There are more than twenty default Windows 10 apps that come preinstalled in our new operating system: apps for the news, sports, weather, calendar, photos, etc. If we want our Windows installation as clean as possible, here's how to use the PowerShell console to uninstall the default Windows 10 apps.
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Why should I uninstall the default Windows 10 apps?
Truth be told, there is no urgency in uninstalling the default Windows 10 apps. They are not heavy, they don't slow down our system, and if we have chosen default apps of our own, we don't need to use them at all.
Then again, having a clean Windows installation is important for some Windows users, and since it is easy to uninstall the default Windows 10 apps, we might as well get rid of them.
How to uninstall the default Windows 10 apps
Before we fire up the PowerShell console, we can first try to uninstall some of the default Windows 10 apps through their start menu tiles.
This will only work for some of the default Windows 10 apps, namely Get Office, Get Skype, Get Started, Microsoft Solitaire Collection, Money, News, Phone Companion, and Sports.
The rest of the default Windows 10 apps, such as OneNote, don't have this option.
To uninstall all the default Windows 10 apps, we need to type the appropriate commands in PowerShell.
Open PowerShell as an administrator
Windows PowerShell is a command-line shell and scripting language built on the .NET Framework, which allows us to automate and configure multiple tasks in Windows.
Even though it has been present in Windows since XP Service Pack 2, many Windows users have never used it, and probably didn't even know it existed.
To uninstall the default Windows 10 apps, we need to open PowerShell with administrative rights. We just search for PowerShell, right-click and choose "Run as administrator".
Make sure you select the plain PowerShell, and not the PowerShell ISE (Integrated Scripting Environment).
Type the following commands
To uninstall each of the following default Windows 10 apps, we just need to type the command on PowerShell, and press Enter. The "|" symbol is not a lowercase "L", it is the symbol we get with "Shift + \".
The successful uninstallation will not produce any message.
Uninstall 3D Builder
Get-AppxPackage *3dbuilder* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Alarms and Clock
Get-AppxPackage *windowsalarms* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Calculator
Get-AppxPackage *windowscalculator* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Calendar and Mail
Get-AppxPackage *windowscommunicationsapps* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Camera
Get-AppxPackage *windowscamera* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Get Office
Get-AppxPackage *officehub* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Get Skype
Get-AppxPackage *skypeapp* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Get Started
Get-AppxPackage *getstarted* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Groove Music
Get-AppxPackage *zunemusic* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Maps
Get-AppxPackage *windowsmaps* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Microsoft Solitaire Collection
Get-AppxPackage *solitairecollection* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Money
Get-AppxPackage *bingfinance* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Movies & TV
Get-AppxPackage *zunevideo* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall News
Get-AppxPackage *bingnews* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall OneNote
Get-AppxPackage *onenote* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall People
Get-AppxPackage *people* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Phone Companion
Get-AppxPackage *windowsphone* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Photos
Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Store
Get-AppxPackage *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Sports
Get-AppxPackage *bingsports* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Voice Recorder
Get-AppxPackage *soundrecorder* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Weather
Get-AppxPackage *bingweather* | Remove-AppxPackage
Uninstall Xbox
Get-AppxPackage *xboxapp* | Remove-AppxPackage
Exceptions
The four default Windows 10 apps below cannot be uninstalled:
- Contact Support
- Cortana
- Microsoft Edge
- Windows Feedback
Uninstall all the default Windows 10 apps at once
Instead of running the above commands one by one, we can paste all the commands together on the PowerShell, to uninstall all the 23 default Windows 10 apps at once.
We just need to copy the full list, and right-click inside the PowerShell console.
Get-AppxPackage *3dbuilder* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *windowsalarms* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *windowscalculator* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *windowscommunicationsapps* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *windowscamera* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *officehub* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *skypeapp* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *getstarted* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *zunemusic* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *windowsmaps* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *solitairecollection* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *bingfinance* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *zunevideo* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *bingnews* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *onenote* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *people* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *windowsphone* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *bingsports* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *soundrecorder* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *bingweather* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *xboxapp* | Remove-AppxPackage
This will remove practically all of the tiles on the Start Menu, apart from Microsoft Edge.
Reinstall all the default Windows 10 apps
If we miss the default Windows 10 Apps, we can reinstall them all with a single command:
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers| Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
This will not restore the tiles on the Start Menu. We need to search for the app, right-click it and select "Pin to Start".
Which of the default Windows 10 apps will you uninstall?
Will you uninstall all the default Windows 10 apps, some of them, or will you keep them all? Leave us a comment.
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Would there be any command just for the purpose of re-installing Bing Weather, commonly known as MSN weather? This is the only app I am having issues with.
After updating to version 1511 the store is vanished in Group Policy Editor. Open the GPE shows an error in WindowsStore.admx.
Windows Update also is not working anymore. I can download the updates, but the installation fails.
Godd... annoying!
I am really thinking about to change to Linux!