How to Remove These 9 Unwanted Windows 10 Apps and Programs

by David Trounce

Do you use all the programs in your Microsoft Windows installation? It is not uncommon for your system to have installed apps or programs that you don’t realize are there.

All Windows installations come with built-in apps. They take up valuable space on your hard drive. Often these are start-up programs that can also affect your computer’s performance by running in the background and slowing it down.

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    Unused or outdated programs can also contain dangerous or malicious code. These unwanted programs that you never asked for in the first place are called bloatware. They include:

    How do you identify and remove unwanted Windows 10 apps and programs?

    Scan Your Installed Programs & Use Regular Uninstall

    Don’t delete something if you are not sure what it does. Some work with other programs or apps to enable them to work. For example, drivers and some support programs are related to your hardware, so don’t delete them. If you do, you might break something.

    If you aren’t sure, do a Google search for the name of the unwanted Windows 10 app or program to see what it does and if your computer needs it.

    Uninstall Preinstalled Or New Windows Apps

    For Windows 8 and 10 users, many apps come pre-installed. Some are isolated from the rest of your system, unwanted, and difficult to find. 

    Your Windows system might include outdated, redundant apps or programs that are no longer supported and potentially malicious.

    Below are nine examples of unwanted Windows 10 apps and programs, and how to remove them.

    PC Optimizer Pro

    Many users have at some point, intentionally or by accident, installed a PC-cleaning app. Most of these products are useless, and many are harmful because registry cleaners don’t improve Windows’ performance.

    PC Optimizer Pro is an example. It is advertised as a system optimizer that claims it has detected several issues on your computer when installed.

    If you try to fix the issues, it will tell you that you need to buy the full version to do so.

    To remove it from your computer, follow the steps below.

    MyCleanPC

    MyCleanPC is another fraudulent system registry cleaner. The Microsoft community strongly recommends against using MyCleanPC and other programs that claim to clean your registry and optimize your system.

    Instead, they often cause harm to systems by destroying necessary settings and files and rendering Windows unusable.

    Microsoft’s Windows Defender is preinstalled and built into the operating system. It will detect MyCleanPC and associated tag files as a potentially unwanted program.

    Java

    Only certain features of some programs such as LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice need Java to run correctly.

    Java doesn’t run on the most recent browsers. Unless you are an Android developer or are using specialized software that requires Java, you should uninstall it. 

    At the very least, make sure you are using the most updated version of Java to avoid putting your privacy and computer at risk.

    If you don’t know if you need Java, be sure you are running the latest version.

    QuickTime

    QuickTime is currently used on macOS as Apple’s video player. However, the Windows version has not been supported since 2016. It also has a few critical vulnerabilities and is therefore no longer safe for Windows machines.

    Coupon Printer

    The Windows Coupon Printer provides access to deals from Coupons.com. However, the software is often bundled with other programs, and many users don’t realize they installed it. You can use the same program without downloading any software.

    Uninstall the Coupon Printer with the same Regular Uninstall process as follows: Control Panel > Programs and Features > select Coupon Printer by Coupons.com > Uninstall.  

    Microsoft Silverlight

    Microsoft Silverlight is a web framework developed for running Internet apps and is like Adobe Flash. It is not supported anymore by modern browsers because most of them have transitioned to HTML5.

    Shockwave Player

    Like Adobe Flash Player, Shockwave Player is a runtime plugin. It was discontinued in April 2019 and is no longer offered for download. You can uninstall it using the conventional Windows 10 standard removal as many of the programs and apps above.

    Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Add or remove programs. Find Shockwave Player, click on it, and then select Uninstall.

    My News Wire

    My News Wire is an ad-supported app developed by SaferBrowser that claims to give users easy access to live coverage and favorite news channels. It often sneaks onto your computer without your knowledge. Once installed, it will start redirecting searches and show annoying popups.

    Since its business model is to make money from ads, it is known to spread malware and adware infections.

    1. Uninstall My News Wire the usual way by navigating to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Add or remove programs.
    2. From the list of programs, look for My News Wire or SaferBrowser. Find either one, click on it and select Uninstall.

    uTorrent

    uTorrent is a popular torrent client that has, in recent years, got chunky, bloated, and even dangerous. It is now considered untrustworthy by many because it has been found to bundle with cryptocurrency mining software, includes offers for junk browsers, and wastes your system resources.

    To uninstall uTorrent, first try finding it in the list of programs on your computer, and use the regular uninstall method. If you can’t find uTorrent listed, use one of the methods below.

    Manually Uninstall & Delete Leftover

    The programs and apps listed above aren’t necessary because they aren’t serving any useful purpose and could be causing your system harm. If you find that you need or want one of them again, you can reinstall it. 

    It’s always a good idea to keep your computer clean by removing unwanted Windows 10 apps and programs you no longer need or want.

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