Find Recently Installed Apps in Windows 11 & 10 (and Where They Live)

To find recently installed apps in Windows 11, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select Sort by, and choose Install date. The newest apps appear at the top, each with its install date. Start's Recommended section also shows recently added apps if that option is on. For desktop programs, Control Panel > Programs and Features has an Installed On column you can sort. For a full history with exact times, Reliability Monitor (type perfmon /rel in Run) lists every successful app install day by day, and Event Viewer records Windows Installer events. Store apps are listed in the Microsoft Store Library. Programs usually live in C:\Program Files, Store apps in a protected WindowsApps folder.

Ethan's laptop started showing pop-up ads in the corner of the screen, outside any browser. He had installed "a couple of things" that week but could not remember what. Jake sorted Installed apps by install date and found the answer at the top of the list: a free PDF tool Ethan had downloaded, plus two programs installed on the same day and minute that Ethan had never asked for. Reliability Monitor confirmed all three arrived together. Uninstalling them stopped the ads. This page covers every way to find what was installed and when, which is the first step whenever a PC suddenly starts behaving differently.

The methods below work on Windows 11; Windows 10 has the same tools, with the Installed apps page named Apps & features.

Every way to see recent installs

For most people, the first method answers the question in ten seconds. The others matter when you need exact times, need to connect an install to a crash, or suspect something installed itself without showing up where you expect.

A good routine combines two of them: a quick look at Installed apps sorted by date after installing anything new, and Reliability Monitor whenever the PC starts behaving differently.

Why install dates matter for troubleshooting

Most sudden PC problems have a cause that arrived shortly before them: a new program, an update, a driver or an extension. Install dates turn a vague complaint, "it's been slow since last week", into a short list of suspects. If a problem started on Thursday, anything installed on Wednesday or Thursday goes to the top of the list, and anything installed months earlier probably is not the cause.

This works for performance problems, crashes, pop-ups, changed browser settings, new startup programs and battery drain. It is the same approach professional support teams use: establish when the problem began, then look at what changed. Windows records enough to answer that question for almost every kind of change, as the rest of this page shows.

Install dates are also the quickest way to answer a less dramatic question: what did I install for that project last month, and can I remove it now? Sorting by date shows a project's tools grouped together, ready to clean up in one sitting.

Sort Installed apps by install date

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Apps > Installed apps.
3. Select the Sort by menu at the top of the list.
4. Choose Install date.
5. Read the list from the top: each entry shows its size, publisher where available, and the date it was installed or last updated.
6. Use Filter by to show apps on a particular drive if you install to more than one.

Two quirks to know. First, apps that update themselves, such as browsers and Microsoft Store apps, often show the date of their last update rather than their first install, so they can appear near the top even if you installed them years ago. Second, some programs installed only for one user appear only when that user is signed in. If you share the PC, check each account.

From the same list, select the three-dot menu next to any app to Uninstall it, or Advanced options for Store apps to repair or reset them.

On Windows 10, the same list is in Settings > Apps > Apps & features, with a Sort by menu that includes Install date. The rest of the steps are the same.

Recently added apps in Start

Windows 11's Start menu can show newly installed apps in its Recommended section, so you notice them without looking. To turn this on or off, open Settings > Personalization > Start and switch Show recently added apps. When it is on, a new app appears in Recommended for a while after installation.

In the All apps list, apps are sorted alphabetically, so a new app does not stand out there, but you can search Start for its name. Our guide to customizing the Start menu covers the other Start options. If newly installed apps do not appear in Start at all, our guide to Start menu not showing apps explains the fixes.

Apps Windows and your PC maker add

Not everything new in the list was installed by you. Feature updates sometimes add or replace built-in apps, and Microsoft Store apps that ship with Windows update themselves regularly, which changes their dates. New consumer PCs often arrive with the maker's support and update tools, trial antivirus software and, on some editions, a few promoted Store apps or games that install shortly after setup. Signing in to a new PC with your Microsoft account can also restore apps and settings from your previous PC through Windows Backup.

These explain many "I didn't install that" moments on a new or freshly updated PC. They are usually harmless, and promoted apps or trials can simply be uninstalled if you do not want them.

