How to Remove Bloatware from a New PC

You just unboxed a brand-new laptop, and it's already sluggish. The Start menu is littered with apps you didn't install — antivirus trials, games you'll never play, "PC optimizer" tools that do the opposite. That's bloatware, and removing it is the single best thing you can do for a new Windows PC. This guide shows you exactly what to remove, what to keep, and how to prevent it from coming back.

What Is Bloatware and Why Is It There?

Bloatware is pre-installed software that manufacturers like HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Acer bundle on new computers. These companies get paid by software vendors to include their apps — it's how they keep hardware prices low. The problem? These apps run in the background, slow your startup, consume RAM, clutter your storage, and generate annoying notifications.

Common bloatware includes:

• McAfee or Norton antivirus trials — 30-day trials that nag you to subscribe and actively conflict with Windows Defender
• Manufacturer apps — HP Support Assistant, Lenovo Vantage, Dell SupportAssist (some useful, most redundant)
• Games and streaming shortcuts — Candy Crush, Spotify, Disney+, TikTok, Instagram (not fully installed, but download when clicked)
• "Optimizer" tools — apps that claim to clean your registry or boost performance but actually do nothing useful
• Browser toolbars and search bars — manufacturer-branded search tools nobody wants

What's Safe to Remove vs. What to Keep

Safe to remove

• Antivirus trials (McAfee, Norton, Avast) — Windows Defender is genuinely good enough for most people
• Games and entertainment apps (Candy Crush, Solitaire Collection, Netflix, Spotify)
• Third-party browsers you won't use
• PC "cleaner" or "booster" utilities
• Shopping extensions and coupon apps
• Manufacturer cloud storage apps you won't use

Keep these

• Driver/firmware update tools — HP Support Assistant or Dell SupportAssist (keep one for driver updates, remove duplicates)
• BIOS update utilities — these update your motherboard firmware safely
• Audio and graphics drivers — Realtek, Intel Graphics, NVIDIA GeForce Experience
• Fingerprint/IR camera software — required for Windows Hello biometric login

Step 1: Uninstall from Settings

The standard, safest method. Works for most pre-installed apps.

1. Open Settings (Win + I)
2. Click Apps → Installed apps
3. Sort by Install date to see what came with the machine
4. Click the three dots next to each unwanted app → Uninstall
5. Follow the uninstall prompts

Some built-in Windows apps won't show an Uninstall option here. For those, you'll need PowerShell.

Step 2: Clean Up the Start Menu

Windows 11 pins apps to your Start menu even if they aren't fully installed — they're placeholder shortcuts that download the app when clicked.

1. Open the Start menu
2. Right-click any app you don't want → Unpin from Start
3. If the app is actually installed, right-click → Uninstall

Step 3: Remove Stubborn Apps with PowerShell

Some Microsoft apps can't be removed through Settings. PowerShell handles them.

1. Right-click the Start button → Terminal (Admin)
2. List all installed packages: Get-AppxPackage | Select Name
3. Remove specific apps: Get-AppxPackage *appname* | Remove-AppxPackage

Common removals:

• Get-AppxPackage *BingNews* | Remove-AppxPackage
• Get-AppxPackage *CandyCrush* | Remove-AppxPackage
• Get-AppxPackage *Spotify* | Remove-AppxPackage
• Get-AppxPackage *Disney* | Remove-AppxPackage
• Get-AppxPackage *Clipchamp* | Remove-AppxPackage

Step 4: Disable Startup Programs

Some bloatware reinstalls itself or runs background services even after uninstalling.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
2. Click the Startup apps tab
3. Right-click anything you don't need at startup → Disable
4. Focus on items with "High" startup impact first

Step 5: Stop Windows from Reinstalling Junk

Windows 11 reinstalls "suggested" apps after updates. Turn this off:

1. Settings → Personalization → Start → turn off "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more"
2. Settings → Privacy & security → General → turn off "Show me suggested content in the Settings app"
3. Turn off "Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID"

How Much Faster Will It Be?

On a typical new HP or Lenovo laptop, removing bloatware and cleaning up startup can cut boot time by 30–60 seconds and free 2–5 GB of storage. The biggest improvement comes from removing antivirus trials — running McAfee alongside Windows Defender is like running two security guards who keep tripping over each other.

We Do This Remotely for $99

If you're not comfortable using PowerShell or you have a severely bloated machine (some budget laptops come with 15+ pre-installed apps), we can do the entire cleanup remotely. We connect to your screen, strip the bloatware, optimize startup, run Windows updates, and hand you back a machine that runs the way it should have from the factory.