10 Useless Windows 10 Components You Should Disable and Remove
Vindovs / / January 05, 2021
Windows 10 is packed with features, and not all of them can be useful to you. Many components can be removed so that they are not an eyesore, and free disk space will be freed up. For owners of Ultrabooks with a 128 GB SSD, this is not bad.
Most of the applications listed in this article can be found by clicking Start → Settings → Applications → Applications and Features → Additional Features. Here you need to select the unnecessary component and click "Delete".
Separate instructions are provided for those parts of the system that cannot be removed in the Options menu.
Deleted packages can be restored by clicking Add Component. So, if necessary, you will be able to bring the system back to its original form. So let's start cleaning.
1. Cortana
The latest 20H1 update brings Cortana to Windows 10 computers - even those that didn't have it before. Russian users with bated breath click the coveted blue circle... and see the inscription "Cortana is not available in your region."
Why add an assistant who does not speak Russian to systems with Russian localization is unknown. Therefore, it is better to remove it so that it does not take up space.
Right-click the Start icon, then select Windows PowerShell (Admin). Enter the command:
Get-appxpackage -allusers Microsoft.549981C3F5F10 | Remove-AppxPackage
And press Enter. Cortana will be removed.
If someday Microsoft does make Cortana available for Russia, you can easily install it back from the Microsoft Store.
2. Internet Explorer
Regular Internet Explorer is used to download Chrome or Firefox after reinstalling Windows 10. And after that, you can also safely remove it.
Click Start → Settings → Applications → Applications and Features → Additional Features. Select Internet Explorer and click Remove. That's all.
If it turns out that you still need Internet Explorer, click "Add component" in the same window, select the appropriate package and click "Install".
3. Windows Media Player
An extremely useless player that looks like the good old Windows XP days. Microsoft, apparently, themselves realize its uselessness, because in the system besides it there is "Groove Music" and "Movies and TV".
Since most users after installing Windows 10 still use the mentioned programs from Microsoft or download third-party players, Windows Media Player can be uninstalled. This can be done in the "Additional components" window.
4. Paint
Some people paint primitive comics in Paint, but for most people this editor is useless. He has a lot of quality free alternatives.
Previously, Paint was built into the system so that it could not be removed, but with the 20H1 update Microsoft made it possible for Windows 10 users. Find Paint in the Options menu.
5. WordPad
A simple built-in text editor with no outstanding features. It cannot open DOC and DOCX formats, and saves typed texts in not the most popular RTF format. In short, a pretty useless thing.
WordPad is uninstalled through "Additional Components". You can use Microsoft Word, Open Office, or Google Docs instead.
6. Windows Fax and Scan
This piece is necessary if your computer is in the office. But among home users there are a lot of those who do not have a scanner or a printer. As for the fax… many people won't remember the last time they sent a fax.
In the Options menu, find the Windows Fax and Scan package and click Uninstall. If desired, it can be easily returned to its place.
7. "Fast support"
Windows 10 built-in tool "Quick help" - a good thing in theory, which few people use in practice. Everyone basically helps their friends through alternative programs remote access.
If you already have TeamViewer installed, or if your friends are able to log into Odnoklassniki without assistance, the Quick Support package can be uninstalled.
8. View Tasks
Task View or Timeline is the button next to the Start menu that, when you click on it, brings up recently opened files and documents. If you use a Microsoft account and mobile apps, you can also find files from other devices here, such as Word documents open on your iPhone or Android.
It's a funny thing, but so far it only pulls for a concept. It is very inconvenient to navigate the files here. And it is not clear why something should be searched for in the timeline, if there is a search, folders and menus of recent documents in the "Explorer" and on the taskbar. All in all, Timeline is a beautiful but hardly useful tool.
To turn it off, click Start → Settings → Privacy → Activity Log.
Disable the "Save my activity log on this device" and "Send my activity log to Microsoft" checkboxes. Then deactivate your account under "Show activity from these accounts" and click "Clear".
Finally, right-click on the taskbar and disable Show Task Viewer button.
9. People button
This button on the taskbar displays your contacts and allows you to pin them to the taskbar. In principle, the idea is not bad, but this function is integrated only with the "Mail" Windows 10 and Skype, so there is no use from it, consider it.
Right-click the taskbar and click Show People Panel on Taskbar. That's all.
10. Universal Applications
In addition to the above components, there are many more "Universal Applications" in Windows 10. These are the ones that open when you click on the tiles in the Start menu. They are optimized for touch screens.
Their usefulness varies from case to case, for example, Mail or Photos are quite worthwhile programs. But why would you need a 3D Viewer or Xbox Console Companion if you don't have a 3D printer or a Microsoft console?
You can remove the 3D Viewer using the Windows PowerShell command:
Get-AppxPackage * 3d * | Remove-AppxPackage
And to remove "Xbox Console Companion" you need to type:
Get-AppxPackage * xboxapp * | Remove-AppxPackage
A complete list of commands for removing other universal applications can be found in our leadership.
If you choose to repair these programs, you can find them in the Microsoft Store. Or type the Windows PowerShell command to restore everything in bulk.
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$ ($ _. InstallLocation) \ AppXManifest.xml"}
But keep in mind that you only need to execute the command if you really like Microsoft applications.
Read also🧐
- 12 things to do after installing Windows 10
- 12 Windows 10 Programs You Should Remove Right Now
- 10 reasons to stop using antivirus software in 2020