The Best Windows Bloatware Programs to Uninstall

Every new laptop comes with a number of pre-installed apps, many of which are never unused. These programs are referred to as bloatware. Bloatware takes up a lot of space on your hard drive, limiting the number of photos, documents, and other content that you can store.

If you want to free up some storage space on your device by uninstalling bloatware, this guide is for you. It will highlight some common bloatware that you can safely delete from your new laptop.

How to Find Bloatware on a Windows PC

Before we get started, let’s first figure out where you can view these bloatware programs. It’s essential to look at the list of apps pre-installed on your computer to determine which programs are necessary and which ones are not. Once you identify an app you would like to remove, the steps below will show you how to uninstall it.

Note that all the software you delete can be re-installed, so you don’t have to worry about removing something you may need at a future date. Here’s how to review and delete the list of apps stored on your device:

1. Open “Settings” and navigate to “Apps.”
   
2. Go to “Apps & Features,” where you will see a list of installed apps.
   
3. Tap the three-dot button next to the app you would like to delete and select “Uninstall.”
   

The app might uninstall immediately, or you may encounter a dialogue box with prompts you should follow to get rid of the program.

Best Windows Bloatware Programs to Uninstall

Now that you know where the bloatware programs are stored and how to uninstall them, let’s look at the apps you should remove from Windows.

Quick Time

Apple hasn’t supported the Windows version of its video player, QuickTime, since 2016. The cyber security firm Trend Micro revealed that the software had several critical vulnerabilities. Apple is unlikely to patch these issues since it has abandoned the program. This means that QuickTime is no longer safe to use.

Deleting this app won’t disrupt your viewing of videos as iTunes doesn’t depend on it to function. If you’re looking for a QuickTime alternative, VLC would be a good option.

CCleaner

Before Avast acquired it, CCleaner was a popular app for cleaning up old files and programs. Its reputation has since gone downhill due to issues with forced updates and unauthorized data collection.

Fortunately, there are plenty of programs out there that you can use to clean your PC. Apps like System Mechanic Ultimate Defense or MyCleanPC will do an excellent job of erasing unwanted data from your device. Windows also has a Disc Clean-up tool that does a decent job.

Adobe Flash Player

As of January 2021, Adobe’s Flash Player is no longer supported. The program may be blocked, but you should still remove PC copies of it to prevent any potential security issues.

Adobe’s Shockwave Player was also discontinued in 2019, and you’re unlikely to find a website that requires it. Therefore, you should delete both Flash Player and Shockwave Player from your system as they are no longer in use.

Java

Java is a media runtime that consists of Java on the desktop and the Java plugin for browsers. It used to be pretty standard, but most websites no longer use it. Modern versions of Firefox and Chrome don’t support Java, which means that unless you’re a developer, there’s no reason to have this software on your computer. Deleting it will free up valuable space.

Microsoft Silverlight

Like Adobe Flash, Silverlight is a web framework used to allow rich media content to be displayed in your browser. Unfortunately, these plugins are no longer helpful. Modern browsers don’t support Silverlight anymore. Chrome, Firefox, and Edge don’t work with Silverlight. Only Internet Explorer still supports this program, and Microsoft plans to retire it in 2022.

Removing Microsoft Silverlight won’t make a difference in how you view media on your PC. It can safely be uninstalled.

Manufacturer Bloatware

If you bought your PC with Windows already installed, chances are the PC manufacturer loaded a lot of unnecessary programs on your device. These programs aren’t required for Windows to function, so they can be deleted safely. Some of the pre-installed apps, such as photo apps and gaming tools, are unnecessary as they duplicate programs already on Windows.

The manufacturer programs that should remain on your PC include BIOS update utilities and drivers. Unfortunately, we can’t give a specific list of all the programs that you should remove from your system. Instead, we suggest that you check out a program called “Should I Remove It?” to see what you can get rid of. When in doubt, it’s best to err on the side of caution and leave the manufacturer programs alone unless you know what they are used for.

Windows Bloatware

Aside from manufacturer bloatware, Microsoft also includes a fair bit of its programs in the form of Store apps. Some of these, like Weather and Xbox, are useful to some people, while others are unnecessary and can be removed. Go through the Microsoft Store apps and see what you can do without.

WinRAR

While it’s useful to have a file extraction tool, WinRAR isn’t ideal for this job. Its old-school shareware license makes it a bit of a laughing stock, and you would be better off using newer software. A program like 7-Zip is free to use and way better at extracting files than WinRAR.

Coupon Printer

The goal of Coupon Printer is to provide users with access to deals from Coupons.com. However, this software is typically bundled with other programs, and chances are you don’t print enough coupons to make this tool necessary. If you’re a loyal user of the website, leave this app installed. If you aren’t, you should use another coupon site instead. You won’t have to download an app to do that, which will save space on your hard drive.

Toolbar and Browser Extensions

Browsers like Google Chrome have done a great job fighting off spam browser and toolbar extensions. However, programs like Bing Bar or Yahoo Toolbar may attach themselves to your toolbar every once in a while.

Review the installed add-ons to see if you’re carrying around junk extensions. If you are, get rid of them. Some of these add-ons could be from untrustworthy sources.

Lighten the Load

Most of the programs on this list are no longer useful and can be safely removed from your computer. You can always re-install them if need be, but chances are, you will never think of them again. It’s good to regularly clean your system to remove old or useless programs. Not only does it free up valuable space, but some of this software may pose a security risk.

Have you uninstalled bloatware from Windows? What apps did you delete? Let us know in the comments section below.