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Key Takeaways

  • Windows 10 includes built-in universal apps that cannot be easily hidden or uninstalled from the Start menu. It is best to ignore them if you don't want to use them.
  • Some built-in apps can be uninstalled normally by right-clicking on them in the Start menu. This method works for certain apps like Get Office, Get Skype, and Microsoft Solitaire Collection.
  • If you want to uninstall other built-in apps or bloatware apps, you can use a PowerShell command. However, important apps like Microsoft Edge cannot be removed. Reinstalling all built-in apps is also possible through PowerShell.

Windows 10 includes a variety of universal apps, and there's no easy way to hide them from the "All Apps" view in the new Start menu. You can uninstall them, but Microsoft doesn't allow you to easily uninstall them in the usual way.

Can You Safely Remove the Default Windows 10 Apps?

Yes. Windows will generally prevent you from removing something that is essential. That said, we don't really recommend uninstalling the built-in universal apps. These apps take up very little space on your device, so it's best to just ignore them if you don't want to use them. You should also be aware that it's likely that Windows updates will reinstall those apps anyway. But, if you really want to uninstall them, you can. And, if you've already uninstalled included apps, you can get them all back with a single command.

Uninstall the App Normally

You can install some apps in the normal way. Just right-click an app on the Start menu — either in the All Apps list or the app's tilke — and then select the "Uninstall" option. (On a touch screen, long-press the app instead of right-clicking.)

This trick appears to work for the included Get Office, Get Skype, Get Started, Microsoft Solitaire Collection, Money, News, Phone Companion, and Sports apps. You can also uninstall bloatware apps your PC manufacturer has installed using this method. It even works for apps that are "automatically downloaded" by Windows 10, such as Candy Crush, FarmVille, TripAdvisor, Netflix, and Pandora.

However, you can't remove most of Microsoft's other included Windows 10 apps this way.

Uninstall Built-in Apps the Easy Way with CleanMyPC

If you keep reading, we've got the instructions on how to uninstall these built-in apps using the command line, but if that's not your style, you can always use the CleanMyPC uninstaller tool to remove them with a simple point-and-click interface.

CleanMyPC is a paid app and some of its features are not free, but there's a free trial, and it has a pretty solid uninstaller that removes extra stuff Windows won't find.

Just download and install the tool, flip over to the Uninstaller tab on the left, find the apps on the right, and click Uninstall. That's all there is to it.

Removing some Microsoft pre-installed programs.

Use PowerShell to Uninstall Built-in Apps

You can uninstall most of the built-in apps — even ones that don't normally offer an "Uninstall" option — with a PowerShell cmdlet. Note, however, that this trick won't allow you to remove a few of the most important built-in apps, like Microsoft Edge. If you try, you'll see an error message saying they can't be removed.

As of 11/1/2023, this will not work on any PowerShell 7.x.x version. Use PowerShell 5 instead.

First, open PowerShell as administrator. Hit Windows+X, and then choose the "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" option from the Power User menu.

Click "Windows PowerShell (Admin)."

At the PowerShell prompt, copy and paste one or more of the following commands — pressing Enter after each command — to remove the apps you don't want on your Windows 10 system:

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 Contact Support:

This app can't be removed.

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 Edge:

This app can't be removed.

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 Windows Feedback:

This app can't be removed.

Uninstall Xbox:

Get-AppxPackage *xboxapp* | Remove-AppxPackage

How to Reinstall All Built-in Apps

If you decide you want the preinstalled apps back, you can reinstall them with a single line of PowerShell code. Again, open a PowerShell window as Administrator. Copy and paste the following line at the PowerShell prompt, and then press Enter:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers| Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

This command tells Windows to install those default apps again. Give it some time and allow it to finish, even if nothing appears to happen at first. Even if you see an error message, restart your PC, and then examine your Start menu — you may just have all those default apps back again, anyway.


Again, the only real advantage to doing this is some mild decluttering of your Start menu. It's also likely that future updates (especially major updates) could reinstall those apps.