How to Uninstall Programs in Windows 11 & 10 (Even Ones That Won't Uninstall)

To uninstall a program in Windows 11, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, click the three dots next to the app, and choose Uninstall. You can also right-click the app in the Start menu and choose Uninstall, or use the classic Control Panel > Programs and Features (type appwiz.cpl in Run). On Windows 10 the Settings page is Apps > Apps & features. Here is what most guides skip: an app that will not uninstall is usually blocked by one of four fixable things, a running process, a missing installer file, another install in progress, or the app's own protection, and there is a specific fix for each. Never reach for a random "force uninstaller" first. This page covers every normal method, every stuck case, and how to clean up what programs leave behind.

Ethan's father bought a new laptop and, three months later, asked why it felt slower than the shop demo. Jake sat down with it at the shop: two trial antivirus suites fighting each other, a "driver updater" nobody remembered installing, four toolbars' worth of browser helpers, three photo editors, and a game demo that started with Windows. One antivirus refused to uninstall at all. Forty minutes later the laptop had one security product, the apps Ethan's father actually used, and a startup time cut in half. The stubborn antivirus needed its maker's removal tool, which is one of the stuck-app fixes below. This page is that clean-up, step by step, so you can do it yourself.

Uninstalling removes the program and its files, but never your documents, photos or other files you made with it. Some programs ask whether to keep their settings; keep them if you might reinstall later, remove them for a clean slate.

Every way to uninstall, and when to use each

Uninstall from Settings (Windows 11)

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings, or type ms-settings:appsfeatures in the Run box.
2. Go to Apps > Installed apps.
3. Find the app: type part of its name in the Search apps box, or sort the list by Size or Install date.
4. Click the three dots (…) next to the app and choose Uninstall.
5. Click Uninstall again to confirm. Desktop programs may open their own uninstaller window; follow its prompts.

Sorting by Install date is the fastest way to find software that arrived without your knowledge, because bundled extras install at the same time as the program you wanted. Sorting by Size finds the space hogs: games, video editors and old SDKs often take tens of gigabytes each.

If Uninstall is grayed out, the app is part of Windows or protected by your organization. See the section on apps that cannot be removed below.

Uninstall from Settings (Windows 10)

1. Open Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
2. Click the app in the list.
3. Click Uninstall, then Uninstall again to confirm.

The list can be sorted by name, size and install date with the Sort by menu, and filtered by drive with Filter by, which is useful when you are clearing space on one specific drive. Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025, but uninstalling works the same on PCs still running it.

Windows 10's list also has links to Optional features at the top and Programs and Features on the right or at the bottom, which opens the Control Panel view. If a program appears in one list but not the other, use whichever shows it. On older Windows 10 builds, some preinstalled apps such as Groove Music and Movies & TV show Uninstall grayed out, while on later builds most of them can be removed normally. If yours is grayed out, the PowerShell method below removes it for your account.

Uninstall from the Start menu

Press the Windows key, find the app in your pins or under All, right-click it and choose Uninstall. You can also type the app's name, then choose Uninstall on the right side of the search results.

For Store apps this removes the app immediately after you confirm. For desktop programs, Start opens Control Panel's Programs and Features with the list, and you pick the program there. It is the fastest route when you can see the app, and works the same on Windows 11 and 10.

Search is also handy when you only know part of a name. Typing "zoom", "acrobat" or "norton" brings up every match, including helper apps installed with the main program. Keep in mind that Start only lists apps that created a Start menu entry; background tools, runtimes and drivers will not appear there, so Settings remains the complete list. On touchscreens, press and hold the app's icon instead of right-clicking to reach the same Uninstall option.

Uninstall with Control Panel (Programs and Features)

1. Press Windows + R, type appwiz.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Select the program in the list.
3. Click Uninstall (or Uninstall/Change) above the list, or right-click the program.
4. Follow the program's uninstaller.

