Microsoft Store Library

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[geekdom]

In my Microsoft Store Library, I show a number of not installed applications. With the exception of Calculator², I didn’t put them there. I don’t want them there.  Is there a method for removing these entries and the related files?

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• This topic was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by geekdom.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by geekdom.

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Many 3rd part apps and scripts will remove all Microsoft store apps (don’t remove the Store app).
I use the free portable Windows 10 Apps Manager

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These programs are not installed; they remain in the Microsoft Store Library.

Read the distinction here:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-us/4b97f87a-89e1-42cc-ae8b-8b72c7576d10/remove-uninstalled-apps-from-windows-store-my-library

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Alex5723

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As another interesting point, someone else mentioned out that the Windows 11 Microsoft Store still doesn’t let you remove apps from the library, especially pre-installed like Candy Crush or Spotify.

Windows 11 Microsoft Store Update brings proper library sorting options
August 24, 2021

Windows 10 lets you hide them:

How to Hide or Unhide Your Apps in Store My Library List in Windows 10

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geekdom, Alex5723

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Microsoft removed that option late last year.

The only choice now available when you click the 3-dots is Share.

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Bob99, geekdom

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Just another Forum Poster wrote:

Microsoft removed that option late last year.

Which version had it?

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Don’t remember exactly which version it was, but they removed that option at the same time they redid the layout and placed all the options on the left side like this.

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Microsoft removed that option late last year.

That would explain why I don’t have Candy Crush nor any of the others listed in my Library, I probably took advantage of the Hide option that’s no longer available. Also leaves me wondering why I still have Spotify listed, though, since I’ve never had any interest in the service whatsoever. I would think that I’d have hidden it at the same time that I hid the others! (Insert “scratching head” emoji here). 

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Windows 10 lets you hide them:

How to Hide or Unhide Your Apps in Store My Library List in Windows 10

Just went to look at that article linked to, and that article is no good for 21H2, as there’s no option to hide any apps listed in the Library. Right clicking on the ellipsis(…) only provides a link to share the app or to pin to the taskbar, pin to the desktop or share. Also, the UI looks quite different that what’s shown in the pics/screenshots.

That was probably how things worked from 1507 until the article was written, when 1803 was mainstream, but it doesn’t work for me in 21H2, build 19044.1889.

Any other ideas on just how to trim the Library list of apps that aren’t wanted, or is perhaps the only way to do so an uninstallation of the app via the Settings>Apps>Uninstall?

While reading the article at the other link you provided, about MS having added sorting options to the Library, I did happen to notice that reference was made to a Reddit post/thread where a claim was made that MS has made it so that some apps in the Library, such as Candy Crush and Spotify, can’t be hidden at all. Bummer, because I’ve got NO interest in Spotify, but there it sits, begging me to re-download it from the cloud and I can’t even hide it or (very preferably) delete it from my Library.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. 

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Bob99 wrote:

Any other ideas on just how to trim the Library list of apps that aren’t wanted, or is perhaps the only way to do so an uninstallation of the app via the Settings>Apps>Uninstall?

That doesn’t remove the app from the Store Library — just gives it a Cloud Download button instead of an Open button there.

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That doesn’t remove the app from the Store Library — just gives it a Cloud Download button instead of an Open button there.

That’s exactly what I said below, earlier.

…because after I uninstalled Spotify, the choice for it in my Library began showing a button with a cloud with a downward pointing arrow through it, as if to indicate to me to download it for installtion (which I’m NOT about to do).

 

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Neat trick, posting the answer before your question.

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Neat trick, posting the answer before your question.

Yeah, I thought so, too! 

I just looked, thanks to your response, and noticed that my post below was an exact five minutes after my initial post above.

I guess that, in my post above, I was just wondering if there were any way still available to hide entries in the Library, and it was before @bigal67 (alejr)’s post above saying that MS had removed the ability to hide Library items about a year ago, so I didn’t yet know that the ability to hide things had been eliminated. (insert emoji of pie in the face here)

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geekdom wrote:

… and the related files?

I don’t think any exist on the computer until (re-) downloaded.

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geekdom, Just another Forum Poster

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b wrote:

I don’t think any exist on the computer until (re-) downloaded.

Correct!

If the button shows a Cloud icon with a down arrow, then it doesn’t exist anywhere on your PC because it’s never been downloaded & installed.

If it has been downloaded & installed, the button will say “Open” and it’ll appear in your list of installed apps in the Settings > Apps menu.

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I don’t think any exist on the computer until (re-) downloaded.

I would presume so, because after I uninstalled Spotify, the choice for it in my Library began showing a button with a cloud with a downward pointing arrow through it, as if to indicate to me to download it for installtion (which I’m NOT about to do). Prior to uninstalling Spotify, the entry for Spotify in my Library had a button that simply said “Open”.

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Bob99 wrote:

Just went to look at that article linked to, and that article is no good for 21H2, as there’s no option to hide any apps listed in the Library. Right clicking on the ellipsis(…) only provides a link to share the app or to pin to the taskbar, pin to the desktop or share

I hadn’t been in MS store recently (it installed a new version the moment I lifted my block on Windows Updates temporarily) but decided to look for new themes. I looked at my Library and wanted to uninstall a theme I had tried a few minutes ago (I HATE that previewing themes full screen hasn’t been possible since I think XP or Vista). The theme I tried is UGLY and the ellipsis only lets me WRITE A REVIEW! Geez and UGH. That ellipsis doesn’t provide the options you mention.

