Windows 10 apps: Which should you keep and which should you dump? (free PDF)
If you’ve decided it’s time to declutter your Windows 10 system, this ebook will help steer you through the apps worth jettisoning, those worth hanging onto, and those you’re stuck with.
From the ebook:
Every installation of Windows 10 includes a huge collection of built-in apps. Some are Universal apps that are updated from the Microsoft Store. Others are legacy apps that hang around because other programs expect them to be there. If you prefer a tidy system, many (but not all) of these apps can be uninstalled, especially if you prefer a third-party alternative. This ebook offers a comprehensive look at how to unclutter your copy of Windows 10.
Most (but not all) Windows 10 apps can be uninstalled
Microsoft has done a decent job of migrating the old Add-Remove Programs dialog box to the new Windows 10 user experience: Settings > Apps > Apps & Features.
Click any app in that list and, most of the time, you’ll expose an Uninstall button like the one shown here. Using that button, you can systematically remove most of Microsoft’s built-in apps. Most, not all. As you’ll see in this ebook, however, the Uninstall button is missing from the listings for a small but significant number of built-in apps. Although there are alternative ways to remove these apps (using PowerShell, for example, or third-party apps), I don’t recommend those options.
Uninstalling a built-in Windows 10 Universal app removes it from your user profile, but it doesn’t remove the app’s source files from the system. If you set up an additional user account, you’ll need to go through the uninstall routine for that account.