Of all the software on your computer, how many programs do you actually use on a regular basis? Most people keep a fair amount of unnecessary software installed on their systems. While some of these apps are just out of date, others are Windows bloatware, malicious software, or junk that you can remove from your computer.
Here are some common but unnecessary Windows apps that you should uninstall.
How to Check Your Installed Programs on Windows 11 or Windows 10
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It is easy to review the programs installed on your system using Windows 11 or Windows 10. On Windows 10, open Settings and go to Apps > Apps & features section. On Windows 11, it’s Apps > Installed apps instead. Here, you’ll see a list of everything installed on your PC.
On Windows 11, click the three-dot button and select Uninstall to remove the program. On Windows 10, just click on the entry to show the Uninstall button.
Those still on Windows 8.1 or (unsupported) Windows 7 can click the Start button and search for Programs and Features. This will open a similar list where you can review everything currently installed on your system and uninstall unnecessary apps.
Depending on the software, the app may uninstall immediately or you may need to proceed through a few dialog boxes. See our guide to uninstalling programs on Windows for more details.
Now, let’s see which apps you should uninstall from Windows- remove any below if they are on your system!
1. Quicktime
QuickTime is Apple’s video player. While it’s still an existing program on macOS, the company hasn’t supported the Windows version since 2016.
Shortly after Apple announced the deprecation of QuickTime for Windows, Trend Micro announced that the software had some critical vulnerabilities. Since Apple will never patch these, it is no longer safe to install QuickTime.
Removing QuickTime shouldn’t cause any problems, as iTunes doesn’t depend on it. If you need a replacement for QuickTime, use VLC, which will play almost anything.
2. CCleaner
CCleaner was once a reliable Windows app for cleaning up junk, but its reputation declined after it was acquired by Avast. Previous issues have included forced updates without permission, data collection that enables itself even when the function is disabled, and software inadvertently distributing malware.
When we looked at CCleaner in 2020, we found it had cleaned up its act, but was still largely redundant. You’ll find suitable cleaning tools elsewhere, including on the windows themselves. Follow our step-by-step guide to cleaning your PC and you can say goodbye to CCleaner.
3. Crappy PC Cleaner
Many people have installed (or installed by mistake) a PC-cleaning app at some point. Most of these products range from useless to harmful, as registry cleaners do not improve Windows performance at all. If you find junk like MyCleanPC or PC Optimizer Pro in your list of installed apps, you should remove them.
Read our guide to cleaning mentioned above for the proper cleaning method. If your computer seems slow, try some ways to make Windows faster.
4. uTorrent
uTorrent was once considered the gold standard of torrenting software. However, it has had several issues over the years that now make it unreliable.
In addition to the interface being filled with ads, uTorrent also includes offers for other software tools, which is annoying. Its worst offense occurred in 2015, when the app was found to bundle in cryptocurrency mining software without informing users. It wasted your system resources in the background to make money for the company which allegedly donated something.
There’s no reason to bother with uTorrent. We think qBittorrent is the best torrent client out there because it’s free of all this nonsense.
5. Adobe Flash Player and Shockwave Player
Adobe Flash Player is no longer supported by Adobe or the browsers as of January 2021. Although it is now blocked in all modern browsers, you should still uninstall local copies of Flash. This will keep you safe from any future security issues as Adobe is no longer updating it.
A similar runtime plugin, Adobe Shockwave Player, was discontinued in 2019. The company no longer offers it for download, and you’re very unlikely to find a website that needs it.
Thus you should remove both Shockwave Player and Flash Player. They are both relics of a bygone era and unnecessary today. However, it is still possible to enjoy Flash games offline.
6. Java
Java is another media runtime, and consists of two components: Java on the desktop, and the Java Plugin for browsers (which is notorious for having security problems). Although it was once quite common, very few websites use it nowadays. At the time of writing, W3Techs shows that a fraction of one percent of websites use Java.