Legitimate entries that look suspicious

Some entries in the installed list confuse people because they are not apps you use directly but components other apps need. Common examples, all from Microsoft and normally safe to leave alone:

• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, often several versions, needed by many programs and games.
• Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, which lets apps display web content.
• Windows App Runtime and similar runtime packages used by modern apps.
• Microsoft Update Health Tools, which helps Windows Update work.
• .NET runtimes, needed by apps built on Microsoft's .NET platform.

Uninstalling these can break other software, and they often reinstall themselves when an app needs them. If one appears recently, it usually arrived with a game or program that depends on it.

If you are unsure about an entry, check its publisher: Microsoft Corporation for these runtimes, and the name of a known hardware or software company for most other components. An entry with no publisher and a generic name is the kind to research before keeping.

Programs and Features: the classic view

The old Control Panel list still exists and still has its uses. Press Windows + R, type appwiz.cpl and press Enter. The list shows desktop programs, not Store apps, with columns for Publisher, Installed On, Size and Version. Select the Installed On column header to sort newest first.

The Publisher column is especially useful when hunting unwanted software: a program with no publisher or an unfamiliar one, installed on the same date as something you did install, deserves a closer look. Right-click a column header and choose More to add columns such as Support link and Location. Uninstalling from here works the same as from Settings; our guide to uninstalling programs covers programs that refuse to go.

The Size column is an estimate and is often blank for programs that do not report it, so use Settings > System > Storage for accurate sizes when freeing space.

Reliability Monitor: a timeline of installs and problems

Reliability Monitor is one of Windows' most useful and least known tools. Press Windows + R, type perfmon /rel and press Enter, or search Start for View reliability history. It shows a chart of days or weeks with icons for each event: red crosses for app and Windows failures, yellow warnings, and blue information icons for successful installs and updates.

1. Select a day on the chart.
2. Read the list at the bottom: each successful install appears as Successful application installation, with the app name and time.
3. Look for crashes or warnings on the same or following days.
4. Select View technical details on any event for more information.

Its strength is context: you can see that a program was installed on Tuesday and that Explorer started crashing on Wednesday, which points straight to a likely cause. It keeps about a year of history, and it records Windows updates and driver installs too.

Jake's ten-minute investigation

1. Sorted Installed apps by install date and noted everything from the past week.
2. Opened Reliability Monitor and checked which installs happened at the same time.
3. Checked Programs and Features for the publishers of those programs.
4. Looked at startup apps and found two new entries from the unwanted programs.
5. Uninstalled the two unrequested programs, then the PDF tool that brought them.
6. Checked Edge for new extensions; there was one, which he removed.
7. Ran a full Microsoft Defender scan, which came back clean.

The whole process took about ten minutes, and the pop-up ads stopped immediately. The same order works for most "my PC started acting strange this week" problems.

If the first pass finds nothing obvious, widen the window to the previous two weeks and repeat; some unwanted programs wait a few days before showing ads, precisely so people do not connect them with the install.

Check what new apps added to startup

Many programs add themselves to startup when installed, so they run every time you sign in. That slows startup and, for unwanted programs, is how they keep showing ads or running in the background. Open Settings > Apps > Startup to see every startup app with its impact, and switch off anything you do not need at sign-in. Task Manager's Startup apps page shows the same list with publisher and status, and lets you right-click an entry to open its file location.

Turning an entry off does not uninstall the program; it only stops it starting automatically. For an unwanted program, uninstall it as well, and check that its startup entry disappears.

Task Manager's Startup apps page also shows each entry's Startup impact, rated low, medium or high, which helps decide what to turn off first when a PC has become slow to start after new installs.

Scheduled tasks and services

Some programs go further than startup entries. They create scheduled tasks that run at intervals, often for updaters, and sometimes services that run in the background whether anyone is signed in or not. Open Task Scheduler from Start, select Task Scheduler Library, and look at recently created tasks with unfamiliar names; the Actions tab shows which program each runs. For services, run services.msc and look for entries matching a recent install.