Another gripe about the Store Library…I did NOT purchase that ugly theme yet that is what Microsoft Store claims when I look at the list in the Library. Plus, the Store library says I have THREE versions of Dell Mobile Connect installed! I have the LATEST version installed and the others I would like gone but nope they are not in Apps and Features so there is no way to uninstall them. Plus, why do MS THEMES and Desktop Background show up in Settings/apps and features? MS Themes did not used to show up there! Settings/apps and features is one BIG MESS now. It’s way too long a list and doesn’t group anything…Like MS Themes should be listed all together in ONE GROUP if put there. Apparently there is no coordination between what shows in the MS Store library and what shows in Apps and Features and no way to uninstall old versions of apps and themes that show in your Store library. SLOPPY, SLOPPY, SLOPPY of Microsoft.

Hmmm….I wonder if different stuff will show up in MS Store library if I switch MS account to another of the 4 Microsoft accounts I have acquired over the years?

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Mele20 wrote:

Apparently there is no coordination between what shows in the MS Store library and what shows in Apps and Features and no way to uninstall old versions of apps and themes that show in your Store library. SLOPPY, SLOPPY, SLOPPY of Microsoft.

The reason there’s no correlation between what’s shown in your MS Store library and what’s shown in Apps and features is because they are two completely unrelated things!

“Apps and Features” displays a list of the S/W that’s actually been installed on your PC, regardless of whether it came from from the MS Store or another source.

The “library” shows a list of apps that are only available from the MS Store and the button  to the right of each app’s name shows whether it’s actually been installed on your PC or not (it’ll say “Open” if it’s been installed or show a “cloud icon with a down arrow” if it’s available but hasn’t been installed) and, just like any other S/W, if an app from the MS Store hasn’t been installed on your PC, it’s not possible to “uninstall” it.

Uninstalled apps are displayed in your library because they’re “available” to be installed and, as has been discussed above, late last year Microsoft made the decision to remove a user’s ability to hide them.

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Mele20 wrote:

Another gripe about the Store Library…I did NOT purchase that ugly theme yet that is what Microsoft Store claims when I look at the list in the Library.

The reason they show as purchased even though you, nor anyone else, actually purchased them is because Microsoft made the decision to display their free apps as “purchased” instead of free.

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geekdom

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How are Microsoft Store app updates blocked? Where is the on-off switch?

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Store icon
Profile icon (upper right)
App Settings (on pulldown)
App Updates switch (Update apps automatically) – turn ON/OFF

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geekdom

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PKCano wrote:

Store icon
Profile icon (upper right)
App Settings (on pulldown)
App Updates switch (Update apps automatically) – turn ON/OFF

What about those “poor” Windows 10/11 users that didn’t create a Microsoft Account so no Store login ? How will that block Microsoft Store updates ?

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Alex5723 wrote:

What about those “poor” Windows 10/11 users that didn’t create a Microsoft Account so no Store login ? How will that block Microsoft Store updates ?

No sign in is required. App settings is below sign in.

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Alex5723

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geekdom wrote:

Alex5723 wrote:

What about those “poor” Windows 10/11 users that didn’t create a Microsoft Account so no Store login ? How will that block Microsoft Store updates ?

No sign in is required. App settings is below sign in.

If no sigh in required how will Microsoft ID your PC ? Does Microsoft update a registry entry ?

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The update is LOCAL, not online, for default apps. You only need an MS ID for the ones you buy.

Look on your own PC.

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Alex5723

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UPDATE for everyone:

After reading the recent posts here in the last couple of days, mostly today, I went poking around my copy of the Store, and I’m currently at version 22209.1401.16.0 of the MS Store, and I’m on Windows 10 Pro x64 21H2 version 19044.2130.

In a couple of posts above (here, and here), I griped mildly about having Spotify listed in my Library within the Store despite the fact that it wasn’t actually installed on my machine. Well, its no longer listed there nor are a few other items that weren’t actually installed on my computer but were still listed in my Library.

I figured out why: In the last couple of weeks, I’ve gotten a couple of updates to the Store itself, and I first noticed the shorter list in the Library about two or three weeks ago, but didn’t think much of it at the time. After reading the posts just above, I took another look within the Store app and I found that the category listing that used to be at the top of the Library that said “All” was no longer there. Please see @geekdom ‘s OP at the top of this thread or @bigal67 (alejr)’s post here in this thread for screenshots that show the category that’s now missing.

However, that missing category was (replaced?) by an option on the button labeled “Sort and filter” (that button also has a down arrow on it). Click that button and you’ll see that there’s a sorting option labeled “Show installed products only”, and in my case that option was checked. I unchecked it and the “missing” items promptly returned to my Library listing.

So, to avoid having those items you don’t want to install listed in your Library, go to the “Sort and filter” drop-down button and select the option to “Show installed products only” and you’ll no longer see items that you might not want to install whatsoever.

I hope this helps with not seeing any unwanted apps in one’s Library!

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Just another Forum Poster

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Nice to see MS can sometimes make “reasonable” choices and set a new option created during an update to something most end-users would actually approve of.

Kudos to whomever approved this

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