8 Unnecessary Windows Programs and Applications You Should Uninstall
8 Unnecessary Windows Programs and Applications You Should Uninstall
How many programs do you actually use on a regular basis out of all the software on your computer? The majority of people have a fair amount of superfluous software installed on their computers. While some of these applications are simply outdated, others are Windows bloatware, malicious software, or other computer clutter that you can delete.
The following are some frequently used but unnecessary Windows 10 apps that you should uninstall.
QuickTime Player
Apple's video player is called QuickTime. While the program is still supported on macOS, the Windows version has been discontinued since 2016.
Shortly after Apple announced the deprecation of QuickTime for Windows, Trend Micro discovered several critical flaws in the software. Because Apple will never patch these vulnerabilities, it is no longer safe to have QuickTime installed.
QuickTime should be removed without causing any disruptions, as iTunes does not rely on it. If you're looking for a replacement for QuickTime, try VLC, which can play almost anything.
uTorrent
uTorrent was once regarded as the industry's gold standard for torrent software. However, it has encountered a slew of issues over the years, rendering it untrustworthy at the moment.
Apart from the advertisements crammed into the interface, uTorrent includes advertisements for other software tools, which is obnoxious. Its most egregious offense occurred in 2015, when the app was discovered to be bundling cryptocurrency mining software without informing users. This squandered your system's resources in the background to generate revenue for the company, which allegedly donated some of the proceeds to charity.
Microsoft Silverlight
Silverlight is a web framework, similar to Adobe Flash, that previously enabled your browser to display rich media content. Several years ago, these plugins were required on a large number of websites. However, they have been deprecated and are no longer useful. When we revisit W3Techs, we see that less than 0.03 percent of websites were using Silverlight in early 2021.
Silverlight is incompatible with modern browsers; Chrome and Firefox have not supported it for years, and it was never compatible with Edge. Silverlight is officially supported only by Internet Explorer, which is included in Windows 10 for compatibility purposes. Nothing will be lost by uninstalling Silverlight.
Coupon Printer for Windows
Coupon Printer for Windows's purpose is to provide access to Coupons.com deals. However, because this software is frequently included with other programs, the likelihood is that you did not intend to install it in the first place.
If you're a devoted Coupons.com user, you can leave this one installed in order to take advantage of the site's discounts. The remainder of the population should uninstall this program and visit another coupon site that does not require installation.
All Toolbars and Junk Browser Extensions
When considering what to uninstall from Windows 10, junk in your browser is an obvious candidate. While toolbars were once a much bigger issue, modern versions of Chrome and other browsers have fought back and largely eliminated them. However, spammy extensions continue to exist.
Look for toolbars such as the Bing Bar, Google Toolbar, Ask Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar, or Babylon Toolbar in your programs list. Uninstall them if you discover any. Following that, review the add-ons or extensions that are installed in your browsers. Ascertain that everything there is recognized and reviewed, as even reputable extensions can be sold to shady companies.
Manufacturer Bloatware
Unless you're using a premium device like the Surface Pro or have reinstalled Windows on a new desktop, the chances are your computer came preinstalled with a slew of manufacturer-installed junk. This issue affects laptops from HP, Dell, Toshiba, and Lenovo, among others.
Consider the following list of superfluous programs that you should delete, as none of them are required for Windows to function. Certain preinstalled branded applications, such as photo editors, gaming tools, and anything that duplicates Windows utilities, are completely unnecessary. Others, such as driver/BIOS update utilities (such as Lenovo System Update), are useful to have on hand.
WinRAR
While having a file extraction and compression tool on hand is certainly beneficial, WinRAR is not the optimal choice. Due to the app's old-school "shareware" license, it's become something of a punchline. You can download a "trial" version of WinRAR for free, but after using it for a period of time, you will be prompted to pay. However, even if you do not pay, the app will never lock you out, allowing you to continue using it indefinitely.
Despite this, there is little reason to use WinRAR in the first place. 7-Zip is a free and straightforward tool that meets the majority of people's needs. If you dislike the appearance of 7-Zip, you can try another file extraction tool. However, please do not pay for WinRAR.
Windows 10 Bloatware
It's one thing to have to remove manufacturer bloatware, but Microsoft includes a fair amount of its own in Windows 10. This is accomplished through the use of Store applications. Fortunately, you can easily uninstall the majority of these ineffective programs.
Certain default Modern apps, such as Xbox and Weather, are beneficial to some users but not to others. Others, such as Candy Crush Saga, are unnecessary clutter.
