Uninstalling Windows 8 programs. How to remove a program in Windows

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If you want to keep your system in good condition, then you need to ensure that there is always free space on your hard drive and remove unused programs. Unfortunately, many users do not know how to properly uninstall software, and many stories about deleting game shortcuts appear out of nowhere. Therefore, in this article we will look at how to remove programs so that as few residual files as possible remain, or none at all.

Proper removal of programs will provide you with the least amount of residual files, which means it will prolong the uninterrupted operation of the operating system. You can uninstall programs using standard Windows tools or using additional software.

Method 1: CCleaner

The most convenient and popular program that keeps your computer clean is CCleaner. This is free software that not only removes the main program files, but also finds all additional ones. You will also find many other tools here, such as managing startup, cleaning temporary files, fixing registry problems and much more.

To uninstall the program using SiCleaner, go to the tab "Service", and then "Remove programs". You will see a list of all programs that are installed on your PC. Select the product that needs to be removed and use the control buttons on the right to select the required action (in our case, "Uninstallation").

Attention!
As you can see, CCleaner offers two seemingly identical buttons: "Delete" And "Uninstallation". The difference between them is what? By clicking the first one, you will simply remove the application from the list, but it will remain on the computer. And to remove the program completely from the system, you need to click on the second button.

Method 2: Revo Uninstaller

An equally interesting and useful program is Revo Uninstaller. The functionality of this software is also not limited to just the ability to remove programs: with its help you can clean up traces in browsers, manage startup and find all the information remaining from applications in the registry and on the hard drive.

There is nothing difficult about uninstalling a program using Revo Uninstaller. In the top panel, click on the tool "Uninstaller", and then select the application you want to remove from the list that appears. Now click on the button "Delete", which is also located in the panel at the top.

Method 3: IObit Uninstaller

And another free program on our list is IObit Uninstaller. The peculiarity of this software is that it allows you to forcibly remove even the most persistent applications. In addition to uninstalling, you can also disable processes, work with Windows updates, manage startup, and much more.

To remove the program, go to the tab "All applications", and then simply select the required software and click on the button "Delete".

Method 4: Standard system tools

Of course, there is also a way to remove the program without using additional software. First of all, call "Control Panel", for example, through the menu Win + X and find the element there "Programs and Features".

Interesting!
You can open the same window using the dialog box "Run", which is called by the key combination Win+R. Just enter the following command there and click "OK":

appwiz.cpl

A window will open where you will find a list of all installed applications. Click on the program you want to remove and click the corresponding button located above the list.

Using the above methods, you can remove programs correctly so that virtually no traces remain. Despite the fact that you can get by with standard tools, we recommend using additional software, because with its help you can maintain system performance.

The user is happy when he manages to install a new program on his computer for the first time, for example, install Skype. There is an even greater feeling of happiness when the user is able to remove programs from a Windows 8 computer for the first time.

Programs are removed from the computer for various reasons, for example when:

they are no longer needed
There is a suspicion that something stopped working on the computer after installing some program. For example, after installing the Windows player, the function keys on the laptop stopped working,
you need to update one or another program. In this case, first remove the old version of the program from the computer, and then download it, preferably from the official website, and install the new version of the program. This is sometimes done, for example, with a browser.
and so on.

How to remove programs from a Windows 8 computer

Let's look at a universal way to remove programs. To do this you should go. To find it, you can type “control panel” in the Windows 8 search bar without quotes and then follow the found link in the search results.

In the Control Panel, go to “Programs”, and then to “Programs and Features”. Here you will see a list of installed programs in Windows 8 (1 in Fig. 1, you can click on the picture to enlarge):

Rice. 1. In Windows 8, look for Control Panel - Programs - Programs and Features.

2 in Fig. 1 – turn the slider and look for the program that needs to be removed.

There are programs here that work in the classic interface. Metro style applications (programs) are not included in this list.

Note. You can remove any programs, but you have to be careful.

You can only remove a program if you know exactly what functions it performs.

Otherwise, you can “rashly” remove system programs, after which, for example, sound on the computer will disappear or video will stop playing.

For example, let’s take the Opera browser as a program to be removed.

3 in Fig. 1 – check the box next to the program that needs to be removed,

4 in Fig. 1 – click the “Delete” button.

A warning window will appear asking “Are you sure you want to remove Opera from your system?” Before deleting, the user is always asked to answer the question whether he really wants to delete the selected program.

