How to Uninstall Programs and Apps in Windows 11 and 10

You can’t just delete a program from your computer the way you’d delete a folder. A program spreads its files all over Windows when you install it, so to remove programs properly you need to uninstall them.

In this lesson I’ll show you three ways to uninstall programs and apps in Windows 11 and Windows 10: from the Start menu, from Settings, and from the Control Panel. I’ll also show you where the old Add or Remove Programs has gone, and which programs you should leave alone.

The Quickest Way: Uninstall a Program from the Start Menu

If the program is in your Start menu, you can uninstall it straight from there.

1. Click the Start button. In Windows 11, click All to see every program. In Windows 10 the list is there as soon as you click Start.
2. Find the program you want to remove and right-click it.
3. Click Uninstall.

What happens next depends on the type of program. Apps from the Microsoft Store show a small box: click Uninstall again and they’re gone. Older desktop programs open the Programs and Features list instead, which I cover further down. Find the program there and click Uninstall.

How to Uninstall Programs in Windows 10 and 11

Settings has a list of every program and app on your computer, and it’s the method I use most. The quickest way in is to right-click the Start button.

• In Windows 11, click Installed apps.
• In Windows 10, click Apps and Features.

Uninstall a Program Windows 11

The Installed apps screen opens. Scroll down the list until you find the program you want to uninstall, or type its name into the search box at the top.

Click the three dots next to the program and click Uninstall. A second box pops up to check you’re sure. Click Uninstall again.

Uninstall a Program Windows 10

In Windows 10 the Apps & features page opens. Scroll down the list of installed programs and apps, or search for it, until you find the one you want to uninstall.

Click it once to show the Uninstall button. The button stays hidden until you click on the program.

Click Uninstall, and then click the second Uninstall button that appears.

User Account Control Popup

In both Windows 11 and 10, Windows may ask you to confirm with a User Account Control box: Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?

Check that the name of the program you’re uninstalling is shown, and if it is, click Yes.

The Program Uninstall Routine Will Start

Now the program’s own uninstaller takes over. They’re all slightly different, but most follow the same path.

You’ll see a screen asking if you’re sure you want to uninstall the program, followed by a few screens where you simply click Next, OK or Uninstall. Read each one before you click, because some programs try one last offer to keep you.

If the program asks you to restart your computer at the end, do it. Some files can only be removed once Windows has stopped using them.

Where Is Add or Remove Programs in Windows 11 and 10?

If you’ve used an older version of Windows, you’ll remember Add or Remove Programs. It hasn’t gone away, it’s just been renamed, and there are now two of them:

• In Settings it’s called Installed apps in Windows 11 and Apps & features in Windows 10.
• In the Control Panel it’s called Programs and Features. Which we’ll look at lower down in this guide.

The easiest way to find it is to click Start and type add or remove programs. Click Add or remove programs in the results, and Windows opens the right list for your computer.

Note: be sure to type add or remove. If you don’t use the or you could end up on a web page.

How to Uninstall Programs Using the Control Panel

Microsoft has been moving things out of the Control Panel and into Settings for years, but it’s still there in Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Some older programs don’t show up in Installed apps or Apps & features, or they uninstall better from here. You can still remove them through the Control Panel.

Click the Start button and type control panel. Click Control Panel when it appears in the search results.

Control Panel View

Whichever version of Windows you’re using, the Control Panel can open in two different views: Category or Large icons. (Technically it can also open in Small icons, but that’s exactly the same as Large icons, only, erm, smaller.)

Most likely it’ll open in Category view. If it does, click Uninstall a program under Programs.

If it opens in Large icons (or Small icons), click Programs and Features. You may have to scroll down a little to find it.

Uninstall a Program from Programs and Features

Programs and Features looks exactly the same in Windows 10 and 11, because it’s a hangover from older versions of Windows. The list is usually much shorter than the one in Settings, because it only shows desktop programs, not apps from the Microsoft Store, but it works in a very similar way.

1. Find the program you want to uninstall and click it once to select it.
2. Click the Uninstall/Change button at the top of the list. It only appears after you’ve selected a program.
3. Click Yes if User Account Control pops up.
4. The program’s uninstall routine starts, exactly the same as above. Keep clicking Next, OK or Continue as they appear.

