Is it possible to uninstall Microsoft apps like Sports, News, People, Mobile Plans in Windows 10? Let’s go ahead and find out.
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Uninstall Microsoft apps in Windows 10
As you have surely noticed, Windows 10 comes with a number of pre-installed apps that some users may consider unnecessary or useless.
Unlike apps downloaded from the Windows Store or third-party sources, most Microsoft apps cannot be deleted or uninstalled in the normal way (right click on the apartment > click Uninstall) or by going to settings > applications > Uninstall Route.
However, it is possible to delete most built-in Microsoft apps using Command Prompt or PowerShell commands.
Note: Apps like Cortana, Edge, Windows Feedback, Contact Support, Xbox cannot be removed.
Is it safe to uninstall Microsoft Apps
In general, removing Microsoft Apps will not significantly affect the functionality of your Windows 10 computer.
Removing Alarms & Clock app and Bing News will likely affect Cortana’s ability to set reminders and bring you stories.
In any case, deleted Microsoft apps are automatically restored back to your computer when there is a major Windows update.
Steps to Delete or Uninstall Microsoft Apps in Windows 10
1. Right click on the Start button and click Windows PowerShell (admin).
2. Once in the PowerShell window, type get-appxpackage | select name, packagefullname.
This command lists all currently installed app packages on your computer.
3. Once you get all the app package names, you can use the following command to uninstall Microsoft apps on your computer.
get-appxpackage *name of app package* | remove-appxpackage
Note: Currently it is not possible to remove Xbox or People App using this method.
If a specific Microsoft app fails to remove, the error message “Windows 10 PowerShell – Removal failed” appears.
Delete or uninstall the People app from Windows 10
As mentioned above, the People app cannot be removed using Command Prompt or PowerShell commands. However, you can remove the People app from the computer lock screen.
1. Open settings and click personalization.
2. On the next screen, click taskbar in the left pane. In the right pane, toggle OFF Show contacts in the taskbar Possibility.
This will remove the person icon from the taskbar on your computer.
Ready-to-use commands to delete Microsoft apps in Windows 10
Here are ready-to-use commands that you can use to uninstall some of the unwanted Microsoft apps from your Windows 10 computer.
Uninstall/Remove Microsoft Wallet:
get-appxpackage *Wallet* | remove-appxpackage
Uninstall/Remove Movies & TV:
get-appxpackage *zunevideo* | remove-appxpackage
Uninstall/Remove News:
get-appxpackage *bingnews* | remove-appxpackage
Uninstall/Remove Sports:
get-appxpackage *bingsports* | remove-appxpackage
Uninstall/Remove Sway:
get-appxpackage *sway* | remove-appxpackage
Uninstall/Remove Voice Recorder:
get-appxpackage *soundrecorder* | remove-appxpackage
Uninstall/Remove Groove Music:
get-appxpackage *zunemusic* | remove-appxpackage
Uninstall/Remove Groove Music + Movies & TV Apps:
get-appxpackage *zune* | remove-appxpackage
Uninstall/remove maps:
get-appxpackage *maps* | remove-appxpackage
Delete all Microsoft apps
You can use the following commands to uninstall all built-in Microsoft apps on your computer.
Get-AppxPackage | Remove-AppxPackage
The above command will only uninstall Microsoft Apps from your current user account. To remove Microsoft Apps from all user accounts, enter the following command.
Get-AppxPackage -allusers | Remove-AppxPackage
As mentioned above, after every major Windows 10 update, deleted Microsoft apps get reinstalled on your computer and you can remove them again using the commands above.
