Apps

Bloatware Removal Tool: uninstall pre-installed Windows apps

Published on

Bloatware Removal Tool is a free and open source script that Windows administrators can use to uninstall pre-loaded Windows apps and other installed software from Windows PCs. The script is compatible with Windows 7 and subsequent releases of the Windows operating system.

Windows, particularly the newer versions, come pre-installed with a significant variety of applications. While some are unquestionably helpful, such as Notepad, Paint, or Calculator, others, such as 3D Builder, Clipchamp, or Mixed Reality Portal, are frequently overlooked by Windows users.

Bloatware Removal Utility is not a novel concept. I previously studied solutions such as Decrap that targeted manufacturer bloat, including paid program additions. Scripts such as Windows10Debloater were built specifically for Windows 10 and newer versions of Windows in order to solve the growing amount of programs that Microsoft includes by default in its operating systems.

Bloatware Removal Tool is distributed in the form of a batch script and additional files. It features an intuitive graphical user interface that is suitable for beginners.

  • To get started, download the latest source code asset from the project’s releases page on the GitHub repository.
  • Extract the content to the local system after the 332 Kilobyte download completes.
  • Select “run as administrator” from the right-click menu on the Bloatware-Removal-Utility.bat file. The script must be run with elevated privileges. Cautionary users may wish to open the script in any plain text editor first to verify its instructions.
    Before the actual graphical user interface is launched, a command prompt window is displayed for a brief moment.

The portable program’s interface displays a list of all installed apps. Each application is described in detail, including its name, version, and publisher. There is no option to open the program’s folder or primary executable file; these would be beneficial for performing a quick check on specific applications.

The length of the list is determined by previous activities. If the device has a large amount of software installed, the list will be lengthy. The convenient “toggle proposed bloatware” option allows you to check for bloatware that the application finds from a list of bloatware apps. The status bar indicates the number of chosen items.

There is no option to display only checked items, which makes validating the selection tedious, as you must scan the full listing to locate all checked items. However, a click on show/hide console displays a list of these applications.

On a Windows 10 test system, default apps included Candy Crush Saga, Netflix, Microsoft 3D Builder, Disney Magic Kingdom, and March of Empires.

When users click the uninstall selected button in the interface, the application creates a system restore point. It disables automatic application downloads for recommended apps and assigns new users the new default Start Menu layout. All three options are deactivated using the interface’s Options section.

The View menu contains a number of filtering options. You can use it to conceal Microsoft and Universal Windows Platform applications.

Bloatware Removal Utility is a valuable Windows application. It works best when the system is first started to eliminate all unnecessary apps, but it may also be launched later to delete apps or installed programs from systems.

Summary

Bloatware Removal Tool is a free and open source script that Windows administrators can use to uninstall pre-loaded Windows apps and other installed software from Windows PCs. The script is compatible with Windows 7 and subsequent releases of the Windows operating system. It features an intuitive graphical user interface that is suitable for beginners. The portable program’s interface displays a list of all installed apps. Each application is described in detail, including its name, version, and publisher.

There is no option to open the program’s folder or primary executable file. When users click the uninstall selected button in the interface, the application creates a system restore point.

Exit mobile version