Removing built-in Apps from Win10 2004/20H2/21H1

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[PKCano]

Purpose
I am currently running a combination of up-to-date Win10 Pro versions 20H2 and 21H1. Although I do not like Microsoft’s continued collection of what I consider personal data, removing the telemetry is not the main purpose of this exercise.

Microsoft includes, by default, a large number of its UWP Apps in Win10. These Apps not only take up storage space on the computer but constantly use bandwidth and computer resources to report their activity to Microsoft, communicate with each other, update themselves (unless the Store is placed on manual update), etc.
I use NONE of them, including Edge.

So, the main purpose here is to unload these unnecessary Microsoft Apps.
Others have mentioned removing the Apps, but I have not seen the “How-to” posted on AskWoody.
Although some of the telemetry is reduced in the process, I use other methods for reducing the telemetry farther. You can’t really eliminate the telemetry altogether without extreme effort.

Methods
I have tried not to use third-party removers. Because I want to know what changes have been made (and how to reverse them if necessary), Too many times third-party blockers/removers are uninstalled leaving behind their unknown settings to complicate matters. I have tried to use Microsoft’s own tools against it in order to achieve the results.

In the removal process, I have used Administrative PowerShell, Administrative Command Prompt, RegEdit, Group Policy (Pro only), Task Scheduler, Task Manager, Services, Settings App, Control Panel, and simple deletion.

I use Open Shell (previously Classic Shell) as a menu system, since I do not use/need any of the “tile” apps. But, with the UWP Apps removed, the built-in menu system will also work as well. The other benefits of Open Shell are to provide Search not connected to Bing/Cortana, configuration of the File Explorer interface, and easy access to some of the older areas of system controls.

It is recommended that certain Apps NOT be uninstalled. The Microsoft Store is at the top of that list. I have also left the Feedback Hub, App Installer and some Extensions. Leaving Get Help, Snip & Sketch, Camera and Voice Recorder was a personal choice. I have used O&O AppBuster (Portable, does not install) simply to show what is left, not as a removal tool.
I was unable to remove all of the XBOX suite and ended with the four remaining Services disabled. You will also need other than the general method to remove Edge.

 

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Disclaimer: Before you try any of this, be sure you have a full disk image backup and a separate file backup of your User data. If you have problems, you will need a fallback. It is also advisable to document any other changes you make to the settings.
My four test installations have been through several Patch Tuesday monthly updates plus upgrades from v20H2 to v21H1 without failure. No guarantees on the move from Win10 to Win11.

• This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by PKCano.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by PKCano.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by PKCano.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by PKCano.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by PKCano.

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dataman1701, matipsx, lanceboil, RokkumanX, abbodi86, jburk07, fisher75, Sandro, lmacri, Fred, NaNoNyMouse, Cee Arr, Kirsty

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App Removal
There are several steps prior to the removal of the UWP Apps.
+ Run in the background should be turned OFF (Settings App\Privacy\Background Apps) for ones to be removed.
+ Run on Startup should be turned OFF/Disabled (Task Manager\Startup tab)
+ “Live tiles” should be turned OFF (Start Menu)
+ Uninstall the App from the Menu using the tile or “All Apps” menu if possible and/or unpin/remove the tile from the Menu Flyout.
+ Microsoft Store App – click on “…” in the upper right corner. Choose Settings and turn OFF “Update apps automatically,” “Live Tile,” “Video Autoplay,” and “Xbox App.”

I have used information from TenForums.com as a reference for the PowerShell and Command Prompt commands. <b>Caution</b>: Check the commands before use. The syntax of some of the commands is entered incorrectly. See TenForum’s Tutorial on uninstalling Win10 Apps.

+ Create a list of the installed Apps using Admin PowerShell, then copy/paste it to Notepad or other Text Editor.

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Select Name, PackageFullName

This command will copy the list to a Text file on the Desktop for you

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Select Name, PackageFullName >"$env:userprofile\Desktop\InstalledApps.txt"

+ Download O&O AppBuster (or portable s/w of your choice) and place it on the Desktop to compare the list of installed Apps with the PowerShell list. This will give you an idea of what to remove and what is left.
+ Use this command format in Admin Powershell (replacing Microsoft.Zune.Music with each successive App) to remove individual Apps from the computer. If you omit the “-Allusers” switch, it removes the App only for the current user. You can also use the “*” wildcard in App names.