See a List of Everything Installed on Your Computer

The Installed apps list (Apps & features in Windows 10) is also the best way to see everything that’s installed on your computer. Click Sort by at the top of the list to change the order:

• By install date puts the newest programs at the top. It’s the quickest way to find something that sneaked on alongside a program you installed. I showed you how that happens in the last lesson.
• By size puts the programs taking up the most space at the top. Handy when your computer is running out of room.

You can also type into the search box above the list to find a program by name.

Which Programs Should You Uninstall?

A good rule: if you don’t recognise a program, look it up before you uninstall it. Type its name into a search engine and you’ll soon find out what it does.

Usually Safe to Remove

• Programs you’ve stopped using.
• Free trials that came with a new computer, such as trial antivirus or office software. If you remove a trial antivirus, Windows Security switches itself back on to protect you.
• Games and extras the shop or the manufacturer added that you never asked for.
• Toolbars, “PC cleaners” and anything else that sneaked on with another program.

Leave These Alone

• Anything with Microsoft Visual C++, .NET or Runtime in its name. Other programs need them to work, even though you never use them yourself.
• Drivers and software from the companies that made your computer’s parts, such as Intel, AMD, NVIDIA or Realtek. They keep your sound, screen and network working.
• Your computer maker’s own support app (HP, Dell, Lenovo and so on). You can remove it, but it’s useful for keeping drivers up to date, so I’d keep it.

Some of the apps that came with Windows can be removed and some can’t. I go through them in the preinstalled apps lesson.

Troubleshooting

The Uninstall Button Is Greyed Out or Missing

Some apps are part of Windows itself and can’t be uninstalled, so the option is greyed out or isn’t there at all. For anything else, try the Control Panel method instead.

The Program Isn’t in the List

Check both lists, Installed apps (or Apps & features) and Programs and Features in the Control Panel. If it isn’t in either, it may be an add-on in your web browser, which you remove from the browser’s own settings. Or it may be a portable program that was never installed at all, in which case you just delete its folder.

It Asks for an Administrator Password

You’re signed in with a Standard account, and only an Administrator can uninstall programs. Ask whoever set up the computer, or sign in with an Administrator account. I explain the difference in my guide to user accounts.

The Program Won’t Uninstall

If a program won’t uninstall from your computer, all is not lost. It gets a bit more involved, but you can still do it by following How to Uninstall Programs That Won’t Uninstall. Antivirus is the worst for this, so it has its own guide: How to Uninstall Antivirus Programs That Won’t Uninstall.

Something Stopped Working After I Uninstalled a Program

Reinstall the program first. That usually puts it right. If it doesn’t, System Restore can take your computer back to how it was before you uninstalled it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I just delete a program’s folder instead of uninstalling it?
A: No. A program puts files and settings in lots of places around Windows, not just its own folder. Deleting the folder leaves all of that behind and can stop the program from uninstalling properly later. Always uninstall it.

Q: Does uninstalling a program delete my files?
A: No. Your documents, photos and other files saved in your own folders aren’t touched. What can go is the program’s own settings and data, which is why some programs ask whether you want to keep them.

Q: Where is Add or Remove Programs in Windows 11?
A: It’s called Installed apps now. Click Start, type add or remove programs and click the result. In Windows 10 it’s called Apps and features, and the same search works.

Q: Can I reinstall a program after uninstalling it?
A: Yes. Install it again from the Microsoft Store or the program’s website, the same way you did the first time. I show you how in How to Install Programs. Paid programs may ask for your licence key, so keep a note of it.

Q: Will uninstalling programs speed up my computer?
A: It can help, especially on a new computer full of trials, because it frees up space and stops programs from starting with Windows. But if your computer is slow for another reason, uninstalling programs won’t fix it on its own.

Q: Can I uninstall the apps that came with Windows?
A: Some of them. Apps such as Solitaire can be uninstalled the same way as any other program. Others are part of Windows and can’t be removed, so the Uninstall option is greyed out.

Summary

It’s a good idea to remove programs you don’t use any more. It keeps your computer tidy and frees up space. Here are the three ways to do it:

• Start menu: right-click the program and click Uninstall.
• Settings: right-click Start, click Installed apps (Apps and Features in Windows 10), find the program and click Uninstall.
• Control Panel: click Uninstall a program, select the program and click Uninstall/Change.

Start with the Start menu or Settings, and use the Control Panel if a program doesn’t show up there.