Out of all the software on your computer, how many programs practice you actually utilise regularly? Most people keep a fair corporeality of unnecessary software installed on their systems. While some of these apps are but outdated, others are Windows bloatware, malicious software, or junk yous can remove from your computer.

Here are some common yet unnecessary Windows apps you should uninstall.

How to Check Your Installed Programs on Windows 11 or Windows x

It'southward easy to review the installed programs on your system using either Windows 11 or Windows 10, since the process is identical. Open Settings and head into the Apps > Apps & features section. Hither, you'll encounter a list of everything installed on your PC.

On Windows 11, click the three-dot push button and cull Uninstall to remove a plan. On Windows 10, but click the entry to testify the Uninstall button.

Windows 10 Uninstall Store App

Those on Windows viii.1 or Windows 7 can click on the Offset push button and search for Programs and Features. This will open up a like list where you tin can review everything currently installed on your system and uninstall unneeded apps.

Depending on the software, the app might uninstall immediately or crave you to advance through some dialog boxes. Meet our guide to uninstalling programs on Windows for more than info.

Now, let'southward look at what apps you should uninstall from Windows—remove whatever of the below if they're on your system!

1. QuickTime

QuickTime is Apple'due south video player. While information technology'southward still a current program on macOS, the company hasn't supported the Windows version since 2022.

Soon after Apple announced the deprecation of QuickTime for Windows, Trend Micro announced that the software had a few critical vulnerabilities. Since Apple will never patch these, it's not condom to have QuickTime installed anymore.

Removing QuickTime shouldn't cause whatsoever disruptions, as iTunes doesn't rely on it. If you need a replacement for QuickTime, apply VLC, which volition play pretty much anything.

2. CCleaner

CCleaner's startup manager

CCleaner was in one case a trusted Windows app for cleaning junk, just its reputation went downhill after it was acquired by Avast. Past issues include forced updates without permission, information drove that enabled itself even if you disabled the role, and the software distributing malware unknowingly.

When we looked at CCleaner in 2022, we found that information technology had cleaned upwards its deed only was nevertheless largely unnecessary. You'll find suitable cleaning tools elsewhere, including those congenital into Windows itself. Follow our step-by-step guide to cleaning your PC and you can say goodbye to CCleaner.

3. Crappy PC Cleaners

Many people have installed (or accidentally installed) a PC-cleaning app at some point. The majority of these products range from useless to harmful, every bit registry cleaners don't improve the performance of Windows at all. If you lot discover garbage like MyCleanPC or PC Optimizer Pro in the list of your installed apps, yous should remove them.

Read our guide to cleaning mentioned above for a proper cleanup method. If your estimator feels wearisome, attempt some ways to make Windows faster.

four. uTorrent

uTorrent Download Page 2022

uTorrent was one time considered the gold standard of torrenting software. However, it'south had a host of problems over the years that make it untrustworthy at present.

Aside from having ads crammed into the interface, uTorrent also includes offers for other software tools, which is abrasive. Its worst offense came in 2022, when the app was found to bundle in cryptocurrency mining software without letting users know. This wasted your system resource in the groundwork to make money for the company, which allegedly gave some to charity.

There'southward no reason to carp with uTorrent. We recollect qBittorrent is the best torrent customer, as it's costless of all this nonsense.

5. Adobe Flash Histrion and Shockwave Player

Adobe Flash Player is no longer supported as of Jan 2022. Though information technology'southward blocked in all mod browsers now, you should all the same uninstall local copies of Wink. This will keep you safe from whatsoever future security issues since Adobe isn't updating information technology anymore.

A like runtime plugin, Adobe Shockwave Thespian, was discontinued in 2022. The company no longer offers it for download, and y'all're extremely unlikely to notice a website that needs it.

You should thus remove both Shockwave Player and Flash Actor. They're both relics of an era gone past and unnecessary today.

6. Java

Java is another media runtime, and it includes two components: Coffee on the desktop, and the Java plugin for browsers (which is notorious for having security bug). Though information technology was once fairly mutual, very few websites utilize it nowadays. At the time of writing, W3Techs shows that under 0.02 percent of websites use Java.

Modern versions of Chrome and Firefox don't support it, which means that Coffee is less of a security problem than it once was. Unless you lot're an Android developer or use some specialized software that relies on Java, yous should uninstall it. Yous'll probably never discover a departure.