Get-appxpackage -allusers *Microsoft.ZuneMusic* | Remove-AppxPackage

+  Prevent the Apps from installing for future Users, I used the the Admin Command Prompt (again replacing Microsoft.Zune.Music with each successive App). I could not get the PowerShell version of the command to work, but I am not versed in PowerShell. This is the format for the Admin Command Prompt

powershell -command "Get-appxprovisionedpackage –online | where-object {$_.packagename –like '*Microsoft.ZuneMusic*'} | remove-appxprovisionedpackage –online"

+ Using the “-online” command Deprovisions the Apps. It automatically creates a Registry entry key for each of those deprovisioned Apps, which can be used to verify removal, at
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Appx\AppxAllUserStore\Deprovisioned

Removing XBOX
+ In Settings App\Gaming turn off all settings related to XBOX.
+ Try removing XBOX components (XBOXGameOverlay, XBOXApp, XBOXIdentityProvider, XBOXOneSmartGlass, XBOXSpeechToTextOverlay, Xbox.TCUI) the same way other components are removed. For the local removal in PowerShell, some will appear to be removed, some will give a red error message. For the “-online” removal in Command Prompt, if there is no False/True message following the command, it did nothing, was not successful.
+ Disable the remaining Services in Services. After running the commands, XBOX disappears from the removable Apps in O&O AppBuster, but four Services remain. Go to Services and disable XBOX Accessory Management Service, XBOX Live Auth Manager, XBOX Game Save, and XBOX Live Networking Service.

Removing Chromium Edge
+ Locate the Chromium Edge setup.exe file and note the Edge version number. C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\<current version of Edge>\Installer
+ Open an Admin Command Prompt and copy/paste this command to the default C:\Windows\System32 prompt. Substitute your current version of Edge for “89.0.774.68.”

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\89.0.774.68\Installer\setup.exe" -uninstall -system-level -verbose-logging -force-uninstall

Note of Caution: The first instructions I saw for the removal said to execute the command from the folder where Edge setup.exe file resides. If you do this, the Edge browser is removed, but the file structure under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge is not removed because it is in use. If the file structure is NOT REMOVED, it will cause the next Win10 update to fail with error code 0x800f0922.
+ In RegEdit.exe, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft.
Right-click the Microsoft (folder) key, select New, and click on Key. Name the key EdgeUpdate and press Enter.
Right-click the newly created key, select New, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value. (creates new DWORD)
Name the DWORD DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium and press Enter.
Double-click the newly created DWORD and change the value from 0 to 1.
Click OK.
+ Create a Group Policy setting in GPEdit.exe (Pro only).
Download Microsoft Edge Blocker Toolkit and save it to a folder on your Desktop.
Double click on the file and extract it to that folder (use “browse” to find the path).
Copy EdgeChromium_Blocker.admx to C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions
Copy EdgeChromium_Blocker.adml to C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-us
In Group Policy (gpedit.exe) navigate to /Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Windows Update/Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) Blockers. Set Do not allow delivery of Microsoft Edge (Chromium Based) through automatic updates = Enabled.

UPDATE on EDGE 9/14/2021: After the the Sept update KB5005565, the removal of Edge seems to be no longer viable. It can still be removed, but it is restored with the updates through Windows Update. If the Edge folder at Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\ is left intact, the next CU update will fail with error code 0x800f0922.
It installed Edge v93…, so it is ignoring GP and Registry settings blocking CrEdge. Looks like the solution to maintain exclusive use of a non-MS browser as default is now a third-party app like Edge Deflector – a route I was hoping not to take!
And we are back to the same situation we were in when MS got slapped with the fine for integrating IE into the OS.

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Other settings

I have used settings in Services, Task Scheduler, Task Manager, Settings App, the Registry, and Group Policy (Pro only) to manage Win10 Apps. Some of these settings deal with privacy/telemetry, as well as App control. This is a list of some of them. I highly recommend you document any changes you make in the event you need to reverse them.

