How to find and remove apps you don't use on Windows
Windows keeps a full list of everything installed on the PC, with the size of each app and the date it arrived. This guide shows you how to read that list, work out what you can do without, and uninstall it. It covers Windows 11, with the Windows 10 differences under Variations.
What you'll need: A Windows PC and an account that's allowed to change its settings. Uninstalling an app removes the program, not your documents. Files you made with it — photos, spreadsheets, downloads — stay where they are.
Open Settings
Hold down the Windows key and press I. The Settings window opens.
If you'd rather use the mouse, right-click the Start button on the taskbar and click Settings.
Go to Installed apps
In the list down the left-hand side, click Apps. Then click Installed apps, the first item on the page.
Every app on the PC is listed here, with its publisher, its size, and the date it was installed. Near the top of the list is a count of how many there are.
Sort the list by size
Click the Sort by dropdown above the list and choose Size (Large to small). The apps taking up the most room move to the top, which is where the worthwhile savings are.
Decide what to remove
Work down the list. Anything you recognise and haven't opened in months is a candidate. If you don't recognise a name, search for it in a browser along with the publisher's name before touching it.
Uninstall the app
Click the three-dot button (⋯) at the right-hand end of the app's row and click Uninstall. A small pop-up warns that the app and its related info will be removed. Click Uninstall again to confirm.
Follow the app's own uninstaller, if one opens
Apps from the Microsoft Store disappear straight away. Many other programs open their own uninstall window instead. Click through it — the buttons are usually Next, Uninstall and Finish — and say no to any offer to keep the app or install something else.
If the uninstaller asks whether to delete your settings or saved data as well, say no unless you're sure you'll never want the app back.
Repeat, then restart if asked
Go back to the Installed apps list and remove the next one. Some uninstallers ask to restart the PC before they finish. Save your work and let them, or the app can sit half-removed until you do.
Variations
Click Start, find the app in the list or search for its name, then right-click it and click Uninstall. For Store apps this removes them on the spot. For other programs it opens the same uninstall list as step 2, with the app ready to select.
An app you use occasionally may still start with Windows and sit in the background. Go to Settings › Apps › Startup and switch the app to Off. It stays installed and opens when you want it, but not before.
Go to Settings › Apps › Apps & features. The Sort by dropdown works the same way. To remove an app, click its name in the list, then click the Uninstall button that appears beneath it, and click Uninstall again to confirm.
Troubleshooting
The app is part of Windows and can't be removed this way — Photos and Calculator are examples. If you don't want it, it can stay on the disc unused; these apps are small. On a work or school PC, a greyed-out button can also mean your IT department has blocked removing that app.
Close the app, including any icon it has in the corner of the taskbar next to the clock. Right-click that icon and choose Exit or Quit, then try again. If it still refuses, restart the PC and uninstall before opening anything else.
Usually the missing piece is a shared component of the kind listed in step 4. Reinstall the program that's complaining and it will put back whatever it needs. If you removed the app itself by mistake, get it again from the Microsoft Store or from the maker's own website, not from a third-party download site.
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