Windows 11 update will let you uninstall Microsoft bloatware — what you need to know

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Latest Windows 11 preview build lets you uninstall even more built-in Windows apps

Windows 11 logo on a laptop screen
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Windows 11 has many useful built-in apps, but it also has many you might seldom or never use. You can uninstall some apps, but not all. Thankfully, a version of Windows  11 is in the works that allows you to uninstall more apps than before.

Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25931 to the Canary Channel of the Windows Insider program, which lets folks preview potential Windows 11 updates before they’re released to the public—if said updates ever go public at all.

In fairness to Microsoft, the company has allowed us to uninstall more and more apps over time. However, there are still a fair number of Windows 11 programs you simply can’t uninstall, which is disappointing.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that changes introduced in this preview build will see the light of day. But given how Microsoft has steadily been letting people uninstall more “bloatware” since Windows 11 launched, I won’t be surprised when this update releases publicly in some form — perhaps in the big Windows 11 update expected in September.

Other changes found in this preview build include more fields in the File Explorer Details pane, syncing your Windows accent color with RGB lights on devices, the ability to disable Windows Spotlight and more.

Outlook 

Most built-in Windows apps don’t take up much space on your hard drive. However, it's reasonable to want to remove unused apps from your PC. To that end, giving us greater freedom over the apps we choose to keep or discard will surely be welcomed by most Windows 11 users.

Again, it’s unclear when or if any of the changes introduced in Insider Preview Build 25931 will come to pass. We should find out one way or another when the big Windows 11 update hits in September. Stay tune for more!

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Tony Polanco
Tony Polanco
Senior Computing Writer

Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.