Services:
+ Disable XBOX Services – Four Services mentioned above – after attempting removal with PowerShell & Command Prompt.
+ Disable Connected User Experience & Telemetry (DiagTrack)

Task Scheduler:
+ Under Task Scheduler Library\Microsoft\Windows\ Disable then Delete tasks under \Application Experience, \Autocheck, and \Customer Experience Improvement Program
Some of these may be restored with Updates/Upgrades. If so, try disabling the ones that return, but don’t keep fighting Microsoft.

Task Manager:
+ Open Task Manager to the Startup tab. Disable the Startup of any of the items you have not been able to remove.

Settings App:
APPS
+ Apps\Default Apps Set Default Apps of your choice
+ Apps\Default Apps\”Set default apps by file type” Run through the list looking for UWP apps and change the default association to your chosen program. Example: Change .pdf default from Edge to your chosen PDF Reader.
PRIVACY
The settings here, for the most part, deal with the UWP Apps, not the third-party programs you have installed. Read the top section of each category carefully and decide whether you want to leave the function ON or OFF. When you see “Allow Apps to access,” it is referring to UWP Apps (see that the list is UWP). You can turn OFF access for individual Apps, or turn OFF access for the entire UWP list.
+ Privacy\Windows permissions\Diagnostics & Feedback The best you can do with this setting is allow Basic
+ Privacy\App permissions\Background Apps Pay particular attention here. Apps running in the background use the computer’s resources. You can prevent individual Apps from running in the background, or you can turn the entire feature OFF (at the top).

Registry Settings.
Disclaimer: If done incorrectly, making changes to the Registry can adversely affect the operation of your computer. It is highly recommended that you backup the Registry, and separately any specific keys, before you start. If the keys and DWORDs do not exist, create them.
Some of these settings may no longer be recognized by Microsoft, but I have left them in place.
+ HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate DWORD DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium VALUE = 1
+ HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search (notice space between Windows and Search)
DWORD AllowCortana = 0
DWORD AllowCortantAboveLock = 0
DWORD AllowSearchToUseLocation = 0
DWORD AllowSearchToUseWeb = 0
DWORD ConnectedSearchToUseWeb = 0
DWORD DisableWebSearch = 1
+ HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Feeds
DWORD ShellFeedsTaskbarViewMode = 0 (Show icon and text) or 1 (Show only icon) or 2 (Hide everything)
+ HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
DWORD BingSearchEnabled = 0
DWORD CanCortanaBeEnabled = 0
DWORD CortanaConsent = 0
+ HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
DWORD ShowSyncProviderNotifications = 0

Group Policy Settings (Win10 Pro only)
Under Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\
+ Microsoft Edge\
Allow Microsoft Edge to pre-launch at Windows startup, when the system is idle, and each time Microsoft Edge is closed = Disabled
Allow Microsoft Edge to start and load the Start and New Tab page at Windows startup and each time Microsoft Edge is closed = Disabled
+ News and interests\
Enable News and interests on the taskbar = Disabled
+ OneDrive\
Save documents to OneDrive by default = Disabled
Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage = Enabled
+ Search\
Allow Cortana = Disabled
Allow Cortana above lock screen = Disabled
Do not allow web search = Enabled
+ Windows Update\Microsoft Edge (Chromium-Based) Blockers\ (This policy created above Removing Chromium Edge)
Do not allow delivery of Microsoft Edge (Chromium-Based) through Automatic Updates = Enabled

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Kathy Stevens, RetiredGeek, Richard Merchant, Rick Corbett, RokkumanX, joltar, fisher75, georgea, CAS, Cee Arr, Sandro, Kirsty, Susan Bradley

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I have attached Complete-AppRemoval-List.txt to the second section of this thread.
The commands may make life easier during the operation.
Please read through the NOTES before you use it.

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RokkumanX, joltar, lmacri, Microfix

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Thanks for all of your hard work. In addition to “I highly recommend you document any changes you make in the event you need to reverse them” I’d add to that ensure that you have a good backup each month and be a bit cautious when you patch. I guarantee you that Microsoft does not test in this configuration.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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So far, the four test installations have been through several months of CU updates plus upgrades from v20H2 to v21H1 without problems or loss of settings. I’ve been holding up posting this till I was fairly certain it works.
Of course, there are no guarantees on the move from Win10 to “Win11” (?) in the upcoming months.