Rice. 2. You can remove Opera from a Windows 8 computer

1 in Fig. 2 – before deleting the Opera browser, you should check the box next to “Delete user data”.

2 in Fig. 2 – after this the “More details” button will become active. We click on it.

The “Delete all user data” window will open (Fig. 3):

Rice. 3. First, delete user data from Opera, and then delete the browser itself

Check the checkboxes next to user data (Fig. 3). It is possible that you need to uncheck the boxes next to “Delete bookmarks, contacts and notes” and opposite “Delete passwords and certificates”. If you uncheck the boxes, bookmarks and passwords will NOT be deleted.

After checking the checkboxes, click the “Delete” button.

The Opera browser will be removed.

A window with a green “Download Now” button will immediately appear. If you wish, you can immediately, as they say, without leaving the checkout, reinstall the Opera browser from the official website:

The arrival of the Windows 8 operating system brought with it significant changes to the user interface. A system of tiles was introduced - cute tiles that now occupy the desktop in full screen mode.

At the same time, the location of many familiar options has also changed. Now, when the need arises to install or uninstall a program, many users are faced with the problem of finding the appropriate menu.

The fact is that in previous versions of the operating system, it was enough to go to “Add or Remove Programs,” but in Windows 8 this process was slightly changed. Now there are several ways to get into this directory, which we will look at next.

Directly opening the Programs and Features window

Such an important tool as “Add or Remove Programs” has changed its location. This is why users are wondering where the installation and removal of programs is located in Windows 8. Now, to find it, you need to go to the “Programs and Features” window.

You can do this in several ways:

through the context menu on the desktop;
using a special keyboard shortcut;
using the command line.

Each of these options leads to a single goal, so their choice is entirely up to the user’s personal preferences.

Calling the context menu from the Desktop

The first way to access the Control Panel is directly on the desktop:

Win + X keyboard shortcut

Another simple method is to use the Win + X keyboard shortcut. This will bring up a list similar to the one described in the previous method. There are many useful tools here, including “Programs and Features”, located at the very top.

appwiz.cpl command

You can also open the line of system commands and programs using the keyboard shortcut “Win + R”. After this, the “Run” window will appear, in which you need to enter the command “appwiz.cpl” (without quotes). This will directly open Programs and Features, allowing you to start your scheduled processes right away.

The process looks like this step by step:

Press the combination Win+R on the keyboard;
in the corresponding “Run” line, enter appwiz.cpl;
we get to “Programs and Features”, where you can start installing or removing the necessary elements.

How to find Add or Remove Programs in Windows 8 in Control Panel

You can access installing and uninstalling programs in Windows 8 in other ways. For example, using quick access to the control panel on the desktop or the search option. Using both of these options, you can get to the desired menu in just a few clicks. Next we will talk about them in more detail.

Video: Installation and removal in Windows 8

Settings section on the Desktop or Win+I

The Settings section is available on the desktop in full screen mode.

To go to it you need to:

move the cursor to the right side of the screen until the sidebar appears;
at the bottom of the list that appears there will be a gear icon - this is “Settings”;
click on it and in the new window select “Control Panel”;
From here we go to “Programs and Features”, located in the lower left corner of the window.

This function can also be performed by a simple keyboard shortcut Win+I.

Through the Menu button Search

You can also get to the desired directory using the “Search” option.

The button needed for this is located on the desktop:

Note! The appearance of the “Applications” list may differ significantly depending on the OS version and programs installed on the personal computer. On a “clean” system without additional applications, its list will be quite small, but on more cluttered PCs you will have to look for the required icon.

There is another way to open the Search menu.

To do this you need:

hover over the Start icon at the bottom left of the screen;
right-click on it;
in the window that appears, select “Search”;
Use this menu to find the desired directory.

Often, along with methods for uninstalling the program itself, it becomes necessary to get rid of the corresponding shortcut attached to one of the icons on the desktop. How to do it?

You won't need to go into Programs and Features during this process:

find the icon to be deleted;
right-click on it or hold the cursor for a few seconds;
In the pop-up panel at the bottom, select “Remove from Start Menu.”

We hope that this article answered the question of how to find the directory you need and proceed to installing and uninstalling programs. Each of the described methods is easy to perform and remember, so every user who follows our instructions will not have any problems in the future with finding the installation and removal of programs on devices running Windows 8.

Installing and uninstalling programs - what could be easier? But with Windows 8 or 8.1, it turns out that sometimes difficulties arise. The fact is that in addition to the usual installed utilities, there are also Metro applications downloaded through the store. Their removal can be done in a completely different way.

