Windows · Apps
Manage Installed Apps
Apps & Features lists every application installed on your PC, including size, install date, and whether it came from the Microsoft Store or a traditional installer. From here you can uninstall software you no longer need, modify or repair certain apps, and move installed apps to a different drive to free up space on your main disk.
How to open Apps & Features
- Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
- Search or sort the list to find the app you want to manage.
- Click the three-dot menu next to the app.
- Choose Uninstall, Modify, or Move depending on what's available.
What you should know
- Sort the app list by name, size, or install date to find what's taking up space or hasn't been used in a while.
- Click an app's three-dot menu (or click it directly) to see Uninstall, Modify, and Move options where available.
- Not every app supports 'Modify' or 'Move' — many simple Store apps only offer Uninstall.
- Use the search box at the top of the list to jump straight to a specific app instead of scrolling.
Uninstalling an app removes its program files but can leave behind configuration folders and registry entries, which matters if you're troubleshooting a corrupted install by reinstalling from scratch.
Why it matters
Apps & Features is the most direct way to see exactly what's installed on your PC and reclaim disk space from software you no longer use, without hunting through the old Control Panel. It's also the first stop for repairing a misbehaving app before resorting to a full uninstall and reinstall, since some apps expose a 'Modify' or 'Repair' option here that fixes corrupted files without losing your settings. Keeping this list trimmed down also reduces the number of background services and startup hooks competing for resources.
Best practices
- Sort by size periodically to spot large apps you installed once and forgot about.
- Try 'Modify' or 'Repair' before uninstalling and reinstalling an app that's behaving oddly, since it's faster and preserves saved settings.
- Move large apps like games to a secondary drive if your main drive is filling up and the app supports it.
- Uninstall trial software and bundled utilities that came preinstalled on a new PC if you don't use them.
- Check an app's publisher name before uninstalling something unfamiliar, since some system-critical components appear in this list too.
Common problems and fixes
- An app's Uninstall button is greyed out.
- The app may be a required system component or installed for all users by an administrator — try uninstalling from an elevated (Run as administrator) context, or check if it's managed by your organization's IT policy.
- Uninstalling an app doesn't free up as much space as expected.
- Check for leftover user data folders under AppData, since most uninstallers remove program files but leave personal settings and cached data behind intentionally.
- A preinstalled Windows app won't uninstall from this list.
- Some built-in apps require PowerShell's 'Get-AppxPackage' and 'Remove-AppxPackage' cmdlets to remove, since they aren't exposed through the standard Uninstall button.
Tips and tricks
- Use the sort-by-size view right after a Windows feature update to spot the 'Windows.old' backup and other large temporary leftovers.
- Right-click the Start button and choose 'Installed apps' as a quicker shortcut into this exact list.
Frequently asked questions
Does uninstalling an app here delete my documents created with it?
No, personal files you created and saved yourself (like a Word document or a saved project) are stored separately and aren't touched by uninstalling the app that made them.
Why do some apps show 'Move' as an option and others don't?
Only apps installed to a drive-agnostic location, mostly Microsoft Store apps, support moving; traditional desktop installers often hard-code their install path and require a full uninstall/reinstall to change drives.
Is it safe to uninstall apps I don't recognize?
Research the publisher name first — many are legitimate drivers or utilities bundled with hardware, but if you truly don't need it and it's not a core Windows component, removing it is generally safe.
Related settings
- Optional FeaturesOptional Features lets you install additional Windows components that aren't part of the default setup, such as OpenSSH Client, additional language handwriting packs, or legacy tools like Windows Media Player. It's a separate list from Windows Features (the older 'Turn Windows features on or off' dialog), which handles larger platform components like Hyper-V or .NET Framework 3.5.
- Startup AppsStartup Apps controls which programs automatically launch in the background when you sign in to Windows. Each app is labeled with an impact rating (Low, Medium, or High) based on how much it slows down startup, so you can quickly identify and disable the ones actually worth turning off.
- Storage SettingsStorage Settings let you view how much disk space is being used by apps, system files, temporary files, and media. You can free up space automatically using Storage Sense or manually remove unwanted files.
More Apps guides for Windows
- Clipboard HistoryClipboard settings let you keep a scrollable history of everything you've recently copied, not just the single most recent item, and paste from any entry using Win+V. You can also sync your clipboard across multiple PCs signed into the same Microsoft account and pin frequently used snippets so they don't get pushed out by newer copies.
- Multitasking & Virtual DesktopsMultitasking settings control Snap layouts (arranging windows into preset grid positions), Snap Assist behavior, and how Alt+Tab and virtual desktops handle switching between open windows. These features let you organize multiple apps on screen simultaneously and keep unrelated tasks separated across different virtual desktops.
- Video PlaybackVideo playback settings control how Windows plays video content, including automatic quality adjustments, HDR video streaming, and battery-saving options for video apps.
- Offline MapsOffline maps lets you download regional map data to your device so the Maps app and navigation features work without an active internet connection.
- Apps for WebsitesApps for websites shows which installed apps are registered to open links from specific websites directly, instead of opening them in a browser.
- App Execution AliasesApp execution aliases, found under Advanced app settings, let you enable or disable command-line names that launch installed apps directly from a terminal or the Run box.