How to keep apps removed from Windows 10 from returning during an update

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How to keep apps removed from Windows 10 from returning during an update
Windows IT Pro Center
3 minutes to read
‎05‎/‎10‎/‎2018

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woody, columbia2011, HiFlyer, ch100, BobbyB

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I appreciate the posting of what looks like useful information… but it is for those who can edit the registry…

Hoping it is helpful to those people…

Microsoft really should let the end user decide what they want on their computer, without requiring a registry edit.

Thanks for trying, though…

Non-techy Win 10 Pro and Linux Mint experimenter

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woody, HiFlyer, Noel Carboni, BobbyB

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This issue was fixed in Windows 10, version 1803.

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HiFlyer

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This only applies to first-party apps that shipped with Windows 10. This doesn’t apply to third-party apps, Microsoft Store apps, or LOB apps.

Doesn’t sound very well fixed to me.

-Noel

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HiFlyer

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Noel, you don’t appear very familiar with Windows 10.
Third party apps and apps downloaded from Microsoft Store are never provisioned.
The text quoted refers to apps installed by the user, outside of provisioning.
Provisioned apps are somehow equivalent to applications preinstalled in the Default User profile.
They get installed per user at first login. If they are uninstalled, they do not get installed again, except by a Feature Update, upgrade-in-place or something similar.
The article actually claims that this is what is fixed, once the applications are de-provisioned with PowerShell, they do not get reprovisioned by a Feature Update.
This can actually create a problem to users who de-provision and want to revert to some or all apps to be provisioned again. Windows Store is typical of one app which everyone should have provisioned. It is extremely difficult to recover it if it is uninstalled.
It is a complicated mechanism and not easy for everyone to understand.

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I’m not very familiar with 1803 because I haven’t tried it yet. I will be very surprised if it doesn’t push Microsoft’s agenda back into my system, after which it will be removed. Again.

And this is just another case of semantics. The REAL ISSUE is that Microsoft pushes things into their systems that people just don’t want. Nobody cares about the definition of “provisioned”.

But even acknowledging the terminology here and restricting the argument to provisioned Apps, for each “version” I’ve removed and deprovisioned darned near every package from Windows 10 and found all of it restored again after every in-place upgrade. I even have screen grabs somewhere showing absolutely NOTHING shown on Get-AppXProvisionedPackage runs.

This happened so far: EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Pardon me if I’m skeptical.

Though folks here appear to want others to believe Microsoft is taking this seriously, I have actually SEEN things like unwanted games going in – and back in – over and over. Again and again. Not very familiar my eye! I had to write a quite extensive REtweaker script just because it would not stay tweaked.

I’m jaded by actual experience, and Microsoft acting like “oh, sorry, we fixed that” is just ingenuous at this point. I’LL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT. Actually, I probably won’t believe it.

Ever hear the phrase “fool me once…“? Microsoft is on what, the 6th or 7th try at this point? I don’t feel I have to learn to tweak v1803, which will take what, about 6 months to learn to do completely, in order to complain about this BS.

-Noel

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Cascadian, HiFlyer, Microfix

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Noel Carboni wrote:

Microsoft is on what, the 6th or 7th try at this point? I don’t feel I have to learn to tweak v1803, which will take what, about 6 months to learn to do completely, in order to complain about this BS.

Nail on the head Noel!
My view from W10 v1511 was why should I pursue this any further, knowing that time, testing, analysis and counter-measures WILL all be undone with the next iteration only to start over again? What’s the point?

Groundhog OS if you ask me.

At MS, I despair..

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Noel Carboni, HiFlyer, Cybertooth

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Powershell run as Administrator

Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online

EDIT: Please be careful with this command as it is close to impossible to revert to provisioned apps if there is a change of mind or find that some are useful to be provisioned, because otherwise it is difficult to install such apps. Windows Store is a typical example. Everything else can be installed from the Store, but not the Store itself. If Store remains provisioned, then it can be installed easily knowing few tricks.

Most people might want use
Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -packagename <PackageFullName>

where <PackageFullName> is the name of the app to be removed.