Programs and Features shows only desktop programs, not Store apps, but it has two buttons Settings lacks: Change, which adds or removes optional parts of a program such as Microsoft Office components, and Repair, which fixes a broken install without removing it. Try Repair first when an app misbehaves; it is quicker than uninstalling and reinstalling.

The link View installed updates on the left lists Windows and Office updates. To remove a problem update, see our guide to uninstalling a Windows update.

Uninstall with winget (Windows Package Manager)

winget is built into Windows 11 and current Windows 10. It lists and removes apps by name from Terminal, which is fast for several apps at once.

1. Right-click Start and open Terminal.
2. Run winget list to see installed apps with their names and IDs.
3. Run winget uninstall "App name", or use the ID for precision: winget uninstall --id Vendor.AppName.
4. Approve the User Account Control prompt if it appears.

To remove several apps in one line, chain commands: winget uninstall --id A.One; winget uninstall --id B.Two. Add --silent to skip the uninstaller's own windows where the app supports it. If winget reports several matches, it lists them; use the exact ID. The first time you use winget it may ask you to accept the source terms; type Y.

Remove built-in Store apps with PowerShell

Some preinstalled Store apps have no Uninstall button. PowerShell can remove them for your account:

1. Open Terminal (Admin).
2. List matching apps: Get-AppxPackage *solitaire*. Replace the word between asterisks with part of the app's name.
3. Remove it: Get-AppxPackage *solitaire* | Remove-AppxPackage.

Only remove apps you recognize. Do not remove packages with names containing Store, Windows.ShellExperienceHost, StartMenuExperienceHost, VCLibs, NET.Native, UI.Xaml or DesktopAppInstaller (which is winget itself); these are parts of Windows or libraries other apps need. Removed apps can be reinstalled from the Microsoft Store if you change your mind.

To see the full list of Store apps installed for your account, run Get-AppxPackage | Select-Object Name, Version | Sort-Object Name. Names are developer-style, such as Microsoft.BingWeather for Weather or Microsoft.ZuneVideo for Movies & TV, so search the name on the web if you are unsure what it is. Removing a package for your account does not stop Windows offering it to new accounts; administrators can handle that separately, as described in the IT section.

Use the program's own uninstaller

If a program is missing from both Settings and Control Panel, it may still have its own uninstaller. Open its folder, usually C:\Program Files\Program or C:\Program Files (x86)\Program, and look for uninstall.exe, uninst.exe or unins000.exe. Double-click it. Some programs also put an Uninstall shortcut in their Start menu folder. Portable programs, which run without installing, have no uninstaller at all; delete their folder to remove them.

Right-click the uninstaller and choose Run as administrator if it fails with a permission error. Some programs keep the uninstaller in a subfolder named Uninstall; others live under %LocalAppData%\Programs, which is where many apps installed "just for me" go, including several chat, music and developer tools. If you cannot find it, the UninstallString value under the program's Uninstall registry entry shows the exact command Windows would run.

App will not uninstall? Fixes in order

Match the message or symptom to the fix. Work down the list if nothing matches exactly.

1. "Close the program before uninstalling" or the uninstaller fails silently: the app is still running, often in the system tray. Right-click its tray icon and choose Exit, or open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), select the app's processes and click End task. Then uninstall again.
2. "Another program is being installed. Please wait until that installation is complete": Windows Installer is busy with another job, sometimes a background update. Wait a few minutes, or restart the PC and try first thing after sign-in.
3. "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable" or a request for the original installer: the program's cached installer file is missing. Download the same version's installer from the maker, run it to repair or reinstall, then uninstall.
4. Antivirus, VPN or security software refuses: these protect themselves against removal by malware. Use the maker's official removal tool (see below).
5. The program starts with Windows and blocks removal: uninstall in Safe Mode (see below).
6. "You do not have sufficient access to uninstall": sign in with an administrator account, or right-click the uninstaller and choose Run as administrator. On a work PC, IT may need to remove it.
7. Program is listed but nothing happens when you click Uninstall: the uninstaller is gone. Reinstall the same program over the top, then uninstall it properly, or remove the stale entry from the list as described in the clean-up section.
8. Uninstall finishes but the app is still there: restart the PC; some programs finish removing files on restart.

