The longer you go without weeding through your unnecessary and outdated apps, the more they’ll pile up. And while you can delete these apps one by one, it gets old fast. Deleting apps in bulk is the way to go, especially when you have a different app do all the deleting for you.
Uninstalling Windows apps one by one
It isn’t hard to uninstall apps one at a time, whether you’re running Windows 10 or Windows 11. One way is via the Control Panel. Just search for Control Panel from the search box in your taskbar, then select Programs > Programs and Features. You can then right-click or press and hold on the app you want to get rid of, then choose Uninstall or Uninstall/Change.
You can also delete apps from Start > Settings. Here, head to Apps > Apps & features. Look for the app you want to uninstall. On Windows 11, you’ll need to hit More, but from here, on both platforms, click Uninstall.
Finally, you can remove apps from the Start menu itself. Click Start, then, on Windows 11, click All apps. On either OS, right-click or press and hold on the app you want to delete, then choose Uninstall.
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How to bulk delete apps on Windows
All these methods work great for uninstalling apps on a case-by-case basis, but if you have a lot of cleaning up to do, it can get tedious. Instead, you should turn to a program designed to delete apps in bulk. BCU (Bulk Crap Uninstaller) is a great option for such a task, as Popular Science highlights. It’s designed to be as user-friendly as possible, so even non-techies can easily remove multiples apps and files from their PCs, while offering powerful tools for a deep, optimized cleanup.
To get started, download BCU from one of its various options on its website, then run it. BCU will then scan your computer and present you a list of apps it thinks you can delete. Hit Select using checkboxes, then select the apps you want to remove. When your list is complete, hit Uninstall Quietly. BCU will show you your refined list and a final opportunity to take any off the chopping block.
When you’re sure you want everything on the list to disappear from your PC, you can continue on. Quit any apps that may be open before deleting, then you’re good to go. BCU will take over the deletions while you move on to other important matters.
