Windows 10 is a bit of a packrat. Honestly, if you’ve ever looked at your Start menu and wondered why "Candy Crush Soda Saga" is still sitting there when you haven't played a mobile game since 2016, you aren't alone. It’s annoying. Your hard drive space is valuable, and having a bunch of junk running in the background—even just checking for updates—slows everything down. Knowing how to remove apps Windows 10 style isn't just about clicking a button and hoping for the best; it’s about reclaiming your digital space from a system that really wants to keep its bloatware.
Most people just head straight for the Settings menu. That's fine for the basic stuff. But what happens when that "Uninstall" button is greyed out? Or when an app says it’s gone, but it keeps showing up in your search results? Windows is notoriously sticky with its built-in software.
The easy way (that everyone misses)
Let's start with the path of least resistance. You’ve probably tried the Start menu. You right-click, you hit uninstall, and sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.
If you want the "official" route, you hit the Windows key, go to Settings, then Apps, and finally Apps & features. This is the standard dashboard. You scroll, you find the culprit, and you click the button. Simple. But here’s the thing: Microsoft hides a lot of the system-level stuff here. You won't find things like the Xbox Game Bar or some of the deeper telemetry tools in this list because Microsoft assumes you need them. You probably don't.
If you’re trying to clean up a brand-new laptop, you’ll likely see "crapware" from the manufacturer—think McAfee trials or weird "Support Assistants" from HP or Dell. These are usually easy to kill using this method. Just be careful. If you see something labeled "Intel Graphics Driver" or "Realtek Audio," leave it alone. Deleting your sound driver is a great way to have a very quiet, very frustrating afternoon.
When the Settings menu fails you
Sometimes the GUI (Graphical User Interface) just isn't enough. You click uninstall, the bar moves halfway, and then it just... stops. Or worse, it tells you it's "required by the system."
In these cases, you have to go back to the old school. The Control Panel.
Yes, it still exists in Windows 10. Type "Control Panel" into your search bar. Go to Programs and then Programs and Features. This list often looks different than the Settings one. It’s better for removing desktop software (win32 apps) like older versions of Adobe Photoshop or specific utility tools that didn't come from the Microsoft Store. It’s more reliable. It’s less "pretty," but it gets the job done when the modern interface glitches out.
How to remove apps Windows 10 with PowerShell (for the stubborn stuff)
Now we're getting into the real power-user territory. If you’ve got an app like "People" or "Maps" that simply won't budge, you have to use PowerShell. It sounds intimidating. It isn't. It’s basically just giving the computer a direct command that it isn't allowed to ignore.
First, right-click the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin). This is crucial. Without admin rights, the system will just tell you to go away.
To see everything installed on your machine, you can type:Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Select Name, PackageFullName
This will spit out a giant list. It’s messy. To actually delete something, you need a specific string. For example, if you want to get rid of the 3D Builder app (does anyone actually use that?), you’d type:Get-AppxPackage *3dbuilder* | Remove-AppxPackage
The asterisks are "wildcards." They tell the computer to find anything with "3dbuilder" in the name and wipe it out. You can do this for the Calculator, the Camera, or even the dreaded Microsoft Photos app if you prefer using something faster like IrfanView. Just be aware that once these are gone via PowerShell, you usually have to go back to the Microsoft Store to get them back if you change your mind.
👉 See also: The Portable Radio with Rechargeable Battery: Why We Are All Buying Them Again
The danger of "Debloater" scripts
You’ll see a lot of tech influencers talking about "Windows 10 Debloater" scripts on GitHub. Some of them are great. Others? They’re a nightmare.
These scripts basically automate the PowerShell process I just mentioned. They can strip Windows down to its bare bones in seconds. The problem is that they often overreach. I've seen people run a script that accidentally broke the Windows Update service or made it impossible to open the Start menu. If you use one, like the popular script by Chris Titus or the Sycnex script, back up your data first. Create a System Restore point. Seriously. It takes two minutes and saves you a week of regret.
Dealing with "Ghost" apps and registry leftovers
Ever uninstalled a program only to see its folder still sitting in C:\Program Files? It’s irritating. Windows is messy. It leaves behind "crumbs"—registry keys, temporary folders, and configuration files.
If you really want to know how to remove apps Windows 10 completely, you might need a third-party uninstaller. I’m a fan of Revo Uninstaller or Geek Uninstaller. What these tools do is pretty clever: they run the app's own uninstaller first, then they scan your entire hard drive and Registry for any leftover junk that got left behind.
👉 See also: Local Live Fox Lane: Why This High-Speed Fiber Project Actually Matters
You’d be surprised how much space this saves over time. A single game might leave 500MB of shader cache files in your AppData folder. Multiply that by twenty games you’ve deleted over the last two years, and you’re looking at significant wasted space.
Why some apps just come back
The "Zombies." You delete them, you restart, and there they are again.
This usually happens because of a Windows feature called "Consumer Experiences." Microsoft wants to make sure your Start menu looks "vibrant" (their word, not mine). If you’re on Windows 10 Pro, you can disable this via the Group Policy Editor. If you’re on Windows 10 Home, you have to dive into the Registry.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent.
If you see a value called DisableWindowsConsumerFeatures, set it to 1. If you don't see it, you might have to create it. This stops Windows from automatically re-downloading things like Disney+ or Spotify without your permission. It's your computer. You should decide what's on it.
Practical Steps for a Cleaner System
If you want to actually stay organized, don't just delete things randomly. Follow a process.
- Audit your Startup apps. Hit
Ctrl + Shift + Esc, go to the Startup tab, and disable everything you don't need immediately when you turn on your PC. This doesn't uninstall them, but it stops them from eating RAM. - Use Storage Sense. Go to Settings > System > Storage. Turn on Storage Sense. It can automatically delete temporary files and stuff in your recycle bin that's older than 30 days.
- Check the "User" folder. Sometimes apps install themselves directly to
C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Localinstead of the Program Files folder. If you can't find an app, check there. - The "Portable" Alternative. Whenever possible, download "portable" versions of software. These don't "install" in the traditional sense. You just run the .exe file. When you're done with it, you delete the folder. No registry mess, no background services, no headache.
Cleaning up Windows 10 is a bit of a moving target. Microsoft changes things with updates, but the core logic remains the same. Use the Settings menu for the easy stuff, the Control Panel for the old stuff, and PowerShell for the stubborn stuff.
Actionable Next Steps
To get your PC in top shape right now, start by opening your Apps & features list and sorting by size. You might find a 50GB game you haven't touched in a year. Delete that first. Then, run a quick scan with AdwCleaner (it's free and made by Malwarebytes) to find any "PUPs"—Potentially Unwanted Programs—that might have snuck in with other software. Finally, take five minutes to disable any non-essential Startup items in Task Manager. Your boot time will thank you.