Legitimate software, such as browsers and graphics drivers, uses both for updates, so do not delete tasks or services just because they are unfamiliar. Uninstalling the program that created them normally removes them; leftovers after an uninstall are worth investigating.

If you are not sure whether a task or service is needed, search its exact name online before changing it, and prefer disabling over deleting so you can undo the change.

Event Viewer: exact installer records

For exact times and details, Event Viewer records installs made with Windows Installer, the technology behind .msi packages and many setup programs. Press Windows + R, type eventvwr.msc and press Enter, then open Windows Logs > Application. Select Filter Current Log on the right, choose MsiInstaller as the event source, and select OK.

• Event ID 11707: installation completed successfully.
• Event ID 1033: Windows Installer installed the product, with its name, version and result.
• Event ID 11724: removal completed successfully.
• Event ID 1034: Windows Installer removed the product.

Programs that use their own installers instead of Windows Installer may not appear here, which is why Reliability Monitor and Installed apps are better first stops. Our guide to reading Event Viewer logs explains filtering and what the other logs contain.

Event Viewer keeps a limited amount of history, so on busy PCs older installer events may already have rolled off the log. For anything more than a few weeks old, Reliability Monitor's year of history is more dependable.

Who installed it? Finding the user account

On a shared PC, the question is often not just what was installed but by whom. In Event Viewer, MsiInstaller events include a User field showing the account that ran the installer, displayed as a name or a security identifier. Reliability Monitor's technical details sometimes show it too. Per-user programs answer the question by themselves: they appear only in Installed apps when that user is signed in, and their files live in that user's folder.

If teenagers or guests are installing things on a family PC, the long-term fix is a standard account for each of them, so installs that need an administrator password simply cannot happen without you.

For children with Family Safety accounts, the weekly activity report and the Family Safety app also list apps and games used on Windows, which shows new arrivals from a parent's phone without touching the PC.

Event Viewer can show which account ran an installer, but it cannot show what happened inside a per-user account you cannot sign in to, so for full visibility on a family PC, sign in to each account occasionally, or use Family Safety reports for children.

Habits that keep your app list clean

• Install from the Microsoft Store or the developer's official site.
• Choose Custom install and decline extra offers.
• Check Installed apps, sorted by date, after every install.
• Remove programs you used once and no longer need.
• Review startup apps every few months.
• Use standard accounts for everyday use on shared PCs.

These take seconds each and prevent most of the problems this page helps diagnose. A clean app list is also a faster PC, with less running in the background and fewer updaters competing for attention.

Writing a one-line note in a text file when you install something unusual, with the date and why, makes later detective work trivial.

On a PC several people share, agree that anyone who installs something mentions it, so a sudden change never comes as a mystery to whoever looks after the machine.

List installed programs with PowerShell

Desktop programs register themselves in the registry's Uninstall keys, which is where Settings and Control Panel get their lists. PowerShell can read those keys and sort by install date. Open PowerShell and run this as one line:

Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*, HKLM:\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*, HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object DisplayName | Select-Object DisplayName, Publisher, InstallDate | Sort-Object InstallDate -Descending

InstallDate is stored as year, month and day, such as 20261001. Some programs leave it blank, so they sort to the bottom. Add | Export-Csv $env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\apps.csv -NoTypeInformation to the end to save the list as a spreadsheet, handy for comparing two PCs or keeping a record before a reinstall. For a quick list without dates, winget list in Terminal shows desktop and Store apps together.

Using winget to list, export and remove apps

The Windows Package Manager, winget, built into current Windows 11, is handy for app housekeeping from Terminal. winget list shows installed apps, including many not installed through winget. winget export -o apps.json saves a list of apps it can recognize, which you can later reinstall on another PC with winget import. winget uninstall followed by an app's name or ID removes it, and several uninstall commands in a row remove a batch of apps faster than clicking through Settings.

winget does not show install dates, so combine it with the sorted Installed apps list: find what is new there, then remove it with winget if you prefer the command line.

winget also shows which apps have updates waiting with winget upgrade, and winget upgrade --all updates them in one go, a quick way to bring every recently installed program up to date after a cleanup.

