Everybody personalizes their Home windows PC in their very own approach, and I desire to maintain mine as clear and minimal as attainable. I disguise all my desktop icons, so my desktop all the time appears tidy, and my taskbar solely has essentially the most important apps pinned. In terms of apps, I solely preserve those I truly use put in to maintain my PC as clutter-free as attainable.
That stated, should you’ve simply gotten a brand new Home windows 11 PC, upgraded from Home windows 10, or carried out a recent set up, there are numerous apps that Microsoft robotically installs that you just would possibly by no means use or just don’t desire. I would not go as far as to name them bloatware, however I believe it is honest to say that not everybody wants a number of the default apps that include Home windows 11. In case you’re not utilizing them, I like to recommend uninstalling them to save lots of cupboard space and assist preserve your PC clear. Listed here are 5 default Home windows 11 apps I all the time uninstall, which you will wish to contemplate too.
Microsoft Copilot
I like my Home windows expertise AI-free
Over the previous yr, I’ve needed to arrange a number of new Home windows PCs, and one of many first issues I all the time do is uninstall Copilot, Microsoft’s AI chatbot. Whereas it might be useful relying in your workflow, I by no means discover myself utilizing it, because it simply takes up pointless house. Fortunately, Microsoft has made uninstalling Copilot surprisingly straightforward. All you must do is go to Settings > Apps > Copilot > then click on the three dots subsequent to Copilot and choose Uninstall. The identical uninstall course of applies to the remainder of the apps talked about on this story as effectively.
Whenever you seek for Copilot in your app record, you may additionally discover one other model referred to as Microsoft 365 Copilot, which you can too uninstall if you need. That is basically a model of Copilot built-in with apps like Microsoft Phrase and Excel. If you wish to use AI in these apps, by all means, preserve it. Nonetheless, should you do not use any Microsoft Workplace apps and as an alternative use alternate options like Google Docs and Google Sheets, it is value eliminating it. In case you ever wish to reinstall Copilot, you may simply achieve this from the Microsoft Retailer.
Microsoft Groups
In case you use another like Slack, you in all probability do not want it
Microsoft Groups is a messaging and video conferencing app that many firms use to deal with communication between staff. Personally, the corporate I work for does not use Microsoft Groups and depends on alternate options like Slack and Google Meet, so I’ve by no means had to make use of it.
Moreover, for private video calls and messaging with pals or household, I often use different apps like Discord, WhatsApp, or FaceTime, so Groups is simply pointless. In case you’re in an analogous state of affairs and do not have a use case for Groups, uninstalling it’s a straightforward method to unencumber house and tidy up your PC’s app record.
The Xbox app
Sorry Microsoft, Steam is the house of PC gaming
I really like taking part in video games on my PC in my free time, however the Xbox app is not the way in which I do it. Like many PC avid gamers, I depend on Steam, which I have been utilizing for over a decade. I’ve solely ever used the Xbox app a few times, and that was when Microsoft was providing these $1 PC Sport Go trials.
Since then, I have never had a compelling use case for it, and with the latest enhance in the fee of Xbox Sport Go Final and PC Sport Go, it does not appear like I’ll within the close to future both. In case you do not play video games in your PC or rely solely on different platforms like Steam and Epic Video games for all of your gaming wants, the Xbox app is one other straightforward uninstall.
Sound Recorder
Audacity is best and free
Sound Recorder is a pre-installed app in Home windows 11, and because the title suggests, you need to use it to file audio in your PC, comparable to for a podcast or voice-over. Nonetheless, I imagine that Sound Recorder has very restricted options for audio recording, and there are different apps that deal with each recording and enhancing audio significantly better. Audacity is my private favourite, and it is free. With that in thoughts, uninstalling Sound Recorder was an apparent selection for me, and it is likely to be for you too, particularly should you needn’t file your personal voice for something.
Outlook for Home windows
I desire to examine my electronic mail utilizing an internet browser
I examine my electronic mail consistently whereas utilizing my PC, however I do not use the Outlook app for Home windows for that. The Outlook app for Home windows gives the identical inbox expertise you are accustomed to in your internet browser, simply in a devoted app. You probably have an Outlook or an outdated Hotmail electronic mail, you would possibly discover it helpful. Nonetheless, I often entry my electronic mail on my cellphone or by Google Chrome; subsequently, I by no means felt the necessity to use the devoted Outlook app. In case you’re in the identical boat, uninstalling Outlook might be worthwhile for you too.
Moreover, should you put in Home windows 11 some time in the past, you may need one other mail app value eliminating. After I went to uninstall Outlook, I observed I additionally had an older Home windows electronic mail app referred to as Mail and Calendar put in. Microsoft truly discontinued this app final yr in favor of the Outlook for Home windows app, so you possibly can have two mail apps to uninstall, not only one, relying on how lengthy you’ve got been utilizing Home windows 11.
