PRO Courses Hot Guides Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade QUIZZES All Quizzes Hot Community Quizzes Love Quizzes Personality Quizzes Trivia Quizzes Taylor Swift Quizzes EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard Trending Forums Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Quizzes Love Quizzes Personality Quizzes Fun Games Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth LOG IN Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. Facebook Google wikiHow Account No account yet? Create an account Browse Articles Quizzes & Games All Quizzes Hot Community Quizzes Personality Quizzes Dating Simulator Learn Something New Support wikiHow Log in / Sign up Computers and Electronics Operating Systems Last Updated: April 28, 2026 Fact Checked Using the Start Menu Using Control Panel This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene has been writing and editing tech content at wikiHow since 2019. She previously worked for AppleCare, served as a writing tutor, volunteered in IT at an animal rescue, and taught as an adjunct professor for EN101 and EN102. Darlene has completed Coursera courses on technology, writing, and language. She holds both a BA (2011) and an MA (2012) from Rowan University in Writing, with a focus on workplace communication. With her extensive experience, academic background, and ongoing learning, Darlene has become the go-to grammar expert for her friends and family, as well as a skilled wordsmith for anyone in need. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 217,908 times. Learn more... We've all experienced it--you download a software program, thinking you'll use it all the time. Then a few months pass, and you realize you haven't even opened it once. Worse than that, all it's doing is collecting cyber dust and slowing down your computer. It's time to remove that unwanted program, and this guide shows you how. Easily Get Rid of Unused Programs on Your Computer Right-click the app from the Start menu, Settings app, or Control Panel. Click Uninstall . Using the Start Menu 1 Open the Start menu. Press the Win key or click the Windows logo in the taskbar. If you're using Windows 11, you'll see only pinned apps. If the program you're looking for isn't pinned, press All apps . [1] X Research source If you're using Windows 11, you'll see only pinned apps. If the program you're looking for isn't pinned, press All apps . [1] X Research source 2 Right-click an app. When you find the program that you want to get rid of, you can press and hold on it (if you have a touchscreen), or right-click it. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source Advertisement 3 Click Uninstall . Doing so will delete the program from your computer. 1 Open Settings. Press Win + I or open the Start menu and click the gear icon. [3] X Research source 2 Click Apps . If you're using Windows 10, the option is in the middle of your screen. If you're using Windows 11, you'll see Apps in the menu on the left. [4] X Research source 3 Click Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps & features . This will display a list of all the apps and programs you have installed on your computer. [5] X Research source 4 Click ••• (Windows 11) or click the app (Windows 10). In either version of Windows, a menu will open with more options. [6] X Research source If you're using a touchscreen, you can also press and hold the app's name. If you're using a touchscreen, you can also press and hold the app's name. 5 Click Uninstall . Doing so will delete the program from your computer. [7] X Research source Using Control Panel 1 Open Control Panel. Easily find and open it whether you're using Windows 10 or 11 by pressing the Win key and typing in "Control Panel", then clicking the app result.

2 Select Uninstall a program or Programs and features . You'll see either depending on the "View" category that you have selected. 3 Right-click the software or program you want to remove. A menu will appear at your cursor. Alternatively, left-click the program to select it, then click Uninstall above. If you have a touch screen, press and hold the app's name. Alternatively, left-click the program to select it, then click Uninstall above. If you have a touch screen, press and hold the app's name. 4 Click Uninstall . Doing so will delete the program from your computer. [8] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source These methods most likely will not remove any files or folders that the app leaves behind. To get rid of everything, use a third-party uninstallation tool, like Revo. These methods most likely will not remove any files or folders that the app leaves behind. To get rid of everything, use a third-party uninstallation tool, like Revo. Question How do I know which programs I should uninstall to cleanup my computer? Community Answer Look for programs you installed that you don't use any more or that you haven't used in a long time. A lot of programs that are vital for system operation are difficult to uninstall. If you have any concerns about whether a program is necessary, check the name on the internet. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 6 Helpful 10 Question How do delete undeletable programs from my computer? Community Answer Some programs are necessary for the functioning of your system and should not be deleted. If you suspect that a program may be harmful or you know what it is and know for sure you don't need it, you should google how to remove that program specifically, as they can all be different and it can get complex. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 6 Helpful 14 Question How do I identify unnecessary software that was inadvertently downloaded or is spam? Community Answer Use anti-virus software such as Avast or AVG to identify spam software. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 5 Helpful 5 If the app does not appear in any of these lists, you can look and see if the program has an uninstall file. In case it doesn't, you can uninstall it using the Windows Registry . [9] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0 You Might Also Like ↑ https://www.theverge.com/23053353/windows-11-uninstall-apps-how-to ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uninstall-or-remove-apps-and-programs-in-windows-4b55f974-2cc6-2d2b-d092-5905080eaf98#ID0EBD=Windows_10&id0ebd=windows_10 ↑ https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/techtips/how-to-uninstall-an-app-on-windows/ ↑ https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/techtips/how-to-uninstall-an-app-on-windows/ ↑ https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/techtips/how-to-uninstall-an-app-on-windows/ ↑ https://teamdynamix.umich.edu/TDClient/99/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=5992 ↑ https://teamdynamix.umich.edu/TDClient/99/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=5992 ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uninstall-or-remove-apps-and-programs-in-windows-4b55f974-2cc6-2d2b-d092-5905080eaf98 ↑ https://www.uvm.edu/~bnelson/computer/windows95/usetheregistrytoremoveitemsfrominstalluninstalllist.html About This Article Send fan mail to authors Is this article up to date? Quizzes & Games You Might Also Like Trending Articles Trending Articles Take the Quiz. Face the Truth. 🔥 Decode Yourself 🧩 Featured Videos Hot Takes Only 🔥 Your Daily Dose of Fun 🎉 Computers and Electronics Operating Systems Do Not Sell or Share My Info Not Selling Info Keep up with tech in just 5 minutes a week!