How to Delete Apps on ChromeBook and Windows 10
You have so many apps on your phone that it’s getting harder to find the ones you need. Even so, you probably use some apps more than others. There are also times when you might not need an app immediately, but it will come in handy later. There will be other times when you only use an app once and never again, perhaps because a friend showed you how to do something once and you don’t need instructions again, or maybe because it was a limited-time offer that has expired. Regardless of the reason, there will come a time when you want to delete apps from your phone. It’s just not realistic to keep all of them forever. Here is how to do it.
How to delete apps you no longer use
There are two ways to delete (erase) apps you no longer use. You can either delete the app’s data, or you can altogether remove the app from your computer. If you delete only the data, you can still reinstall the app in the future. If you remove the app, you cannot get it back, so make sure you don’t need it anymore. If you use Windows 10, you can remove or erase an app’s data altogether. If you use a Chromebook, you can erase or remove an app’s data completely. Let’s take a look at how to do that.
Deleting apps with a Chromebook or Chromebox
If you use a Chromebook, you can delete an app using these steps: Press Esc + Ctrl + Shift + App switcher key (the key next to the Ctrl key) and select the app. You can also select the app from the Apps section of the Settings page. Click Manage Apps and then select the app. Now choose Info App and click the Remove button. Click Done when prompted.
When Windows 10 will automatically delete old apps
As you use your computer, it will automatically remove apps you don’t use. It will mark these apps as “not in use” after several days. Then Windows 10 will automatically delete the apps after 30 days if they are not “in use.” However, there is no built-in way to tell which apps are in use and which are not. If you want to monitor which apps are active and are no longer being used, you can use a free app like App Inspector.
When you can’t delete an app through the Windows 10 Control Panel
If you cannot remove an app using the steps above, it might be a system app. By default, system apps cannot be deleted. To find out if an app is a system app, you can use the app’s and developer’s names. Here are some examples: System apps can affect system stability and performance, so you might want to uninstall them. However, you cannot do it through the Windows 10 Control Panel. You will have to do it through PowerShell instead. Here are the steps: Open the Start menu and click the Search button. Type PowerShell and select the PowerShell app. You will see a window with a black background. Type “Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers” and press Enter. You can ignore the warning. It is normal.
How to entirely delete an app on Windows 10
If you want to remove an app, you will first have to find out if it is a system app. If it is, you will need to disable it before removing it. Here are the steps: Open the Start menu and click the Search button. Type PowerShell and select the PowerShell app. You will see a window with a black background. Type “Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers” and press Enter. You can ignore the warning. It is normal. Type “Disable-AppXPackage” and press Enter. Now that you have disabled the system app, you can remove it using the steps above.
Now that you know how to delete apps on your computer, you can start to declutter your device and make more space for the apps you use.