Vendor removal tools for antivirus and stubborn software

Security software, VPN clients and some driver suites install deep hooks into Windows and protect them, so a normal uninstall can fail or leave parts running. Their makers publish dedicated removal tools for exactly this. Search the maker's own support site for "removal tool" or "uninstall tool" with the product name, and download it only from that site. Well-known examples include Norton's Remove and Reinstall tool, McAfee's Consumer Product Removal tool (MCPR), and similar tools from ESET, Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, Kaspersky and Trend Micro.

After removing a third-party antivirus, restart and check Windows Security: Microsoft Defender Antivirus turns itself back on automatically when no other antivirus is registered. Never run two full antivirus products at the same time; that was half of the slowdown on Ethan's father's laptop. Our guide to Defender alongside other antivirus explains how the two coexist.

Uninstall in Safe Mode

Safe Mode starts Windows with only essential drivers and services, so programs that load at startup cannot block their own removal. One catch: the Windows Installer service does not run in Safe Mode by default, and most desktop programs need it to uninstall.

1. Boot into Safe Mode: hold Shift while clicking Restart, then choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart, and press 4. Our guide to Safe Mode covers every route in and out.
2. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:
   reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal\MSIServer" /ve /t REG_SZ /d "Service" /f
net start msiserver
3. Uninstall the program from Control Panel.
4. Restart normally.

The registry line only allows Windows Installer to run in Safe Mode; it does not affect normal startup. If the program uses its own uninstaller rather than Windows Installer, you can skip step 2.

Clean up what programs leave behind

Most uninstallers remove the program but leave settings and logs behind, on purpose, in case you reinstall. If you will not reinstall, you can clear them:

• Program folders: check C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86) for an empty or leftover folder with the program's name, and delete it.
• Your settings: press Windows + R and open %AppData% and %LocalAppData%. Delete the folder with the program's or maker's name. This removes its settings for your account only.
• Shared data: C:\ProgramData (hidden) may hold a folder for the program. Delete it only if the program is gone and no other product from the same maker is installed.
• Start menu leftovers: if a dead shortcut remains, right-click it and choose Open file location, then delete the shortcut.
• Stale list entries: if a removed program still shows in the list, its entry is under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or the WOW6432Node equivalent. Find the subkey whose DisplayName matches, export it as a backup, then delete it.

Do not run "registry cleaner" programs. Leftover registry entries take almost no space and do not slow Windows down, and cleaners occasionally delete something important. Removing a specific stale entry by hand, as above, is all you ever need.

Apps you cannot uninstall (and why)

Some apps have Uninstall grayed out or missing:

• Parts of Windows: Settings, Microsoft Store, File Explorer, Windows Security and similar are core components. They cannot and should not be removed.
• Microsoft Edge: Edge is part of Windows and cannot be uninstalled in most regions. In the European Economic Area, Windows allows uninstalling Edge from Installed apps. Elsewhere, set another default browser and unpin Edge instead.
• Organization-managed apps: on work or school PCs, apps deployed by IT are protected. Ask IT.
• Optional features: tools such as Windows Media Player Legacy, WordPad (removed from recent Windows 11 versions) or Steps Recorder are managed in Settings > System > Optional features, not Installed apps. Remove them there.

Some apps can be removed but should not be: the Microsoft Store (needed to update other apps), App Installer (needed for winget and .msix packages) and Windows Security components. Removing them with PowerShell is possible on some versions and causes problems that take far longer to fix than the clutter was worth.

For built-in apps you will never use, unpinning them from Start and the taskbar removes the clutter even if the app stays installed. Our guide to the All apps list covers hiding apps you cannot remove.

