What’s Safe to Uninstall on Your Windows PC (Full Guide + Checklist)

This guide helps you decide what to remove, what to keep, and what to double-check before uninstalling. It includes detailed notes and a printable checklist you can refer to anytime.

If you’ve ever opened your Apps list and don’t know what half of the programs on that list are, or what they even do, then this guide is for you. It’s written for regular users, not IT pros. The goal is to help you feel confident about removing what you don’t need, without breaking anything you do.

Safe to Remove

These are programs I regularly uninstall when cleaning up Windows PCs for clients. They are either outdated, redundant, unnecessary, or were never useful to begin with.

Pre-installed Windows bloatware:

• Candy Crush and other built-in games — installed by default, often never played

• Xbox Game Bar — useful only if you’re recording or streaming gameplay

• 3D Viewer — not needed unless you work with 3D models

• Paint 3D — a creative tool most people never open

• OneNote (if you don’t use it) — safe to remove if you use another note app

• Skype — discontinued. Many people now use Zoom or Teams instead

• Feedback Hub — Microsoft’s built-in tool for sending bug reports and feature requests. Most people never use this, and it’s safe to uninstall

• Cortana — Microsoft’s voice assistant, similar to Siri or Alexa, but rarely used.
  Safe to remove in Windows 10 and later. It’s already deprecated in newer versions of Windows 10

• Game Assist — A utility tied to gaming features like Game Mode or performance monitoring. If you don’t play games on your PC, it can be uninstalled with no impact

• Mail and Calendar — The default Windows apps for email and scheduling.
  If you use Gmail, Outlook.com in a browser, or another email client, it’s safe to remove both

• Media Player — Windows Media Player is the classic media app from older Windows versions. Safe to remove if you prefer VLC or another modern media player

• Microsoft 365 Copilot — AI integration for Microsoft Office that’s only useful with a paid subscription. If you don’t have Microsoft 365, it won’t do anything and is safe to remove

• Microsoft Bing — The web search integration built into Windows and Edge.
  Edge itself can’t be removed, but the Bing app can be uninstalled if it shows in your apps list

• Maps — Offline maps app for directions and route planning. Most people use Google Maps or Apple Maps instead. It’s safe to remove unless you rely on offline navigation

• People — A contacts and address book app tied to Microsoft services. If you manage contacts elsewhere, like Gmail or your phone, you won’t miss it. Discontinued in newer versions of Windows 10

• Xbox Live — Connects your PC to Xbox services and friends list. If you’re not using Xbox or Game Pass, it’s safe to uninstall

Old or expired software:

• Trial antivirus software (e.g., McAfee, Norton) — usually expired and redundant if you use Microsoft Defender or ESET Antivirus

• Office trial versions or Click-to-Run — This just takes up space and can be confusing

Obsolete or duplicate utilities:

• Java Updater — safe to remove unless you rely on Java apps

• QuickTime, Silverlight, Adobe Flash, Shockwave — no longer used or supported

• Old drivers or control panels from unused hardware — printers, webcams, or other peripherals you no longer have

Manufacturer-branded utilities:

• HP JumpStart — does nothing useful after setup

• Dell SupportAssist — overlaps with Windows tools

• Lenovo Vantage — slow and bloated unless you're actively using it

• ASUS Live Update — a BIOS and driver update tool that’s often outdated or unnecessary

• MSI Dragon Center — performance and fan control for gamers, but overkill and resource-heavy for regular users

• Acer Portal — legacy app from Acer’s now-defunct cloud services. Doesn’t do anything today.

• Branded photo/media apps — if you use Windows Photos or VLC, these are redundant

Redundant apps:

• Multiple PDF readers — You only need one. I recommend PDF X-Change Editor

• Extra media players — use VLC or your preferred option

• Dropbox (if unused) — great for syncing, but no need to keep it installed if you don’t use it. Requires an account. Free up to 5GB storage.

Use Caution

These aren’t bad apps, but they serve niche purposes or can affect your workflow. Only uninstall if you’re sure you don’t need them:

• Intel Graphics Command Center, Realtek Audio Console, AMD/NVIDIA tools — used to tweak display/audio settings

• OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive — only uninstall if you’re not syncing any files

• Printer/scanner utilities — the actual drivers are essential, but the extras can usually go

• Duplicate app versions — some apps install both desktop and Microsoft Store versions (e.g., Skype)

• Old or bundled games — check whether you're using them or if they contain saved data

Leave These Alone

These are core components, support files, or tools that can break things if removed. Even if they sound mysterious, leave them alone unless you're 100% sure:

• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables — required by many programs

• .NET Framework — used by countless apps

• DirectX, PowerShell, Windows SDKs — core to the Windows operating system

• Drivers and hardware support software — Bluetooth, chipsets, touchpads, etc.

• Security software you actively use — this includes Windows Defender, Bitdefender, or other antivirus/firewall tools

• Anything you don’t recognize — better safe than sorry. Look it up before removing

🔹 Download the Checklist

Want a quick version of this guide to print or keep handy?

Safe To Uninstall Checklist

4.84KB ∙ PDF file

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