Compare before and after: a simple snapshot

For people who want to know exactly what an installer adds, a before-and-after snapshot works well. Export the installed programs list to a file with the PowerShell command above, install the program, export again to a second file, and compare the two in a spreadsheet or with PowerShell's Compare-Object. Any new line is something the installer added. The same works for startup entries and scheduled tasks if you export them too.

It sounds technical, but it takes a couple of minutes and gives certainty that no amount of reading installer screens can, which is why IT staff testing new software use the same idea.

Keep the exported lists with a date in the file name; they also serve as a record of what was on the PC if you ever need to rebuild it.

Store apps and the Microsoft Store Library

Microsoft Store apps appear in Installed apps, but the Store has its own record. Open the Microsoft Store, select Library at the bottom left, and you see apps and games you have acquired with your Microsoft account, including ones installed on other PCs. Sort or filter the list, and reinstall anything with one click. The Library is account-based, so it shows what you got, not necessarily what is installed on this PC.

Store apps also update automatically by default, and the Library's Get updates button shows recent update activity. If a Store app changed behavior recently, an update is a likely reason.

Games and apps bought in the Store stay in your Library permanently, so removing them from a PC never loses the purchase; you can reinstall any time from the same account.

For IT: app inventory across PCs

Organizations do not check PCs one by one. Microsoft Intune reports discovered apps across all managed devices, showing which software is installed where and on how many PCs, and alerts can flag unapproved software. Configuration Manager and other inventory tools do the same on-premises. For a small office without those tools, running the PowerShell export on each PC and combining the files in a spreadsheet gives a usable inventory in an afternoon.

Inventory is also the first step in licensing compliance and security patching: you cannot update or remove software you do not know is there.

Where installed apps actually live

Knowing where apps install helps when you find something odd. Most desktop programs install into C:\Program Files, or C:\Program Files (x86) for 32-bit programs on 64-bit Windows. Their shared data often goes into the hidden C:\ProgramData folder. Our guide to where Program Files and ProgramData are located covers those folders in detail.

Two other locations matter for recent installs. Programs installed "just for me", which need no administrator password, often go into %LocalAppData%\Programs inside your user folder; many popular apps and, unfortunately, much unwanted software use this route. Store apps install into C:\Program Files\WindowsApps, a protected folder you are not meant to browse. To jump to a program's folder, right-click its Start entry and choose Open file location.

The "needs an administrator" column explains why standard user accounts stop most unwanted installs but not all: per-user and portable programs slip past, which is why they deserve a look when you check for recent arrivals.

Knowing these locations also explains why some antivirus scans and backup tools ask about specific folders: per-user program folders are a favorite hiding place for unwanted software precisely because no administrator approval is needed to write there.

Use File Explorer's date columns

File Explorer can help confirm when a program arrived. Open C:\Program Files, switch to Details view, right-click a column header and add Date created, then sort by it. Newly created program folders appear at the top. Do the same in %LocalAppData%\Programs by typing that into the address bar. Date modified is less useful, since updates change it, but Date created usually reflects the first install.

This method also finds programs that copied themselves into a folder without registering an uninstaller, something legitimate software rarely does and unwanted software sometimes does.

For a second opinion on when a program arrived, right-click its main folder, choose Properties, and read the Created date on the General tab.

Found an app you did not install?

1. Note its name, publisher and install date, and look for other apps installed at the same time.
2. Search the name online to see whether it is a legitimate component, such as a driver utility from your PC maker, or known unwanted software.
3. Uninstall it from Installed apps. If it refuses, see our uninstall guide for stubborn programs.
4. Uninstall the program that probably brought it, if you no longer need that either.
5. Check browsers for new extensions and changed search engines.
6. Run a full Microsoft Defender scan; our guide to scanning with Microsoft Defender shows how.
7. Check Settings > Apps > Startup for new entries and turn off anything unfamiliar.

Not every unfamiliar entry is bad. Windows updates add components, PC makers push support tools, and graphics drivers install control panels. The pattern to worry about is several unknown programs arriving together right after you installed something free from an unofficial site, exactly as on Ethan's laptop.

