In today's constantly changing environment of the modern workplace, we are constantly faced with the challenge of dealing with bloatware - the pre-installed apps that manufacturers such as Microsoft force onto Windows devices. While these still make a certain amount of sense in a private environment, it's a completely different story in the corporate environment. So how do we deal with this? Which apps should stay and which should disappear? And here's the kicker: depending on how we remove them, some apps have an annoying habit of reappearing after an operating system reinstall, a feature upgrade (especially if the deployment package has been removed) or an autopilot reset. It's like a game of “Whack-a-Mole”, only with apps instead of moles.

But which apps can you get rid of without hesitation? Are there any dependencies you need to be aware of?

We will first check which apps are installed by default on a freshly installed Windows 11 Enterprise (24H2, 26100.4061). Then, using examples such as “Movies & TV”, we will show you how you can easily and permanently get rid of these apps without any extra scripting effort.

To do this, we first start a PowerShell session with elevated rights and execute the following command to display all pre-installed apps:

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Select-Object Name -Unique

If we count through the list, we end up with 113 pre-installed apps in my case. But beware: If you remove the wrong apps, this could jeopardize system stability - we want to avoid that. That's why we're narrowing down the list and focusing on the store apps (i.e. those for which SignatureKind equals “Store”). This gives us a manageable list of 56 apps.

Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | Select-Object DisplayName -Unique

Based on my experience with various clients, we divide the apps into three categories. The following table is just food for thought - not a one-size-fits-all solution:

Apps to keep:

• Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.4
• Microsoft.WindowsTerminal
• Microsoft.AVCEncoderVideoExtension
• Microsoft.WebpImageExtension
• Microsoft.ApplicationCompatibilityEnhancements
• Microsoft.SecHealthUI
• Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8
• Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework.2.2
• Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime.2.2
• Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00
• Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00.UWPDesktop
• MicrosoftWindows.Client.WebExperience
• Microsoft.WindowsStore
• Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller
• MicrosoftWindows.CrossDevice
• Microsoft.WidgetsPlatformRuntime
• Microsoft.WindowsSoundRecorder
• Microsoft.StorePurchaseApp
• Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.7
• Microsoft.MPEG2VideoExtension
• Microsoft.Winget.Source
• Microsoft.RawImageExtension
• Microsoft.WindowsCamera
• Microsoft.Services.Store.Engagement
• Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.6
• Microsoft.WebMediaExtensions
• Microsoft.HEIFImageExtension
• Microsoft.AV1VideoExtension
• Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension
• Microsoft.VP9VideoExtensions

Apps you should keep for a fully functional Windows 11 experience:

• Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes
• Microsoft.GetHelp
• Microsoft.BingNews
• Microsoft.WindowsAlarms
• Microsoft.BingSearch
• Microsoft.WindowsCalculator
• Microsoft.BingWeather
• Microsoft.ScreenSketch
• Microsoft.Paint
• Microsoft.WindowsNotepad
• Microsoft.Copilot
• Microsoft.Todos
• Microsoft.PowerAutomateDesktop
• Microsoft.ZuneMusic
• Clipchamp.Clipchamp
• Microsoft.Windows.Photos

Applications to be removed in an enterprise environment:

• Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI
• Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider
• Microsoft.XboxSpeechToTextOverlay
• Microsoft.YourPhone
• Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection
• Microsoft.GamingApp
• Microsoft.MicrosoftOfficeHub
• Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay
• Microsoft.WindowsFeedbackHub

We've all had to deal with this app chaos. That's why there are countless scripts to remove the apps. There is now a modern and better approach, namely with Microsoft Intune. The “Microsoft Store app (new)” directly accesses the WinGet repository - the Windows package manager that is already integrated in Windows 11. This makes it easier to deploy and manage apps, keeps devices up to date and increases security. As many pre-installed apps are available as WinGet packages, we take advantage of this.

Let's take “Movies & TV” as an example: We integrate the app into the Intune app store and remove it with the appropriate assignment. As soon as an Intune sync is running, it is removed from the devices.

Why is this exciting

If you don't clean up, the following problems can occur:

• Updates: All apps have to be updated - often automatically and with up to 400 MB per app. This creates more network load in the background.
• In-app purchases: Without the right guidelines, users could inadvertently make purchases.
• Performance: After feature upgrades or new profiles, app updates delay login.
• Security: Outdated apps are a risk. Depending on company guidelines, devices could be blocked or given a lower rating for security reasons.

These apps are simply annoying - especially if nobody uses them.

Let's go

Open the Microsoft Intune Admin Center, go to Apps > Windows Apps, click on “Add” and select “Microsoft Store App (New)”.

Search the Microsoft Store for the “Movies & TV” (from Microsoft) app and select it.

Then open the details and set the installation behavior to “System” - this will remove the app system-wide, not just for the current user. In the description field, add “Remove Windows built-in app”, for example. This clarifies the purpose of the app.

When assigning, select either a device group or all devices and activate “Hide all pop-up notifications” so that users do not notice anything.

After the next Intune sync, “Movies & TV” will be removed. As the Intune Management Extension is used here, this also works if the Windows Store is blocked.

Pro

• Fewer updates: No updates for unused apps = less network load and bandwidth consumption.
• Centralized: With Intune, you can see which apps have already been removed from the devices and which are still missing.
• Clean start: New devices arrive without bloatware via autopilot resets - perfect for a fresh environment.

Contra

• This means that not every app can be removed, e.g. the Solitaire Collection.

Conclusion

Microsoft is delivering new tools, but companies still need smart solutions to combat bloatware. Without these enterprise-level apps, everything would be simpler. The Intune approach isn't perfect and doesn't remove everything, but it's a step forward. By taking a managed and centralized approach, we can remove the apps and clean up some of our old scripts at the same time. This approach also has the advantage that these applications can be restored if necessary.

Have we piqued your interest? Then leave your comments on LinkedIn about how you deal with bloatware and whether you can imagine using this modern approach in the future.