[1809 Compatible] How to Completely Remove Bloatware from Windows 10 (Essentially Making It LTSB)

As the title suggests, this article is about completely removing the bloatware that comes bundled with Windows 10.

One of the most frustrating aspects of Windows 10 is the issue of apps being automatically installed without user consent. There are various methods people use to remove these apps.

However, if you search Google for “Windows 10 remove unwanted apps,” most methods leave several apps behind. This guide covers how to remove as many as possible.

Personally, I’ve been quite frustrated with Windows 10’s bloatware and had even considered installing Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB — an edition that doesn’t include the Microsoft Store at all.

(As the “Enterprise” name implies, it’s aimed at businesses and requires purchasing at least 3 licenses simultaneously, so I gave up on that idea.)

With that preamble out of the way, let’s get into the guide.

About Complete Removal

Like the many methods described online, this approach also uses PowerShell.

However, the key difference is that this method “completely removes” the apps. With this approach, even creating a new user account will not reinstall the apps, so please be aware of that.

If you need the apps back later, you’ll need to perform a recovery or clean install.

Nearly all Windows UWP apps will be removed, including the Microsoft Store itself.

Method

Bulk Removal

Open PowerShell with administrator privileges.

Copy and paste the following command and run it:

Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {$_.Name -ne "Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost"} | Where-Object {$_.Name -ne "Microsoft.Cortana"} | Remove-AppxPackage

When you run the command, you’ll see red text scrolling for a while — just let it run.

Once it finishes, restart your computer.

After restarting, nearly all UWP apps will be gone.

The only remaining apps will be “Cortana,” “Microsoft Edge,” “Windows Security,” and “Connect.”

“Cortana” cannot be removed on the latest Windows 10 October 2018 Update (1809), but “Microsoft Edge” can still be removed.

How to Remove Microsoft Edge

Right-click the Edge icon on the taskbar and click “Unpin from taskbar.”

*If you forget to unpin it before removing Edge, a mysterious blank icon will remain on the taskbar that you won’t be able to delete.

Visit the following website and download the batch file:

https://winaero.com/download.php?view.1835

Extract the downloaded file and run “Uninstall Edge.cmd” as administrator.

A Command Prompt window will open and the removal process will begin. Wait for it to complete.

Once finished, you’ll be prompted to restart — go ahead and restart.

Microsoft Edge has now been removed.

How to Remove the Connect App

Do not remove this if you use screen mirroring (Miracast) to project your display via Wi-Fi.

The process is almost identical to removing Microsoft Edge.

Visit the following website and download the batch file:

https://winaero.com/download.php?view.1895

Extract the downloaded file and run “Uninstall Connect.cmd” as administrator.

A Command Prompt window will open and the removal process will begin. Wait for it to complete.

Once finished, you’ll be prompted to restart — go ahead and restart.

The Connect app has now been removed.

I won’t cover how to remove Windows Security here due to security concerns — I’d rather not encourage indiscriminate disabling of security features.

If you absolutely must remove it, the process is similar, so you can look it up yourself.

With this, you’ll have removed nearly all Windows UWP apps, leaving only “Cortana” and “Windows Security.”

It’s a bit frustrating that Cortana still remains, but it cannot be removed on the latest Windows 10 October 2018 Update (1809).

It may be possible to remove it on older versions, so I’ll leave a link to a Cortana disabling script just in case:

https://winaero.com/download.php?view.1832

Summary

As you can see, the removal process is relatively straightforward.

Here’s what the final result looks like. It’s incredibly refreshing to have so few unnecessary apps.

Now there’s no need to go out of your way to purchase Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB.

I think very few people actually want UWP apps built into Windows 10, so Microsoft really doesn’t need to make them so stubbornly impossible to remove.

Also, the ad displays are — to put it mildly — terrible. I’d gladly pay an extra 5,000 yen for a clean installation like the old Windows 7 days.

And with that wishful thinking, I’ll wrap up this article.