Removing preinstalled apps and trials safely

New PCs arrive with extras: trial antivirus, the maker's support apps, games, streaming apps and offers. A safe approach:

1. Remove trial antivirus first, with its removal tool if needed. Microsoft Defender protects you in the meantime.
2. Remove games and streaming apps you do not use. They are all available again from the Store.
3. Keep the maker's driver and support app for now (Lenovo Vantage, Dell SupportAssist, HP Smart, MyASUS and similar). They deliver firmware and driver updates, battery settings and warranty tools. Remove them later only if you are comfortable getting updates manually.
4. Keep anything named after hardware: audio control panels (Realtek, Dolby, DTS), touchpad drivers, graphics control panels (Intel, AMD, NVIDIA) and fingerprint software. Removing them can disable features.
5. Restart once at the end.

If you are unsure what something is, search its exact name on the maker's site before removing it. A two-minute check saves a lot of reinstalling.

What not to uninstall

The Visual C++ row surprises people most. Seeing ten versions looks like clutter, but removing one can make a game or program refuse to start with a "missing DLL" error. They are small; leave them all.

Unwanted software that came bundled

Free programs sometimes install extras: a browser extension, a "PC booster", or a different search engine. To clean up:

1. In Installed apps, sort by Install date and remove anything installed alongside a program you wanted that you do not recognize.
2. In each browser, open the extensions page (edge://extensions or chrome://extensions) and remove extensions you did not add.
3. Check each browser's search engine and startup page settings, and reset them if they changed.
4. Run a Microsoft Defender full scan, which detects most potentially unwanted apps when Potentially unwanted app blocking is on in Windows Security > App & browser control > Reputation-based protection.

To avoid bundles next time, download programs from the developer's own site or the Microsoft Store, and choose Custom install so you can clear the extra checkboxes.

Uninstalling OneDrive, Teams, Copilot and other Microsoft apps

Several Microsoft apps that come with Windows 11 can be removed like any other app from Installed apps:

• Microsoft OneDrive: uninstalling stops syncing, but files already in your OneDrive folder stay on the PC and in the cloud. If you only want it to stop starting with Windows, pause or unlink it instead.
• Microsoft Teams: the free personal version and the work or school version are separate entries; remove the one you do not use. On a work PC, leave the work version alone unless IT agrees.
• Copilot: the Copilot app is a regular Store app on current Windows 11 versions and can be uninstalled. The Copilot key on newer keyboards can be remapped under Settings > Personalization > Text input.
• Clipchamp, Microsoft News, Weather, Solitaire, To Do and similar: all removable and all available again from the Store.

None of these removals affect Windows itself. If you later want one back, search for it in the Microsoft Store and click Install. A major Windows feature update occasionally reinstalls a removed inbox app; simply remove it again.

Uninstalling Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365

Office installs as one entry, such as Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise or Microsoft Office Home 2024, and uninstalls from Installed apps like any other program. Two things are worth knowing. First, uninstalling does not cancel a Microsoft 365 subscription or remove the license from your account; you can reinstall from your Microsoft account page at any time. Second, if the normal uninstall fails or leaves Office half-installed, Microsoft publishes an Office uninstall tool on its support site that removes every trace, after which a fresh install usually works. Keep your Outlook data files (.pst) safe before removing Office if you use a POP email account, since those files hold your mail.

Uninstalling on a work or school PC

On PCs managed by an organization, many apps are installed and protected by IT. You may see Uninstall grayed out, or the app may come back after removal. The Company Portal app, where present, lists apps IT makes available and sometimes lets you remove optional ones yourself. For anything else, ask IT; removing managed software, especially security or VPN tools, can break your access to company resources and is usually against policy. Personal apps you installed yourself can normally be removed as usual.

Uninstalling games and launchers

Games from Steam, Epic, the Xbox app, EA app or Battle.net are best removed through their launcher, which also frees the game's large files correctly. In Steam, right-click the game in your Library and choose Manage > Uninstall; in the Xbox app, right-click the game and choose Uninstall. Uninstalling the launcher itself does not always remove the games it installed; their folders can remain under the launcher's library folder, using many gigabytes. Check those folders afterward. Save games are usually in the cloud or under Documents or %AppData%, so check before deleting if you might play again.

