5 Home windows 11 apps I uninstall for a cleaner, smoother expertise

Everybody personalizes their Windows PC in their very own method, and I desire to maintain mine as clear and minimal as potential. I cover all my desktop icons, so my desktop all the time appears to be like tidy, and my taskbar solely has essentially the most important apps pinned. Relating to apps, I solely hold those I truly use put in to maintain my PC as clutter-free as potential.

That mentioned, when you’ve simply gotten a brand new Home windows 11 PC, upgraded from Windows 10, or carried out a contemporary set up, there are a lot of apps that Microsoft routinely installs that you just would possibly by no means use or just don’t need. I would not go as far as to name them bloatware, however I feel it is truthful to say that not everybody wants among the default apps that include Home windows 11. In the event you’re not utilizing them, I like to recommend uninstalling them to save lots of space for storing and assist hold your PC clear. Listed here are 5 default Home windows 11 apps I all the time uninstall, which you’ll wish to take into account too.

Microsoft Copilot

I like my Home windows expertise AI-free

Over the previous yr, I’ve needed to arrange a number of new Home windows PCs, and one of many first issues I all the time do is uninstall Copilot, Microsoft’s AI chatbot. Whereas it might be helpful relying in your workflow, I by no means discover myself utilizing it, because it simply takes up pointless house. Fortunately, Microsoft has made uninstalling Copilot surprisingly simple. All it’s important to do is go to Settings > Apps > Copilot > then click on the three dots subsequent to Copilot and choose Uninstall. The identical uninstall course of applies to the remainder of the apps talked about on this story as properly.

While you seek for Copilot in your app checklist, you might also discover one other model known as Microsoft 365 Copilot, which it’s also possible to uninstall if you would like. That is primarily a model of Copilot built-in with apps like Microsoft Phrase and Excel. If you wish to use AI in these apps, by all means, hold it. Nonetheless, when you do not use any Microsoft Workplace apps and as an alternative use options like Google Docs and Google Sheets, it is value eliminating it. In the event you ever wish to reinstall Copilot, you possibly can simply accomplish that from the Microsoft Retailer.

Microsoft Groups

In the event you use another like Slack, you in all probability do not want it

Microsoft Groups is a messaging and video conferencing app that many corporations use to deal with communication between staff. Personally, the corporate I work for would not use Microsoft Groups and depends on options like Slack and Google Meet, so I’ve by no means had to make use of it.

Moreover, for private video calls and messaging with buddies or household, I often use different apps like Discord, WhatsApp, or FaceTime, so Groups is simply pointless. In the event you’re in an analogous scenario and haven’t got a use case for Groups, uninstalling it’s a straightforward strategy to liberate house and tidy up your PC’s app checklist.

The Xbox app

Sorry Microsoft, Steam is the house of PC gaming

I really like taking part in video games on my PC in my free time, however the Xbox app is not the best way I do it. Like many PC players, I depend on Steam, which I have been utilizing for over a decade. I’ve solely ever used the Xbox app a couple of times, and that was when Microsoft was providing these $1 PC Recreation Cross trials.

Since then, I have never had a compelling use case for it, and with the latest increase in the cost of Xbox Recreation Cross Final and PC Recreation Cross, it would not appear like I’ll within the close to future both. In the event you do not play video games in your PC or rely solely on different platforms like Steam and Epic Video games for all of your gaming wants, the Xbox app is one other simple uninstall.

Sound Recorder

Audacity is best and free

Sound Recorder is a pre-installed app in Home windows 11, and because the title suggests, you need to use it to report audio in your PC, corresponding to for a podcast or voice-over. Nonetheless, I imagine that Sound Recorder has very restricted options for audio recording, and there are different apps that deal with each recording and modifying audio a lot better. Audacity is my private favourite, and it is free. With that in thoughts, uninstalling Sound Recorder was an apparent selection for me, and it is perhaps for you too, particularly when you need not report your personal voice for something.

Outlook for Home windows

I desire to test my electronic mail utilizing an internet browser

I test my electronic mail continuously whereas utilizing my PC, however I do not use the Outlook app for Home windows for that. The Outlook app for Home windows affords the identical inbox expertise you are aware of in your net browser, simply in a devoted app. You probably have an Outlook or an previous Hotmail electronic mail, you would possibly discover it helpful. Nonetheless, I often entry my electronic mail on my cellphone or via Google Chrome; due to this fact, I by no means felt the necessity to use the devoted Outlook app. In the event you’re in the identical boat, uninstalling Outlook might be worthwhile for you too.

Moreover, when you put in Home windows 11 some time in the past, you may need one other mail app value eliminating. After I went to uninstall Outlook, I observed I additionally had an older Home windows electronic mail app known as Mail and Calendar put in. Microsoft truly discontinued this app final yr in favor of the Outlook for Home windows app, so you might have two mail apps to uninstall, not only one, relying on how lengthy you’ve got been utilizing Home windows 11.