Check Defender's protection history

If you suspect something unwanted arrived, Microsoft Defender may already have noticed. Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history to see every threat it blocked, quarantined or allowed, with dates and the file involved. An entry for a potentially unwanted app on the same day as a suspicious install confirms the link and shows what Defender already removed. Items marked as allowed are worth reviewing, since someone chose to let them through.

Protection history also records blocked downloads and Smart App Control decisions, which helps explain why a program you tried to install did not run.

Checking a new or second-hand PC

The same tools are useful when you get a PC from someone else. Sort Installed apps by install date and you see how it was set up: the factory software from the first day, then everything added since. On a second-hand PC, look for remote access tools, monitoring software or "PC optimizer" programs you would not choose yourself, and remove them. Reliability Monitor shows the last year of activity, which can reveal whether the PC had recurring crashes. For real peace of mind on a used PC, back up anything you need and reset it, so you start from a clean installation that contains only what Windows and you put there.

On a brand-new PC, the same list shows exactly which trial and promotional apps the maker included, so you can remove the ones you will never use on day one, before they start asking for attention.

Why an app might not appear in the lists

Sometimes you know something is on the PC but cannot find it in Installed apps. The usual reasons:

• Portable programs run from a folder without installing, so they never register.
• Per-user installs show only for the account that installed them.
• Broken installer entries leave files behind without an uninstall record.
• Browser extensions and web apps live in the browser, not in Windows' app list.
• Components and drivers may appear under a different name or only in Device Manager.

For these, File Explorer's Date created column, Task Manager's Processes list and the startup list are the places to look. A program running in Task Manager can be right-clicked and traced to its folder with Open file location.

If you still cannot find where something came from, Microsoft's free Autoruns tool from the Sysinternals suite lists every startup location in Windows, including obscure ones, with publishers and file paths. It is powerful and best used for looking rather than deleting unless you are confident.

Why apps install other apps

Free software is sometimes paid for by bundling: the installer offers, or quietly includes, other programs such as browser toolbars, "PC optimizers", antivirus trials or ad-supported tools. Reputable installers ask clearly and let you decline; less reputable ones pre-check the boxes or hide the offer behind an Express install button. The result is several programs installed at the same minute, which is why sorting by install date reveals bundles so clearly.

To avoid it, download from the developer's official site or the Microsoft Store, choose Custom install and read each screen, and turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking in Windows Security. Our guide to installing programs safely covers the habits that prevent it, and our guide to blocking software installs covers locking down shared PCs.

Checking a program's digital signature before running it also helps: right-click the installer, choose Properties > Digital Signatures, and see who signed it. Installers from well-known companies are signed in their name; an unsigned installer, or one signed by an unrelated company, deserves suspicion.

When an installer offers "recommended" extras, the safest answer is almost always no. Legitimate software works perfectly without the bundled offers, and declining costs nothing but one extra click.

Undo a bad install with System Restore

If a recent install caused problems that uninstalling does not fix, System Restore can roll Windows back to a restore point made before it. Search Start for Create a restore point, select System Restore, and choose a point from before the install; select Scan for affected programs to see exactly which programs will be removed and which may need reinstalling. Your documents and photos are not affected.

Windows creates restore points automatically before many updates and some installs, but not always. Making one yourself before installing unfamiliar software takes under a minute and gives you a clean way back.

Clean up leftovers after uninstalling

Uninstallers do not always remove everything. Settings and caches often remain in %AppData%, %LocalAppData% and C:\ProgramData, in folders named after the program or its publisher. These leftovers are usually small and harmless, and some are kept deliberately so your settings come back if you reinstall. If you are sure you will never use the program again, you can delete its folders after uninstalling.

Be careful: delete only folders clearly belonging to the removed program, and never delete shared folders such as those named Microsoft or Windows. Avoid registry cleaners that promise to remove leftovers automatically; they save almost nothing and can break other software.

When cleaning up is not enough

If a PC has collected years of programs, bundles and leftovers, finding and removing each one can take longer than starting fresh. Reset this PC in Settings > System > Recovery, with the option to keep your files, reinstalls Windows and removes every installed app, leaving your documents in place. Before doing it, export your app list with PowerShell or winget, so you can reinstall only what you still need. Many people find a reset every few years is the most effective cleanup of all.

