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I've been trying to remove Windows 10 Bloatware including Candy Crush Saga, Bubble Witch Saga, and Minecraft.

First, I tried simply uninstalling them, but the folders for these apps are not being removed and remain in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps.

The most common solution I've seen researching this issue is to remove the app package through Powershell, but doing this still does not remove the folders.

Is it safe to simply delete the folders corresponding to each app?

Edit

Don't mess with the permissions in the WindowsApps folder...can not launch Windows Store even after two resets (one keeping files and one removing them).

Edit 2

Ended up reinstalling a windows from a fresh iso. Only solution I have found.

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  • Even with the folders still there, the app is removed by right-click > Uninstall. Is there a reason you wish to remove the folders?
    – music2myear
    Commented May 30, 2018 at 17:18
  • 1
    "Is it safe to simply delete the folders corresponding to each app?" Yes.
    – Moab
    Commented May 30, 2018 at 18:51
  • 1
    The thing is that the folders still contain all of the app files, so they are taking up a good amount of space.
    – and
    Commented May 30, 2018 at 22:39
  • I ended up reinstalling Windows from a fresh image. @Biswapriyo
    – and
    Commented Jun 9, 2018 at 3:30
  • If you run icacls "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" /reset /t /c /q after you finish your cleanup then "messing with permissions" will be reverted and Store starts working again.
    – Roland Pihlakas
    Commented Feb 5, 2020 at 23:03

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

You can use Bulk Crap Uninstaller for uninstalling bloatware and it will also remove residual files.

Steps:

  1. Download the program
  2. Run the installer and open the program
  3. Find the programs that you want to remove and check them
  4. Click the uninstall button Image
  5. Confirm the apps you want to uninstall and click 'Continue'
  6. Look through the settings and click 'Continue'
  7. Click 'Begin Uninstallation'
  8. Confirm the files and click delete
  9. Wait until the uninstaller finishes
  10. Click 'Search For Leftovers' to remove residual files
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  • 1
    I cannot see candy crush listed in BCU
    – Chris2048
    Commented Aug 2, 2020 at 20:17
  • And I cannot see Bubble witch saga in BCU though it seems to be on my PC according to its thick folder
    – Gerald Schade
    Commented Sep 10, 2022 at 9:09
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You can try Windows' own CLI tool called Winget from the regular command shell.

List the installed programs:

winget list

The output will look like this:

Name                             Id                                     Version
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...
March of Empires: War of Lords   A278AB0D.MarchofEmpires_h6adky7gbf63m  8.0.0.0
....

Use the Id to uninstall the app:

winget uninstall A278AB0D.MarchofEmpires_h6adky7gbf63m
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