How to Uninstall Microsoft Store in Windows 11 (The Safe Method)

In theory, there shouldn’t be any reason to uninstall Microsoft Store. Still, the truth is that many users, of which many are experienced PC users, never even had the curiosity to try Microsoft Store.

I am an example; I never download anything from the Microsoft Store in years of using the previous version of Windows, and now in Windows 11.

And it only makes a little sense to leave something unused occupying resources, especially if you run Windows 11 on a low-end laptop, like me on my Surface Go 2, then it might be a good idea to uninstall it.

As Windows does not offer a direct way to uninstall Microsoft Store in Windows 11, we will need to do it through PowerShell. Here is how to uninstall Microsoft Store in Windows 11:

1. Type PowerShell in Windows Search, then click on Run as Administrator:
   
2. On the Windows PowerShell, input the following command:
   Get-AppxPackage *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage
   
3. Press Enter to confirm.

Here are some tips before you attempt to uninstall Microsoft Store:

• Just do it if you are a power user and know what you’re doing.
• Your Windows Apps (like Weather or Cortana) will stop working after you uninstall Microsoft Store as they are installed through Microsoft Store.
• Thus, it makes sense to uninstall all pre-installed Windows Apps and Microsoft Store.
• I recommend you create a restore point before attempting this so that you can revert it if you have any issues.

If you want to know the pros and cons of uninstalling Microsoft Store, keep reading.

Should I Uninstall Microsoft Store?

Microsoft Store was developed to be a core part of Windows 11, and the biggest proof is that if you right-click it on Microsoft Store on the Start Menu, you will realize that there is no option to uninstall Microsoft Store.

This already brings the question if it is wise or not to uninstall something that Windows doesn’t allow you to uninstall in the first place.

Let’s examine some pros and cons of uninstalling Microsoft Store on Windows 11.

Here are some advantages:

• It frees up at least 1GB of disk space on a clean Windows 11 install.
• Some users claim that not having Windows Store and Windows apps improves Windows by making it less bloated, as in the commentary below:

• It will also free up RAM since there won’t be any Windows apps running in the background. This is especially helpful for low-end laptops.

Some possible disadvantages are:

• It is not very convenient to reinstall it. You will either need to reinstall it through PowerShell or by reinstalling Windows.
• Microsoft advises against uninstalling it (this should be taken with a grain of salt, as Microsoft benefits from you having Microsoft Store on your PC.)
• It might affect the functioning of the remaining Windows apps.

So, the final verdict is:

Users on a low-end PC or who want to keep Windows 11 free from bloatware might see tangible benefits in uninstalling Microsoft Store, but users who like Windows apps or aren’t power users should stay away from it.

If you uninstall Microsoft Store and want it back, but didn’t create a restore point, you will need to use PowerShell to reinstall it.

How to Reinstall Microsoft Store?

Microsoft claims that the only way to reinstall Microsoft Store is by reinstalling Windows. However, this is untrue.

While Windows 11 lacks a straightforward way to reinstall Microsoft Store, you can still do it in Windows PowerShell and finish it on Windows Registry if necessary.

To reinstall Microsoft Store:

1. Type PowerShell in Windows Search, then click on Run as Administrator:
   
2. On Windows PowerShell, input the command below and press Enter:
   Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.WindowsStore | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
   
3. Restart your PC.
4. After restarting, Type Registry Editor in Windows Search and click on Run as Administrator:
   
5. On the Registry Editor, Go to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\AppXSvc
6. Double-click on the Start file:
   
7. In Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value, change Value data to 2:
   
8. Restart your PC again.

This should reinstall Microsoft Store on your Windows 11.

If you want to add an extra layer of security to this process, remember to create a backup of your registry by clicking on File > Export on the Registry Editor before you start the second part of the process above.

To restore your registry, go to File > Import and load the backup you created earlier.

How to View Installed Apps with Powershell on Windows 11

If you want to view all the Windows apps installed on your Windows 11 PC, there is a simple way to check all the installed Windows apps with a simple command on PowerShell. To do this:

1. Type PowerShell in Windows Search, then click on Run as Administrator.
2. In Windows PowerShell, input the command:
   Get-AppxPackage –AllUsers | Select Name, PackageFullName
   
3. Press Enter to see a list of all Windows apps in your PC:
   

If you want to remove any of these apps, use the command below.

Powershell Command to Uninstall Windows 11 Apps

To remove Windows Apps on PowerShell, use the command  Get-AppxPackage *APPNAME* | Remove-AppxPackage and replace APPNAME with the name of the app you want to remove, for example:

Get-AppxPackage *bingnews* | Remove-AppxPackage

Here is a list of commands to remove a lot of the built-in apps on Windows 11:

Remember to search online what each app does before uninstalling it to remove it safely.

Conclusion

As we saw, the only way to uninstall Microsoft Store is by entering the command Get-AppxPackage *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage on PowerShell. But you can safely remove many pre-installed Windows apps by uninstalling them with a third-party program.

Remember to create a system restore point before attempting to uninstall Microsoft Store.

You should also consider whether you want to uninstall it, as there is no straightforward way to reinstall Microsoft Store, and you will need to do it in PowerShell, so it is better to be sure you won’t need it later.