Uninstalling to free up space

Uninstalling is one of the quickest ways to reclaim space. In Settings > Apps > Installed apps, sort by Size and work from the top. Then open Settings > System > Storage to see what else is using space, including temporary files and old Windows installations. Our guides to finding what fills your storage and deleting Windows.old cover the rest. Note that some apps report a size of zero or a very small size in Settings because they store data elsewhere; the launcher or app folder tells the true story.

Move an app instead of uninstalling

If the problem is space on the C: drive rather than the app itself, you can move many Store apps and games to another drive without reinstalling. In Installed apps, click the three dots next to the app; if Move appears, choose it and pick a drive. Desktop programs do not offer Move; for those, uninstall and reinstall to the other drive, choosing the install location during setup. To make new Store apps install elsewhere by default, use Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Where new content is saved.

Reset or repair instead of uninstalling

When an app misbehaves, removing it is not always necessary. For Store apps, click the three dots in Installed apps, choose Advanced options, and use Repair (keeps data) or Reset (clears the app's data and sign-ins). For desktop programs, use Repair or Change in Programs and Features, or Modify in Installed apps. Microsoft Office has Quick Repair and Online Repair options this way. Only uninstall and reinstall if repair does not help.

Reset is especially useful for apps that will not open or keep crashing after an update, such as Photos, Calculator or the Microsoft Store itself. It is the equivalent of a fresh install without the download. After a reset you may need to sign in to the app again and redo its settings, but your own files in Documents, Pictures or OneDrive are not touched. If Repair and Reset are both missing, the app is a desktop program; use the Control Panel options instead.

Reinstalling cleanly

For a truly clean reinstall: uninstall the program, restart, delete its leftover folders from Program Files and %AppData% as described above, then download the latest installer from the maker's site and install. Keep license keys and sign-in details handy first; paid software may need you to deactivate the old installation in your account on the maker's website before activating again.

Export what you can before uninstalling: browser bookmarks, email account settings, presets in photo and audio editors, game saves not synced to the cloud, and password manager vaults. Many apps have an Export or Backup option in their settings. If a reinstall still shows the old problem, the cause is usually in the settings folder you kept, so remove the %AppData% folder as well and start again with defaults.

Apps installed for other users

Store apps install per user, so uninstalling one from your account leaves it for other accounts on the PC. Desktop programs usually install for all users, so uninstalling them removes them for everyone. If a program was installed by another user "just for me", it may not appear in your list at all; sign in as that user to remove it, or use an administrator account. To remove a Store app for all users, administrators can use Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *name* | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers in Terminal (Admin).

When the "app" is malware

Programs that reinstall themselves, return after removal, or have no uninstaller at all may be malware. Uninstalling is not enough. Run a Microsoft Defender full scan, then a Microsoft Defender Offline scan, which restarts the PC and scans before Windows loads, catching threats that hide while Windows runs. Check the Startup apps page in Task Manager and Settings > Apps > Startup for anything suspicious. If the program keeps returning, back up your files and consider a Windows reset as the reliable way out.

Also check Task Scheduler for entries with odd names that run a program from %AppData% or %Temp%, a common way unwanted software brings itself back. And check browser extensions, because some adware lives in the browser and reinstalls a desktop helper from there. When in doubt, Microsoft Safety Scanner gives a second opinion alongside Defender without installing anything.

Stop an app from starting instead of removing it

Sometimes you want to keep an app but stop it launching with Windows. Open Settings > Apps > Startup and switch it off, or use Task Manager's Startup apps page and click Disable. The app stays installed and opens normally when you start it yourself. This alone often speeds up sign-in noticeably, as it did on Ethan's father's laptop; our guide to stopping OneDrive starting automatically shows the same idea for OneDrive.

