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?” You can get a window that says Click “Yes”. If you get an uninstall window, click “Next” or “Continue” and follow the steps in the window to uninstall the application.
- Click “Finish” when you are done.
Uninstall an app using settings
An alternative (and perhaps easier) method of uninstalling a program is to use the “Apps and features” section of your Windows 10 settings.
- Click the start button.
- Select the gear to open the settings.
- Open “Applications”.
- Go to “Apps & features” by selecting it from the left sidebar. (You can also get there by searching and clicking “Add or remove programs” from the taskbar search box.)
- Go to the app you want to uninstall and click on it to expand it.
- Click the “Remove” button. (If the button is greyed out, you cannot uninstall it via the regular Windows 10 interface.)
- A small popup will appear. Click the “Remove” button.
Update May 29 at 1:40 PM ET: This article has been updated to add instructions for deleting Microsoft’s built-in apps.