Back up anything stored outside your user folders first, and note license keys for paid software before resetting.

Try new apps in Windows Sandbox first

On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education, Windows Sandbox offers a way to see what an installer does without letting it touch your real PC. Turn it on in Windows features, open Sandbox, copy the installer into it, and run it there. You can see every extra program it offers or installs, what it adds to startup and whether it shows ads. Close Sandbox and everything inside disappears. For Home users, reading every installer screen and choosing Custom install is the practical alternative.

Sandbox needs virtualization turned on in the PC's firmware and at least 4 GB of memory; if it will not start, the firmware setting is the usual culprit.

The same trick helps when evaluating several similar free tools: try each in Sandbox, see which installs cleanly without extras, and install only that one on your real PC.

Recent Windows updates and drivers

Sometimes the change that caused a problem was not an app but a Windows update or driver. Open Settings > Windows Update > Update history to see quality updates, driver updates, definition updates and other updates, each with its install date. Reliability Monitor shows the same events on its timeline. If a problem began right after an update, our guide to uninstalling a Windows update explains how to roll it back, and Device Manager's Roll Back Driver button reverses a driver update.

Driver updates delivered through Windows Update appear in the same history under Driver updates, which is often the quickest way to spot a new graphics or audio driver behind a sudden display or sound problem.

Drivers installed with apps

Some programs install drivers, for example virtual audio devices, VPN network adapters, printer and scanner software, game controller tools and anti-cheat systems. These appear in Device Manager rather than Installed apps. For a list of third-party driver packages on the PC, open Terminal as administrator and run pnputil /enum-drivers, which shows each package's provider, class and version. A driver from a program you have uninstalled can sometimes be left behind; removing it with Device Manager or pnputil is a job for confident users, since removing the wrong driver can disable hardware.

Windows Update's driver history, Device Manager's driver details and the program's own documentation together usually identify which app installed a given driver.

Browser extensions count too

Many unwanted additions are not Windows apps at all but browser extensions, which never appear in Installed apps. Check edge://extensions in Edge and chrome://extensions in Chrome for anything new or unfamiliar, especially after installing free software. Our guide to blocking or allowing Edge extensions covers removing them and stopping new ones.

Extensions are installed per browser profile, so check every profile you use, and remember that extensions can sync between devices when you sign in. An unwanted extension that keeps returning on a fresh PC is usually being restored by sync from another device, so remove it there too.

Games and game launchers

Games installed through launchers such as Steam, the Xbox app or Epic Games usually register in Installed apps too, but the launcher's own library is a better record, since it shows install dates, sizes and play time, and lets you move or remove games cleanly. Launchers also install their own components, such as anti-cheat drivers and overlay tools, which can appear as separate entries on the same date as a game. If a new game coincides with crashes or slow startup, those components are worth checking, and uninstalling the game through its launcher normally removes them as well.

Anti-cheat software in particular runs at a deep level of Windows and is sometimes left behind after a game is removed; launchers and game publishers provide removal tools for that case.

Removing old games is also one of the fastest ways to recover tens of gigabytes of space.

What this page said in 2016

The original 2016 version of this page explained how to find new apps after a Windows 10 update, when the Start menu marked newly added apps and many people wondered where an update's new apps had gone. Windows 11 changed the Start menu completely, but the underlying question, what is new on my PC and when did it arrive, comes up far more often today, usually when something starts behaving strangely. This rewrite answers that broader question.

The tools have also improved: Installed apps can now sort by date in one click, where in 2016 it took Control Panel or a third-party utility.

Recently installed apps: frequently asked questions

Ethan's laptop has been ad-free since, and he now glances at Installed apps sorted by date after installing anything new. When something on a PC changes, the question "what was installed recently?" solves a surprising share of mysteries. Windows keeps the answer in several places; knowing where to look turns a vague worry into a two-minute fix.

Revision note. Written October 2, 2026, rewriting our 2016 note on finding new apps after a Windows 10 update into a complete guide to finding recently installed apps and where they live. May nothing arrive on your PC without your say.