How to get rid of “bloatware” in Windows 10 with one command

Gabriel Siben, a budding software developer and engineer, has published on his blog a simple method to get rid of the “bloatware” built into Windows 10. He has discovered a single command that can remove all unwanted items from Windows 10 without giving up (too much) functionality. After running this command, your Windows installation will be left at a basic level, without most of the services and apps that aren’t needed. However, there are a few risks, so it’s best to read up on this method before applying it to your personal computer.

Siben recommends running this command on a “fresh” Windows 10 installation. It also recommends testing it first in a virtual machine, so you can make sure that the items the command removes aren’t needed in your day-to-day computer use. He says he applied this method on an embedded computer that has only one function, so the other items in Windows 10 were just unnecessarily consuming resources in this case.

Importantly, however, the method works even without an internet connection.

How to remove blotware from Windows 10

1. Open the Powershell app (right click on Start, Powershell)
2. Type the command “Get-AppxPackage | Remove-AppxPackage“
3. If errors occur that say certain packages cannot be uninstalled, they can be ignored

After the process completes, you should have a “clean” install of Windows 10, which completely removes the Microsoft Store and all other apps you usually see when you first install in the Start menu. Only the standard Windows folders, Microsoft Edge, and the Settings app remain. All Windows functions like Search, Timeline, Action Center, etc. should still work properly.

Theoretically, Siben says this method will work on Windows 11 as well, but Microsoft’s new OS is more dependent on Appx apps than Windows 10. The risk of breaking something is higher though, so you can use this method with caution on Windows 11. Testing in a virtual machine should be mandatory. Also, the installation should be new.

How to reinstall deleted packages

Apparently there’s also a way to reinstall deleted packages, for those who want to reinstall the Windows Store and other apps. You need to run a new command in Powershell:

” Get-AppxPackage -allusers | foreach {Add-AppxPackage -register “$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode}”

After this command, all you have to do is start Windows Update to download the necessary applications.

There is a version of Windows called Windows 10 LTSC from Microsoft, which comes out of the box with everything uninstalled. Unfortunately, that version is sold exclusively to businesses.