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HiFlyer, radosuaf

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I’ve done that a long time ago, so correct me if I am wrong in my understanding ch100, but I think the following is quite accurate. The commands are taken from my install procedure so they are not from memory, just the theory behind them.

Actually, if you try to remove provisioned apps while it is still installed for at least one user, it won’t be uninstalled. Note that even if you remove an app for all users, it still stays there updating and ready to be installed, consuming bandwidth, in staged mode, in case someone would like this app it would be ready to go. So you need first to remove the app for all users on the computer, then you need to deprovision it to remove it from the system completely and stop updating in the background.

Note that the following uses grid-view so you see what is affected and must select what you want to remove except what is not shown (Calculator, Store, Photos app in this case). Run the command, press CTRL-A to select everything if you don’t want to keep anything (don’t worry it doesn’t delete the weird stuff you see that can’t be deleted), then proceed.

So for each user created on the computer, you need to first remove the app. Open powershell (non admin because if you use admin and you are not, it will apply to the admin account and not this user account):
get-appxpackage | where-object {$_.name -notlike “*Microsoft.WindowsStore*”} | where-object {$_.name -notlike “Microsoft.*WindowsCalculator*”} | where-object {$_.name -notlike “*Microsoft.WindowsPhotos*”} | out-gridview -passthru | remove-appxpackage
This keeps the store, the calculator and the awful Photos app if you don’t reactivate the Windows Photo Viewer like me or a third-party app to quickly view and not edit your pictures and that is color managed unlike the Photos app. Again, don’t forget to select everything in grid-view.

Once everyone got rid of the apps, you can now deprovision them. Run powershell as ADMIN to deprovision them:
get-appxprovisionedpackage -online | where-object {$_.name -notlike “*Microsoft.WindowsStore*”} | where-object {$_.name -notlike “Microsoft.*WindowsCalculator*”} | where-object {$_.name -notlike “*Microsoft.WindowsPhotos*”} | out-gridview -passthru | remove-appxprovisionedpackage -online

Then, you can check if there are still some apps installed or in staged mode (that mode where provisioned apps aren’t removed because nobody uses them, but they are still there updating and ready to be installed by a user, it will be written in the PackageUserInformation column) :
get-appxpackage -allusers | out-gridview

Then, check if there is any provisioned apps:
get-appxprovisionedpackage -online | out-gridview

Don’t do that if you are worried you will miss those wonderful apps and are afraid you won’t be able to easily get them back if you change your mind later.

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ch100

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@alexeiffel
It is always interesting to read and reply to your posts.
Especially when it is not about Windows 7, which I think it is never the case.

AlexEiffel wrote:

Note that even if you remove an app for all users, it still stays there updating and ready to be installed, consuming bandwidth, in staged mode, in case someone would like this app it would be ready to go.

I am not sure if the above quote is accurate.
I believe that the apps are always updated in the user context when accessing the Store and never in the System account (per computer) except for feature upgrades or in-place upgrade-repair. As @b posted the Microsoft URL, there are ways to control which apps will come back or installed during such major work.

I think about everything else is correct and I was learning something new, which is the grid-view in PowerShell.
I have always been running something like:
Get-AppxPackage
for getting the properties in case I don’t know them and next
Get-AppxPackage | select PackageFullName,InstallLocation
as an example.

There is also
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers
which can be run as Administrator and for which there is a lot of confusion and even experienced people with good reputation on the web have posted that this would install or more often remove apps for all users in commands like
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage

This is not true and the switch -AllUsers refers to the Get command only (it is read-only).