I have loaded these installations with third-party programs (Open Shell, Firefox, Waterfox, Thunderbird, Libre Office, Acrobat Reader, Irfanview, VLC Player, HP and Brother printer software, an old copy of HP Photosmart Essentials, CDBurner XPPro, Speccy, etc) and it tops out at about 20-21GB.

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Cee Arr, Kirsty

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I always wanted a safe way to create a generic, clean Win10 Virtual Machine without resorting to esoteric tools. Thanks @PKCano!

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joltar, PKCano

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As always @PKCano this is the nitty gritty I have been waiting for from this web site. Very well written and explained.  Expert information from an expert – well done. All I have to do is get it done. Thank you.

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joltar, Fred, PKCano

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Try Windows10Debloater, it shows you what it’s doing and has been around for years.

https://github.com/Sycnex/Windows10Debloater

I’m not sure how far any attempt will go in Home but in Pro and Enterprise, it’s quite possible to strip Windows down to a nice OS and keep it that way, even after updates.  Home is an ad server, best you might be able to do is run startup scripts and hope the OS doesn’t delete them.  The upcharge to Pro is more than worth it just for gpedit.

Manual removal is possible via the Modifiable Apps Folder, same as you can remove drivers from the Driver Store.  But…you need to take ownership, maybe for registry keys, too, maybe remove ALL security for the files (have a restore default ownership utility ready), maybe activate the Superadmin account,  to be complete.  Not newbie stuff.  Defender will try to block your efforts.

You can remove/rename/scramble apps such as the Store but depending on what you do, updates, your account, app downloads (graphics gui’s) won’t work.  Definitely make restore points before any change and document what you did, paths and settings.  Years ago, I went nilly willy resulting in quite a few reinstalls.

For excellent insight into which registry changes do what, winaerotweaker is superb.  You don’t have to use the utility, just read what each setting does.  One of the softwares I donate to and there aren’t many.  Actually, do use it, the portable version!

https://winaero.com/the-list-of-winaero-tweaker-features/

—-TLDR, in a way—-

Yeah, Open Shell Menu makes Windows usable again.  If you right click on an App in the menu, there’s the usual option to uninstall it that disables it.  That’s one of the things I do (it’s easy) along  with blocking apps in the firewall (updates will reset some unless done offline, diag tracking, e.g. is needed to do live updates.)  Along with any gpedit changes, disabling services, scheduled tasks and using a slim 3rd party AV (not internet suite) that’s it for the OS.  You don’t really need to remove apps, just hobble the ones you never use.

For smooth browsing, Firefox ESR with about:config tweaks and AdGuard System level, not the browser extension, work very well.  The typical increasing number of Chromia roadblocks encountered with extended sessions don’t occur.  FF profiles can be saved and moved to other machines, huge time saver.

Takes the better part of a day and modest investments in software to do everything needed to make Windows smooth and fast, no utility I’ve encountered does it all.

MAKE RESTORE POINTS!

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PKCano wrote:

I have tried not to use third-party removers. Because I want to know what changes have been made (and how to reverse them if necessary), Too many times third-party blockers/removers are uninstalled leaving behind their unknown settings to complicate matters. I have tried to use Microsoft’s own tools against it in order to achieve the results.

You never really know what the third-party removers do.
This thread is about using Windows OWN tools.
It is NOT about using third-party removal tools to do the removing.

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joltar, wavy

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Great stuff PK, Nice investigation, surgery and explanation, TOP post once again!
just what members and anons want to read about and perhaps try out.
As you well know, I tested this whilst on 20H2 and can verify that these changes held over a FU to 21H1 and June’s CU patch (W10 pro version)..result!

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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joltar, jburk07, PKCano

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another month’s CU and still no ChrEdge or removed crApps!

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Great post, thanks PKCano.

I did the same thing a long time ago on 1607 or before using Windows built-in tools only and I didn’t run into any problem after updating many times. I often ended up with less privacy invading and marketing issues than some users reported after feature updates, probably due to some group policy settings having an effect on what gets installed and set.

