With advancements and new features in the Windows 11 OS, Microsoft is adding more apps and tools for user convenience. However, the average user rarely uses much of the software found within the OS. With that, you can remove the bloatware on your Windows PC. There are several methods for doing so, all of which are discussed in this post. But before we dig into that, let us discuss what can and cannot be removed.
Is it Safe to Remove Bloatware?
Bloatware is defined as software which you do not need but is present on your system anyway. Although some of the additional applications may be necessary, such as Calculator, Calendar, etc., you still may never use them and are only slowing down your system while running processes in the background.
Is it Safe to Remove Bloatware? Windows 11 Bloatware List Remove Windows 11 Bloatware From Control Panel From Settings App Using Windows PowerShell Remove All Windows 11 Bloatware Using Third-party Software Closing Words
You can uninstall such applications as long as they are removed using the correct methods, and the apps are not required for system-critical tasks. For example, applications such as the Task Scheduler are needed by the OS to run tasks automatically. However, removing this app will prevent all such tasks from executing. That said, the methods discussed below to remove any bloatware are completely safe for the operating system and should not compromise the integrity of any data.
Windows 11 Bloatware List
Although you may consider many apps useless and consider them bloatware, it may not be correct to remove them. An example of this is Microsoft Edge. Although many of us use other web browsers, Microsoft Edge is integrated with the operating system and is required to perform critical system tasks, thus removing it is not recommended. Learn how to uninstall Microsoft Edge from Windows 11. That said, we believe that the following list of software is safe to remove and would impact the OS negatively:
Mail and CalendarYour PhoneXbox Console CompanionPaint 3DMixed Reality PortalMicrosoft PeopleMovies & TVGet HelpSolitaire CollectionSticky NotesWindows TerminalSkypeXbox Game BarPower Automate DesktopOneNoteOneDriveCalculatorFeedback HubInk DraftMicrosoft TeamsMedia PlayerMicrosoft Update Health ToolsNotepadPaintSnipping ToolVoice Recorder
Remove Windows 11 Bloatware
From Control Panel
One of the methods to remove bloatware from your Windows 11 PC is through the Programs and Features option in the Control Panel. This method is the same as uninstalling any regular application. Follow these steps to uninstall bloatware using the Control Panel: The uninstallation wizard will now run and remove the bloatware.
From Settings App
Another method to remove any unwanted bloatware is through the Settings application in Windows 11. This is the method you would most likely prefer since it shows most of the preinstalled UWP applications that can be removed. The software will now be removed successfully.
Using Windows PowerShell
If you’d rather use the Windows Command Line Interface (CLI), you can use any bloatware directly from Windows PowerShell. This method is recommended especially if you want to remove more than one software, as it is relatively quick.
Remove All Windows 11 Bloatware
The PowerShell method stated above is relatively quicker to remove bloatware. However, you still need to put in one cmdlet after the other to uninstall the software one by one. You can also remove all bloatware with a single cmdlet. Here is how:
Using Third-party Software
If you are not comfortable using the methods discussed above, you can also opt to use a third-party software specifically designed to remove Windows Bloatware (as well as perform some other tasks). These programs provide a GUI to remove all the bloatware on your PC. Note that you may see a lot of red lines and errors, which is completely normal. It appears because some apps might not exist on your system, but the ones that do will be removed. We recommend using either of the following bloatware removal tools:
IObit UninstallerRevo UninstallerWindows Debloater
Closing Words
Removing bloatware from your new computer or a fresh installation of Windows 11 will certainly free up space on your hard drive for other important data. Not only that, it speeds up your boot time and makes your system run better. You can also remove Windows components from Windows 11 ISO before making a clean install so that there is no bloatware to begin with.