Startup impact ratings in Task Manager (High, Medium, Low) show which apps slow sign-in the most. Chat apps, cloud storage clients, game launchers and update helpers are the usual heavy hitters. Leave security software, touchpad, audio and graphics utilities enabled, since they handle hardware features. After disabling items, restart and judge the difference; you can re-enable anything that turns out to be needed.

Uninstalling drivers and device software

Drivers are removed through Device Manager, not Installed apps, although device software such as printer utilities appears in both. Right-click the device in Device Manager, choose Uninstall device, and check Attempt to remove the driver for this device to remove the driver files too. Our guide to uninstalling drivers also covers rolling back a driver, which is usually the better fix when a new driver causes problems.

Printer and scanner software often installs both a driver and a separate app; remove the app from Installed apps and the printer from Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Graphics drivers are a special case: when switching between brands, or fixing a badly broken install, the graphics maker's own clean-install option in its installer removes old files more thoroughly than Device Manager.

After uninstalling: default apps and file types

When you remove the app that opened a file type, such as a PDF reader or photo viewer, Windows asks which app to use the next time you open such a file. Choose one and check Always. To set them in advance, open Settings > Apps > Default apps. Our guide to changing default apps walks through it.

The same applies to browsers. If you uninstall your default browser, Windows falls back to Edge for links in other apps. Set the browser you want under Default apps, search for it, and click Set default. If links still open in the wrong place, check the .htm, .html, HTTP and HTTPS entries on that page individually.

Find what was uninstalled and when

Windows logs installs and removals. Open Event Viewer, go to Windows Logs > Application, click Filter Current Log, and filter by source MsiInstaller. Event 11724 records a successful removal and 1034 the removal of a product with its name. It is a handy way to check whether someone else on the PC removed a program, or to find the exact name of something you removed so you can reinstall it.

For Store apps, the Microsoft Store's Library page lists every app tied to your Microsoft account, installed or not, with an Install button for each. It is the quickest way to restore a Store app you removed by mistake, on this PC or a new one.

A five-minute app tidy every few months

1. Open Installed apps and sort by Install date. Remove anything recent you do not recognize or no longer need.
2. Sort by Size and ask of the top ten: have I opened this in the last three months? Remove what you have not, or move it to another drive.
3. Open Settings > Apps > Startup and switch off anything new that does not need to start with Windows.
4. Check each browser's extensions page and remove extensions you no longer use.
5. Restart once to finish any pending removals.

Set a reminder for the first weekend of each season. Five minutes four times a year keeps a PC from ever reaching the cluttered state that needs a long clean-up, and it catches unwanted software while you still remember what you installed and why. If several people use the PC, do the tidy together, so nobody's favorite app disappears without warning and everyone learns what the Installed apps page is for.

For IT admins: removing software at scale

Intune. Assign Win32 apps and Store apps as Uninstall to device or user groups; Intune runs the app's uninstall command and reports results. For apps not deployed by Intune, use a remediation script with the product code or winget.

winget and scripts. winget uninstall --id Vendor.App --silent --accept-source-agreements works in scripts when run in the right context. For MSI products, msiexec /x {ProductCode} /qn is the reliable silent route; product codes are under the Uninstall registry keys.

Provisioned apps. To stop built-in Store apps installing for new users, remove them from the image with Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName ..., after testing that nothing depends on them. Prefer the documented policies for removing default inbox apps where they exist for your Windows version.

Uninstalling programs: frequently asked questions

Ethan's father still mentions how quickly his laptop starts now. What made the difference was not one magic tool but a calm half hour: sort by install date, remove what came bundled, keep the drivers and the libraries that look like clutter but are not, use the maker's tool for the antivirus that fought back, and switch off startup apps he wanted to keep. Every PC drifts toward clutter as programs come and go. A short tidy every few months, using the methods on this page, keeps it feeling the way it did on the first day.

Revision note. Written October 2, 2026, rewriting our 2016 guide for Windows 11 with stuck-app fixes and clean-up steps. May your PC carry only what you use.