7. Microsoft Silverlight

Silverlight Not Supported

Silverlight is a web framework, similar to Adobe Flash, that once enabled rich media content in your browser. Years ago, these plugins were necessary on a lot of websites. But now they're deprecated and no longer useful. Looking at W3Techs once again, nosotros see that fewer than 0.03 percent of websites utilize Silverlight as of early 2022.

Modernistic browsers don't even work with Silverlight; Chrome and Firefox haven't supported information technology for years, and information technology was never compatible with Border. Silverlight is just officially supported in Net Explorer, which Microsoft plans to retire in mid-2022. You lot won't lose annihilation by uninstalling Silverlight.

When you're wondering what else to uninstall from Windows 10 or 11, another obvious candidate is junk in your browser. While toolbars were once a far more than prevalent problem, modern versions of Chrome and other browsers take thankfully fought back and mostly eradicated them. Yet, spammy extensions are still in the wild.

Have a await in your programs list for toolbars like the Bing Bar, Google Toolbar, Enquire Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar, or the Babylon Toolbar. If you find any of them, uninstall them. Afterward that, review the installed add-ons or extensions in your browsers. Make sure yous recognize and review everything at that place, as even trustworthy extensions can be sold to shady companies.

9. Coupon Printer for Windows

The purpose of Coupon Printer for Windows is to provide access to deals from Coupons.com. However, since this software is typically found arranged in with other programs, chances are yous that you didn't want to install it in the first place.

If you're a diehard Coupons.com user, you tin can exit this i installed so you can admission its discounts. Everyone else should uninstall this program and utilise another coupon site that doesn't require installing annihilation.

10. Manufacturer Bloatware

Unless y'all're running a premium device similar the Surface Pro, or you installed Windows from scratch on a new desktop, chances are your computer came with lots of preinstalled junk from the manufacturer. Laptops from HP, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, and more are decumbent to this issue.

Consider these unnecessary programs you should get rid of, equally none of them are required for Windows to function. Some of the preinstalled branded programs, like photo apps, gaming tools, or anything that duplicates Windows utilities, are completely unnecessary. Others, such as driver/BIOS update utilities (like Lenovo System Update), are worth keeping around.

Of course, we tin't comment specifically on every piece of manufacturer software. To find out almost what you lot should delete from your arrangement, it's a good thought to cheque out Should I Remove It?, which gives an overview of what each program does and how others have rated it.

When in doubt, anything from the manufacturer is probably not necessary. Merely information technology's always good to double-cheque.

11. Windows 10 and Windows 11 Bloatware

Windows Uninstall Start Menu Apps

Having to remove manufacturer bloatware is annoying enough, but Microsoft includes a fair scrap of its own in modern versions of Windows in the form of Shop apps. Thankfully, you lot can uninstall most of these unnecessary programs without much hassle.

Some of the default Modernistic apps, like Xbox and Weather, are useful to some people only non others. Others, like Processed Trounce Saga, are junk you should remove. Run into how to go rid of this junk in our Windows x bloatware removal guide, or our overview of uninstalling bloatware in Windows eleven.

12. WinRAR

While having a file extraction and pinch tool around is certainly useful, WinRAR is non the best choice for the job. The app has get a bit of a punchline due to its old-school "shareware" license. You can download a "trial" of WinRAR for free, which asks yous to pay after using it for some time. However, the app never locks you lot out, fifty-fifty if you don't pay, and so you can use information technology indefinitely.

Despite this, there's really no reason to use WinRAR anyhow. 7-Naught is a free and simple tool that covers most people's needs. Whatever you lot practice, please don't waste money on WinRAR.

Uninstall These Programs From Windows

The above programs are unnecessary because they no longer serve whatsoever useful function. If you uninstall something and afterward find that you demand it once again, y'all can always reinstall information technology. Just exist certain to install without whatsoever bundled junk when you do.

It's a good thought to practice regular cleaning on your system to remove former or junky Windows programs. Some might be "zombie apps" that pose a security gamble.

Why Yous Need to Delete Zombie Apps You No Longer Use

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About The Author

Ben Stegner (1805 Articles Published)

Ben is the Editor in Principal at MakeUseOf. He left his Information technology job to write full-time in 2022 and has never looked back. He's been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more than as a professional writer for over viii years.

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