Once you’re no longer using a Windows app or software, it’s a good idea to uninstall it to free up space and keep your desktop and Start menu more organized. Typically, you’d go through the Control Panel to uninstall the software. However, there are several other ways to do this. Check out this guide to learn how to uninstall programs on Windows.
Good to know: is your C drive running out of space? Learn how to clean it up.
1. From the Start Menu
Along with the pinned apps, you can quickly uninstall any app from the Start menu in Windows.
Click the Start button on the taskbar. If the app you want to remove is pinned, right-click on the app, and click Uninstall in the pop-up menu. Click Uninstall again in the confirmation dialog.
To uninstall an app that is not pinned in the Start menu, click All apps.
Scroll down and right-click the app you want to remove. Click Uninstall in the pop-up menu.
You’ll be redirected to the Control Panel. Select the program, and click Uninstall to remove the program from your system.
2. Using Command Prompt
You can uninstall any app or software on your Windows computer via the Command Prompt by logging in as an administrator.
Important: according to Microsoft’s announcement, WMIC is deprecated as of Windows 10 version 21H1, meaning it’s no longer maintained. In our testing, WMIC worked just fine on a Windows 11 PC.
Press Win + R to launch the Run tool. Type cmd.exe, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to log in as admin. Click Yes in the User Account Control dialog to provide permission.
Type wmic in Command Prompt and press Enter to launch the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) software utility for uninstalling programs.
After executing the command, the prompt will change to wmic:root\cli>.
To get the list of installed programs on your PC, type the below command and press Enter.
product get name
After viewing the list of installed programs, make a note of the full name of the program you want to remove. To uninstall a program, use the below command and press Enter. Replace program name with the name of the actual app you want to remove.
product where name="program name" call uninstall
You will be prompted to provide confirmation to remove the program. Press Y on the confirmation prompt to uninstall the program, followed by Enter. If you change your mind, press N.
After a few seconds, you will see the success message indicating that the uninstallation was successful.
FYI: did you know that you can control wireless networks from Command Prompt? This guide shows you what to do.
3. Via Settings
You can quickly remove an unwanted program by accessing the Settings app on your Windows computer.
Press Win + I to launch the Settings app. Go to Apps -> Installed apps.
Select the app you want to install, and click the three dots on the right. Select Uninstall from the menu.
Click Uninstall again on the confirmation screen to delete the program from your PC.
Tip: you can install apps in a sandbox to keep your Windows setup safe.
4. With File Explorer
You can use File Explorer to remove a program, provided it has an uninstaller file included in its installation folder.
Press Win + E to launch the File Explorer app. Go to C:\Program Files, and access the folder of the software you want to remove. (Mozilla Firefox, in this example.)
The uninstaller is located under the Uninstall subfolder in Firefox. Double-click the .EXE file to initiate the removal process.
FYI: learn how to view hidden files and folders using File Explorer.
5. Through the Search Bar
If you don’t remember the program name exactly, you can use the Search bar to locate it, and uninstall it from there.
Type the program name (or an approximation) you want to uninstall in the Search bar. Right-click the app displayed under best match, and click Uninstall.
You will be redirected to the Control Panel. Right-click the app, and select Uninstall to remove the program from your PC.
FYI: is the Start menu search not operational? Check our list of solutions.
6. Using PowerShell
If you want to remove built-in apps on your Windows PC, you can use PowerShell.
Right-click the Start menu, and click Terminal (Admin) to launch PowerShell. Click Yes if prompted to allow access.
Type the below command, and press Enter to get the list of programs installed on your computer.
Get-AppxPackagePowerShell will display a list of programs with several fields. Make a note of the information next to PackageFullName. Press Ctrl + C to copy it.
Use the below command, and press Enter to uninstall a program.
Remove-AppxPackage App Name
Don’t forget to replace App Name with the PackageFullName of the program you want to uninstall.
Keep in mind that you won’t see a success message after the execution of the command, so if you wish to verify that the app is gone, bring up the list of installed apps again using the command above.
Tip: are you a beginner when it comes to PowerShell? Learn the most essential PowerShell commands.
7. Third-Party Uninstallers
If the above methods don’t work for you, you can use third-party software to remove apps from your Windows computer. For example, Chocolatey is a convenient package manager that uses the command line to help you install or uninstall programs. Learn how to get started with Chocolatey or try Windows Package Manager.
Other popular uninstallers include:
Regularly checking and deleting unnecessary programs from your Windows computer is a good practice to free up space. If you encounter an error like You do not have sufficient access to uninstall while trying to remove a program, you can follow the fixes provided to resolve the issue. Additionally, if you are a Mac owner, learn how to uninstall default apps on Mac.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Meenatchi Nagasubramanian.
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