How to uninstall apps in Windows 11
In Windows 11, Microsoft makes it easy to uninstall bloatware and other apps you no longer need. You can uninstall apps through the Settings app, traditional Control Panel, Start menu, or command line.
Whether you're looking to safely uninstall third-party software, non-removable, or embedded (global) software, here's how.
How to uninstall apps via the Settings app in Windows 11
Microsoft has redesigned the Windows 11 Settings app. Compared to its predecessor, the new design is more streamlined and intuitive to use. The simplified user interface simplifies the process of discovering things. Here's how to uninstall programs in the new Windows 11 Settings app.
To choose settings, press Win + I.
Open the Apps tab
Click Programs and Features in the right pane, then navigate through the installed apps to locate the app you wish to delete. In addition, you can use the search box to locate applications.
Select Uninstall by clicking the three dots next to the app name.
To finish the procedure, click the Uninstall button again.
Using the Start menu, uninstall Windows 11 apps.
Another convenient and quick way to uninstall apps is via the Start menu. This is how we do it.
To bring up the menu, click the Start button.
Select All apps.
Next, go to the menu until you select the app you wish to uninstall.
Uninstall the app by right-clicking on its icon.
To finish the procedure, click the Uninstall button again. Windows will now remove the app.
This method is effective for uninstalling Microsoft Store applications. However, for non-Microsoft Store apps, you will be sent to the old "Programs and Features" tab in the control panel.
Locate and choose the app you wish to delete from this list. Then, in the upper-right corner, click on the "Uninstall" button. Confirm the action by clicking Yes, then wait for the program to be uninstalled.
Using Control Panel, uninstall Windows 11 apps.
The Windows 11 settings program now has more system settings than ever before. On the other hand, many advanced functions continue to rely on the original control panel. In addition, it keeps the built-in program manager to uninstall and modify installed applications.
To delete Windows 11 apps using Control Panel, follow these steps:
To open Run, use the Win + R key.
Type Control to open Control Panel, click OK
Next, go to Programs and then Programs and Features.
Locate and choose the app you want to remove, then click Uninstall.
Click Uninstall again to delete the entire app.
Using the command prompt, uninstall Windows 11 apps.
If you can't uninstall an app using the Settings app or Control Panel, you can use the command prompt to do so. The Windows Management Instrumentation command-line tool can locate and uninstall apps in Windows 11.
To use a command prompt to uninstall applications
Click Win and type cmd.
In the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
Type the command in the Command Prompt window to load the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMIC) command-line tool: wmic
Next, enter the following command to list all recognized WMIC applications: Product Name
Since the list will only include apps that WMIC recognizes, it will almost certainly be shorter. Examine the apps to determine if the app you want to delete exists.
Next, execute the following command to uninstall the application: Product where name = "name of program" call uninstall
In the above command, replace "Program Name" with the name of the application you want to uninstall.
For example, if you want to uninstall the ManicTime app, it would look like this: Product where name = "ManicTime" call uninstall
To confirm the action, type Y and press Enter. Once the program is uninstalled, the command prompt will display a notification indicating that the method has been successfully executed.
Use PowerShell to remove global Windows 11 apps
Windows 11 comes pre-installed with a variety of useful and useless apps. Regardless of its usefulness, Microsoft does not provide a way to disable embedded programs.
However, if you are familiar with PowerShell, you can delete these apps. You can uninstall built-in Windows 11 apps using the Remove-AppxPackage command. This is how we do it.
Using the Windows key, type Powershell.
Select Run as administrator by right clicking the PowerShell application.
Enter the following command in the PowerShell window: Get-AppxPackage
This will fill your screen with all installed apps, including built-in Windows apps.
Locate the program you wish to delete by scrolling through the list. If you want to uninstall Microsoft Whiteboard, for example, the app will be named Microsoft.Whiteboard.
Alternatively, right-click on the PowerShell address bar and go to Edit> Search, where you can type the name of the app to locate it. Next, copy PackageFullName. This is necessary to uninstall the application.
To uninstall the application, use the following command: Remove-AppxPackage App Name
8. Replace the application name with PackageFullName in the previous command. To delete the Microsoft Whiteboard program, for example, the full command will look like this:
Remove AppxPackage Microsoft.Whiteboard_21.10913.5785.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Allow the process to complete. This will remove the app from your system.
Remove apps using third-party app uninstallers
When you use the built-in Windows uninstaller to remove apps, it leaves behind support files such as empty registry entries, program data, and application shortcuts.
Third-party installers can uninstall rebellious programs and delete the remaining files.
Final Words
You can uninstall Windows 11 apps via the Start menu, the Settings app, the old Control Panel, or even the PowerShell and Command Prompt terminals. If the built-in apps are unable to remove an app, you may want to use a custom third-party app remover. Such programs are able to remove not only intractable applications, but also clean the remaining data.