A freshly set up Windows PC comes with a whole range of pre-installed standard applications (stock apps), such as the Edge browser, the Photos app or the Cortana voice assistant. In many cases, removing these from the computer is very cumbersome – especially for less technically savvy users. There are often third-party app alternatives that users prefer depending on their individual requirements. It is considered an inside joke that the Edge browser is only used once – to download another browser.
Uninstall Stock Apps: This is changing
In future, to install pre-installed apps, it will be sufficient to click on the respective programs in the list of installed apps and remove them from the system using the “Uninstall” button. You can find this list in the settings of your Windows PC (Windows key+I). In a previous build this was already possible with Cortana and the Camera app, a now released build of the Canary Channel adds the Microsoft apps Contacts, Photos and Remote Desktop.
Microsoft puts users back in control
The innovations are mainly due to a paradigm shift in Redmond. because Microsoft wants to give its customers more options to adapt the operating system to their own requirements. We have already reported on the first steps in this direction:
All changes described here are currently only possible in Insider Preview Builds of Windows 11, normal users will have to wait a little longer for the new features. A conceivable point in time when Microsoft could roll out the new features to all users is the major Windows 11 23H2 update in the fall.