Classic uninstallation

But it’s worth starting with how to remove an application from your computer in current Windows with a tiled interface through the control panel. In both G8s, this is done by the “Programs and Features” utility from the Control Panel, familiar since the ancient days of Microsoft. You can go almost the classical way (“There is no Start”):

Move your mouse cursor to one of the right corners of your desktop.
In the interface that appears, select “Options” and click on it.

You will see a list of Settings menus, from which you can select Control Panel.
In the window that opens, launch “Programs and Features”.

Here you can delete any application by highlighting it and clicking on the corresponding button.

Windows 8 generally offers a lot of ways to remove utilities from a computer that were installed in the standard way, that is, through an exe file. Essentially, they all boil down to the Control Panel, but there are a lot of options for how to get into it.

For example, you can simply open a tiled screen with a list of all programs and, by clicking on the one you don’t need, select “Delete”. If this is a regular desktop utility and not Metro, you will immediately be transferred to the same “Programs and Features” interface.

Or you can do this: press the key with the Windows icon and simultaneously hold down R. A small “Run” window will open. In it, enter appwiz.cpl and you will also be taken to the desired section of the Control Panel. You can press Win+I and launch such a window very quickly.

In addition to the methods described, there is also a “Search” button in the same side area on the right. Or press Win+Q. Once you open Search, you can type “Control Panel” and it will find it. Uninstalling the utilities itself should not cause difficulties, because in most cases the application uninstall manager is intuitive, and you only need to click “Next” and “Delete” several times.

Uninstalling Metro applications

Installation of programs in versions of operating systems with a tiled interface (8 and 8.1) is also carried out through the application store. Such software is removed from the computer in a different way. The peculiarity of such utilities is that they open not on the desktop, but directly from the “tiles” on the entire screen. Some of them are already installed as standard, and many are of no practical value. Of course, most users want to “remove” them from the computer.

Just like installing directly from the online store, uninstalling such applications is very simple. Find the program tile on the Start screen or in the list of all utilities. Right-click on it once. A menu will open in which, among other actions, the desired “Delete” will be displayed. Click on this word and the application will disappear.

By the way: the “Unpin” button will simply remove the icon from the start screen, the utility itself will remain. You can use this method if the shortcut is an eyesore, but you think the program itself may be useful in the future.

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Despite the announced release of the tenth version of the OS from Microsoft, Windows 8 will remain the main operating environment for quite some time. Therefore, each user should have an idea of the capabilities of this system and the features of working with it. One of the most important questions is how to remove a program on Windows 8 if it is no longer needed.

Pre-installed programs

First, let's look at the applications that are located on the Windows 8 start screen. About half of them are never used, and therefore can be painlessly erased from the computer's memory.

To simply remove a tile from the Windows Start screen, you need to select “Unpin” after right-clicking.

If there is a program tile on the Start screen that you don't need, right-click on it and select Uninstall. In the window that appears, confirm your intention to get rid of the application.

If there is no application tile on the Start screen, you will have to look for it among all installed programs. To open a list of them, click on the “All applications” button at the bottom of the screen.

Find the application you want to get rid of in the list and click “Uninstall”. You can also continue to optimize your system by adding or removing a Microsoft account and adjusting other Windows 8 settings.

Other applications

Desktop programs in Windows 8 are now called regular applications known from previous versions of Microsoft's OS. They open on the desktop or in full screen mode and are removed in a slightly different way - through the “Uninstall a program” section in the “Control Panel”.

The fastest way to go to the “Uninstall a program” section is to enter the command “ appwiz.cpl" in the "Run" field, which is called up by pressing the Win + R combination.

But it’s easier and faster to use the classic method: open the “Control Panel” and go to the appropriate section by left-clicking on it. Now, to remove unnecessary programs from your computer, you need to select them in the list and click the “Delete” button.

Do not uninstall the program through Explorer, sending the folder with the executive files to the trash. This leads to various errors, and in the most severe cases, a system restore may even be necessary.

To avoid any problems with uninstalling applications, use the capabilities of one of the special utilities: Revo Uninstaller, Uninstall Tool, IObit Uninstaller, Advanced Uninstaller Pro, etc.

If the interface of your operating system is presented in a foreign language, find out how to install the Russian language on Windows 8. In this case, you will have less chance of making mistakes, and it will be much more convenient to interact with the system.