How to remove unwanted apps from a PC

Smartphones account for three quarters of internet access in the UK, but a computer is still the go-to platform when something needs doing properly.

Productivity tools, high-calibre gaming and video conferencing are among the applications requiring something more powerful and sizeable than a mobile phone to be effective.

Other activities like video streaming and handling emails can be managed on a phone though they’re far better suited to a larger interface and a proper keyboard.

That’s not to mention the processing power of even modestly specified desktop or laptop computers, while high-end gaming PCs are an order of magnitude more powerful again.

However, like a smartphone, a PC will gradually run out of hard drive storage space – and run increasingly slowly – if it isn’t periodically treated to some housekeeping.

Foremost among this process should be the deletion and removal of unwanted, unused or unnecessary software.

Some of this will be manufacturer-installed bloatware. Other platforms will be apps or programs which were installed for a specific purpose, used once and forgotten about.

Yet they continue to take up storage space, bog down the processor and potentially even launch on startup, contributing to a device running more and more slowly.

While it’s not always realistic to expect even a well-assembled desktop computer to last forever, it is very useful to know how to remove unwanted apps from a PC.

Fail to prepare…

Before following any of the procedures below to remove unwanted apps from a PC, ensure you won’t miss the package/s you’re planning to delete.

Also ensure removing them won’t erase or prevent access to any important files, such as documents saved by default into that program folder, or only accessible via that utility.

Consider the likelihood of having to re-install a particular platform at a later date, or whether there’s another program/app/utility which would do a similar job in an emergency.

Never delete system files or Microsoft 365 utilities, but you’ll be safe to remove unwanted Xbox links, Skype services or anything you’ve installed yourself.

The traditional way

To remove unwanted apps from a PC, go to the Windows logo on the Start Menu. Choose Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and click the three dots to the right of each app’s name.

Choose Uninstall and pay attention to any warning messages, though you might only have to click Uninstall a second time to remove the app or program.

The backup route

Windows offers an alternative way to remove programs, via the time-honoured Control Panel.

Enter this term into the Search box on the Windows bar, then choose Programs and Uninstall A Program. This offers greater information on each utility, but it only lists programs.

The third-party alternatives

A number of companies market products designed to remove stubborn or hidden apps, including Revo Uninstaller, BCU, Geek Uninstaller or Wise Program Uninstaller.

Despite briefly adding an extra program to your device, they’re all highly competent at fully removing superfluous software, even the kind which burrows its way across multiple folders.

The nuclear option

If a computer is becoming unusably slow or you’ve acquired it from someone else, a factory reset restores much of its original performance, at the cost of erasing everything it contained.

Choosing to erase a hard drive should always be a last resort, which you’d accomplish through System > Recovery > Reset This PC once you’ve backed up any valuable data.