From memory, I am not sure -allusers does what you say it does. It might list for all users, but I am not sure the delete deletes it for all users, it tries to delete what is listed, but the delete applies to the current running user. I might have posted my procedure a long time ago and maybe wrote about that. It might work like the pipe in Linux where you get a listing for all users, then you send it to the other command to delete what is listed but the other command only run for the current user. I remember having to log into each account to first delete the apps in all accounts before being able to deprovision them when there was multiple accounts with different apps installed. I thought -allusers did the job but ended up understanding it didn’t and I had to dig to understand how Microsoft made it so difficult to get rid of these annoyances.

 

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Microfix, joltar, jburk07, PKCano

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.packagename : The term ‘.packagename’ is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable
program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.

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“packagename” is the name of a field in the data. It must NOT have any spaces before the dot.

Check the command you are running and test again. If it still doesn’t work, post the exact command you use (copy/paste).

cheers, Paul

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Hey Y’all,

Just tried to eradicate Edge with O&O AppBuster – Failed!
Tried the Command Line Commands – Failed!
Tried running both of the above as Trusted Installer via ProcessHacker – Failed!

So I went OLD School and started the machine in Safe Mode and went about slowly emptying all the Edge directories of files via DEL *.* then went up one level and removed the Directory with RD, wash-rinse-repeat, until they were all gone. Couldn’t remove the Edge directory! Found 2 Hidden Files via Dir /h *.* used the Attrib -h -s *.* followed by Del *.* and they were gone.

Just to check I ran NirSoft’s SearchMyFiles and found over 150 files still out there. Deleted what I had access to there. I’ll probablly get the remaining 90+ that I got access denied on later.

I installed the Registry Key to not update as shown above.

So far things are working as they should – Fingers Crossed. Of course I have a full image of C: taken yesterday so no biggie. I’ll keep y’all informed, especially after patch Tuesday.

[UPDATE]

1. Once again booted into safe mode
2. Ran ProcessHacker.
3. Used ProcessHacker to run NirSoft SearchMyFiles as Trusted Installer.
4. Searched C: for *Edge*.*.
5. Found over 200+ files.
6. Deleted them ALL! (of course took an image of C: before!).
7. Rebooted twice.
8. Everything I have tested is working as it should!

I think I can finally say adios to Edge.

When I get to it I’m going to write a PowerShell program I can run from Safe Mode as Trusted Installer to see if I can automate the entire process. If you haven’t used Process Hacker you might want to give it a try. I learned about it from @bbearren.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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NaNoNyMouse

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Same question as Alex : did you try Revo Uninstaller ? The free version has an option to uninstall Windows App. But I also wonder why are you going through all this trouble to get rid of Edge when you could just leave it there and never use it ? My default browser is Firefox, and I sometime use Chrome. I have never used Edge.

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For the same reason some people get under the hood of their cars and others take it to a mechanic. It’s nice to know what goes on under the hood and of course there is the challenge of doing it yourself.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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bbearren

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Good answer. I admit I do the same thing actually. I’ve learned a lot just by personalizing my PCs UI and Firefox to death.

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RetiredGeek wrote:

Just tried to eradicate Edge with O&O AppBuster – Failed!

Have you tried the simple root of using uninstaller, such as free portable Geek Uninstaller, Revo uninstaller, portable HiBit uninstaller..

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I uninstalled ChrEdge as soon as it landed using Revo Uninstaller.  I then used Process Hacker to run cmd.exe as Trusted Installer and went after the rest of the Windows apps where they live, C:\Program Files\WindowsApps, using the command rd <listed name of app> /s /q.

There were a couple of Edge sub-directories still present after Revo Uninstaller, which I removed.  After removing all the sub-directories I wanted gone from WindowsApps, I ran HDCleaner, which I learned of from Susan Bradley if I’m remembering correctly, via Process Hacker as Trusted Installer.  It has a registry cleaning component that I have found to be trustworthy, as it does not remove anything willy-nilly, but offers a checkbox for entries one desires to remove.

Using that registry cleaning component, the relevant registry entries for the removed WindowsApps can be checked and removed.  It has been a couple of months, and I have not encountered any hiccups with Windows Updates or anything else.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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wavy

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Thanks again bbearren!

I’ve eradicated XBox from my Win 10 setup on my main driver.
Thanks for the heads-up on HDCleaner, it found a couple HUNDRED registry entries for things I’ve been eliminating and cleaned them up.

So many new tools…I just love AskWoody! Starting to remind me of the old Windows Secrets days.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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