When you buy a computer it is common that this comes quite full of applications pre-installed, both those installed by each manufacturer and the native applications of Windows 10. Some of these applications are useful, but others not so, so it is common that The first thing we do is uninstall them.
But what happens when there are too many applications or you can not uninstall them because they are native to the operating system? Today we are going to tell you a couple of tricks, one to remove all bloatware or unnecessary applications automatically, and the other to uninstall the non-uninstallable and native Windows 10 applications without having to use third-party applications.
Here you have to consider two things. The first is that with the first method you will delete all the configurations of the computer, so it is convenient to do so after purchasing it. And the second is that by eliminating some native applications there may be something that stops working correctly in Windows 10. If you delete Groove Music, nothing may happen, but deleting OneNote will cause the synchronization offered by this application to stop working.
Removes Windows 10 bloatware
In Microsoft itself are aware that sometimes manufacturers can go hand in hand when installing bloatware, which is why they have created a tool of their own to completely clean Windows 10. It is called Refresh Windows Tool, and is used to Delete ALL non-native applications from the operating system, including some from Microsoft itself as Office.
If you only annoy certain applications installed by the manufacturer as fast is to uninstall them as it has always been done by right-clicking on them in the start menu and choosing the option Uninstall. But if you want to delete several applications or just start from scratch with your operating system this option may interest you.
On the application page, Microsoft warns that doing this may cause you to lose some digital licenses, as well as content associated with certain applications. You can also lose the content that you have generated or downloaded with these applications, so it is advisable to make a backup if you are going to use it on a computer that you have been working on for some time.
If you want to use it, all you have to do is download the application from your website and run it. It does not require installation, it will only ask permission to make changes to your device and accept the license before taking you directly to the main menu. In it will explain that the tool is to start from scratch with Windows 10 and will give you two options to choose from.
The options are “Keep personal files only” and “Nothing”. The first will do a kind of formatting of the system to leave it clean with only the native and essential applications of Windows 10, but maintaining personal files such as photographs, videos or documents. The second option will erase everything.
And that’s it, all you have to do is choose one of the two options and click on the Start button to begin the process. This may take a while, but when you finish you can start working with a Windows 10 in which only you decide what you want to have installed.
Uninstalling native Windows 10 applications
But beyond the applications pre-installed by manufacturers, Windows 10 has a number of native applications that can not be uninstalled. Well, to be more exact what happens is that when you right click on them does not appear the option to do so, because they can be uninstalled. Of course, it’s a bit more complicated.
In short, what you have to do is go to the Windows terminal and enter a specific code to uninstall each of the specific applications, which have a code name that you need to know to start the process. That said it sounds complicated, but the base command is always the same, so it’s not as difficult as it sounds.
So, the first thing you have to do is open the Start menu and write Powershell to suggest the Windows PowerShell application . You will need to run it as an administrator, so instead of just left clicking on it, you have to right click and choose the option Run as administrator.
Next you have to write the precise code with this format:
Get-AppxPackage “app name” | Remove-AppxPackage
And here’s the crux of the matter, because each of the native applications has a specific code name that you have to enter instead of “app name”. This is a code name that is not the same as when you look for the application in the start menu, so you will have to know them to uninstall them.
For example, if you want to uninstall the Groove Music app, you will need to use this command code in the PowerShell:
Get-AppxPackage zunemusic | Remove-AppxPackage
As this will only remove it from your user, if you have more than one you can use this command:
Remove-AppxProvionedPackage -Online -zunemusic
So that you are the one who decides which applications are going and which ones are left, here we leave a list with the codes of all of them to uninstall them to your whim:
- 3D Builder : 3dbuilder
- Alarms and watches : alarms
- Calculator : calculator
- Calendar and Mail : communicationsapps
- Camera : camera
- Movies and TV : zunevideo
- Get Office : officehub
- Skype test : skypeapp
- Get Started : getstarted
- Groove Music : zunemusic
- Maps : maps
- Messages : messaging
- Microsoft Solitaire Collection : solitaire
- News : bingnews
- OneNote : onenote
- Photos : photos
- Voice recorder : soundrecorder
- The Weather : bingweather
- Xbox : xbox
Remember what we said at the beginning, these applications come by default because they cover the basic needs of any operating system. This means that if you are going to install one or several of them you will have to make sure to look for another one that serves as an alternative to cover these absences.
By the way, if using this type of commands seems too complicated, you have to know that there are other third-party programs that let you do exactly the same in a more graphical and intuitive. We showed them a few days ago, so take a look if you need it.