12 unnecessary Windows programs to uninstall

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

At best, they are useless, and at worst, even harmful.

1.μTorrent

ΜTorrent was once the most popular torrent download tool. But now it is loaded with banners and obsessive prompts to upgrade to the Pro version.

When downloading, μTorrent tries to install some other Yandex. Browser or Avast. Its BitTorrent counterpart is the brainchild of the same company with the same problems. And μTorrent was also used to mine bitcoins, which finally undermined its credibility.

Alternatives:, a simple application, and more advanced. They can do everything the same as μTorrent, but they work more stable, do not ask for money and do not have ads.

2. MediaGet

MediaGet is another torrent client. Equipped with a built-in content search engine and can open a movie without waiting for its download. In fact, this is a buggy application that slips unwanted extensions, opens questionable sites, annoys advertisements and changes the home page in the browser.

It is distributed in a dubious way and may well be downloaded without your consent. Analogs of MediaGet, Ace Stream and Zona are no better.

Alternative: a bunch of qBittorrent and VLC will play almost any under-downloaded file. And the best thing is to watch videos on Netflix, Kinopoisk and other subscription services.

3. DriverPack Solution and other "collections of drivers"

After installing a fresh system, many users download "driverpacks" to configure the "correct" operation of their equipment. Indeed, on "clean" Windows, even the screen diagonal is not always correctly determined. So, you need to help her with some DriverPack Solution or IObit Driver Booster? No.

The times of the "Seven", which even the Wi-Fi module could not determine without outside help, are over.

Together with the drivers, DriverPack Solution installs completely useless junk: several browsers, antivirus, archivers and rubbish called DriverPack Cloud.

Alternativenot required. Just let Windows 10 stand for five minutes, and it will download and install all the necessary drivers by itself. If in Windows 10 Update Center the driver is not as fresh as you need, open the manufacturer's website and install the program from there manually.

4. WinRAR and WinZip

On the Internet, jokes are often made about those who buy these archivers. Nevertheless, WinRAR and WinZip are constantly found among the installed programs on many computers. However, the advisability of purchasing a utility that simply unpacks archives is questionable.

Alternatives:or prettier. Free, user-friendly, open source.

5. Revo Uninstaller and other "program removers"

The creators of applications such as Revo Uninstaller or IObit Uninstaller constantly scare inexperienced users: "After the standard uninstallation of programs, a lot of garbage remains, the computer slows down, only we can save you!" But it is not so.

Registry optimizers and cleaners are often useless, and in some cases, they can be harmful.

If you uninstall a program, it may indeed leave empty folders or INI-files with settings, but they cannot load the computer so that it starts to slow down. Windows 10's built-in "Disk Cleanup" copes with them.

Alternative:Click Start → Settings → Applications → Applications and Features, select the unnecessary program and click Uninstall. Everything.

6. IObit Smart Defrag and other defragmenters

Previously, when systems were on slow hard drives, defragmentation allowed Windows to run slightly faster. But now solid-state drives are everywhere, and HDDs are used only as storage for photos and documents.

SSD defragmentation will only harm, and the hard drive, given over to files, is unnecessary. Therefore, all sorts of IObit Smart Defrag, Defraggler, Auslogics Disk Defrag and similar applications are simply useless.

Alternativenot required. Just make sure that at least 10-15% of its capacity is free on the system SSD, and everything will be fine.

7. DAEMON Tools

This program was once essential for working with ISO files. But now it has become useless, because Windows 10 is able to mount disk images itself, without third-party tools. Just double-click the image and you're done.

Alternativenot required.

8. "Installers" and "updaters" of programs

In Linux, there is such a thing as "package managers". It's kind of like a software store. You select the applications you want, click Install, and they download themselves. No need to visit developer sites, search for something on Google - everything is done for you.

The Microsoft Store does not yet reach the Linux repositories in terms of the amount of really needed programs. Although there is something useful there.

Many third-party app installers have been created for Windows 10, such as Digital Delivery, File Hippo, Patch My PC, APP Shop, ZipSoft, and so on. In theory, they should become a convenient analogue of Linux package managers. But in practice, these things, like "driverpacks", slip unwanted software on you and annoy you with advertisements. In addition, in most cases, they download files not from official sites, but from their own mirrors.

Alternative: install all programs manually by downloading them from the manufacturers' websites. It will take a little longer, but it will keep you in control of what you download.

9. Extra browsers

The browser is generally a good thing, but only when it is alone in the system. If you do not pay attention to the checkboxes in the program installers, then Opera, Yandex. Browser, Comodo Dragon, Epic or some Atom from Mail.ru will be installed in addition to your favorite Chrome. Did you think the closure of Amigo was over?

These endless browsers all take up disk space - hello owners of ultrabooks with a 128GB SSD. And yet each of them pulls the blanket over themselves, trying to become the default browser and replace the search engine.

Alternative: choose one browser to your liking, uninstall the rest and do not allow them to be installed in the future.

10. Programs from Stardock and other "decorations"

Programs like Object Desktop, ObjectDock, IconPackager are very popular on the web, which are designed to decorate your Windows 10 and turn it into macOS, Ubuntu, Windows 7 and so on. Naturally, the system hung with these "whistles" starts to slow down terribly.

Alternative: Click Start → Settings → Personalization → Themes → More Themes in the Microsoft Store. Here are some fun wallpapers for you. And if you want something that looks like Ubuntu or macOS, install Linux or buy a Mac.

11. Fast Video Downloader and similar programs

If an inexperienced user types in Google “how to download a video” or “how to download a photo from Instagram,” he is more likely to come across specialized applications. Yes, they upload pictures and videos from social networks (if they're lucky), but they also bother with requests to buy the Pro version or show ads.

Alternative: a couple of browser extensions like SaveFrom.net will be sufficient for most cases.

12. Antivirus and antispyware

In 2020, antivirus software is useless. They slow down the system, bother with advertisements, download adware, monitor users, and spread in questionable ways. In general, they often resemble the very "unwanted software" with which they fight.

You shouldn't waste your money on expensive and useless antivirus subscriptions, free tools can be used better.

Alternative: built-in Windows Defender. Just do not interfere with it and regularly make backups of important files. This is enough.