For the packages to be left on the system, I always take some guidance from Daniel Feller of Citrix
https://virtualfeller.com/2017/04/19/optimize-vdi-windows-10-default-apps-original-anniversary-and-creator-updates/
I have seen other authors favoring Calculator and Alarms as the only apps which are strongly recommended to be left on the system in all circumstances, other than those which should be system based and not user based and as such which I consider mandatory:
Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller
Microsoft.StorePurchaseApp
Microsoft.WindowsStore

Optional, for those interested in games:
Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI
Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider

The Frameworks should always stay on the system.
They are as of 1803:
Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework.1.6_1.6.24903.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework.1.6_1.6.24903.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework.1.7_1.7.25531.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework.1.7_1.7.25531.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime.1.6_1.6.24903.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime.1.6_1.6.24903.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime.1.7_1.7.25531.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime.1.7_1.7.25531.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00_14.0.25426.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.Advertising.Xaml_10.1705.4.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.Advertising.Xaml_10.1705.4.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.Services.Store.Engagement_10.0.1610.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.Services.Store.Engagement_10.0.1610.0_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe

Credit goes to MDL posters for the original information from which I extracted the above.

On older systems, before 1709, the equivalent Frameworks 1.3 and 1.4 are also required and may still be required by some Store apps. They are installed though based on need if the apps come from the Store.

It is all complicated and this whole thing does not look targeted to Desktops at all to me, but rather to Phones (which are largely dead in the Microsoft’s implementation) and with a stretch to tablets, but iPad style tablets rather that more versatile laptop/tablet devices.

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AlexEiffel

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ch100 wrote:

There is also Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers which can be run as Administrator and for which there is a lot of confusion and even experienced people with good reputation on the web have posted that this would install or more often remove apps for all users in commands like Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage This is not true and the switch -AllUsers refers to the Get command only (it is read-only). 

Oh yes, this one is good! I realized that myself during early testing of Windows 10. How confusing! I made the hypothesis that -AllUsers only applied to the command generating the list, but Remove-AppxPackage wasn’t allowed to remove packages from other users.

I don’t talk too much about Windows 7, because as you know, I used a set it and forget it approach that worked great until Windows 10 came. Being group A, apart from being a bit careful about patching, delaying a bit due to recent issues in patches since January, I don’t feel the need to talk too much about 7 or devote much time to its maintenance. It still works great for me.

 

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ch100, HiFlyer

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Does this include the infamous Candy Crush Saga?

During the short time I had Windows 10 1803 on my old laptop a couple of weeks back I tried removing Candy Crush several times (Start Menu > right click  > uninstall) and it just kept coming back again and again.

I can’t stand those sorts of shenanigans which is one reason why every new version of Windows 10 is always short lived on any of my devices.

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Microfix, Noel Carboni, HiFlyer

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Do this:

https://youtu.be/wgKJMsJ-6XU

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Carl D wrote:

it just kept coming back again and again.

Thank you. This kind of thing is what I am complaining about above.

To me this sounds like just another instance of “Advance 10 miles, then fall back 200 feet and claim you care about what the folks you’re rolling over think“.

-Noel

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HiFlyer

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@Carl D give this a try there’s all sorts of useful stuff in here and its easier than delving in to Poweshell, Registry etc to customise Win10 up to Vers 1803, 8.1, 7, works well disable Cortana, full control over Apps and advertising, turn off Windows update and a whole plethora of appearance tweaks. Its about the only thing i’ll let near my home machines and its free.
Sergei who I believe runs the page has loads of tips and stuff every day, its interesting to either remind you of old tricks and teach you a few new ones

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HiFlyer, Microfix

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Winaero Tweaker has been/ is great for W7 and W8.1 also.

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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HiFlyer, Elly

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How to keep apps removed from Windows 10 from returning during an update

Why should Win 10 users need to do this and be subjected to forced auto-upgrades twice-a-year?

Why is M$ charging license fees for Win 10 and preinstalling 3rd-party apps/games?

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HiFlyer, Noel Carboni

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Because they can.

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Cascadian, Microfix, Noel Carboni, Mele20, woody

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Any build after insider build 14926 should preserve the installed app state and not reinstall uninstalled built-in apps. This was included in version 1703 for the general public.

If it is still happening you should use the Feedback Hub to report it.

 

--Joe

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Provisioned App Packages in Windows 10 Enterprise / Windows 10 Pro

2018-10-13: Updated for Windows 10 version 1809

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Lars220

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