BGR's list of 12 common Windows apps experts say you should uninstall

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BGR has a list of 12 common Windows apps that experts suggest uninstalling, and while the article dates back to last December, it is still a useful clear out guide. Writer Asad Khan pulls together views from ZDNet, How-To Geek, Tom's Hardware, XDA, CNET and PCMag. A lot of the apps on the list come preinstalled with Windows. Most of the reasons come down to ads, bloat and better alternatives

Top of the list is Microsoft Solitaire Collection, which ZDNet's Ed Bott says has ads that are too intrusive, with a $20 a year subscription to remove them. The News and Weather apps are described as slow web wrappers that duplicate what is already in the Start menu and taskbar, with Tom's Hardware reporting extra ads added in 2024. The new Outlook is criticised for using a lot of memory and showing sneaky ads that look like real emails, according to How-To Geek. The Microsoft 365 Copilot app is also on the list, with ZDNet calling its launch a total disaster. Ad supported preinstalled apps have become a common complaint

The Xbox app and Game Bar are pointless for people who do not game, and XDA says Game Bar is far behind tools like OBS. Media Player lacks AV1 support, and third party antivirus is described as unnecessary, since CNET calls Windows Security highly reliable and Defender robust and free. Clipchamp is limited to 1080p export without paying, and To Do lacks advanced search. Movies and TV stopped selling content in July 2025, Maps has reached end of support and Sound Recorder is very basic

The antivirus advice is the most useful point on the list. Plenty of people still pay for third party security suites that nag constantly, when Windows Defender has been perfectly good for years. Uninstalling bloat does not make a huge performance difference on a modern PC, but it does reduce clutter, background processes and pop up ads. Some of these apps cannot be fully removed without extra tools anyway

I would add a few apps of my own to the list. Which preinstalled Windows apps do you remove straight away? Do you still use any of the ones on this list? And has Windows become too ad heavy?

12 Common Windows Apps You Should Uninstall Immediately, According To Experts - BGRwww.bgr.com