Hello Caleb, this is Emily.
By design, you can only disable the Microsoft Store via group policy if you run enterprise or education edition of Windows. Otherwise there's no way to disable it via group policy. You might find some information on the internet to remove it by powershell code, but it is strongly recommended against, because the store app is a core component, by removing it, it can cause update issue with apps, or some other related issue. And it will be reinstalled when Windows update.
Answer from EmilyS726 on learn.microsoft.comI followed this YouTube tutorial to install Microsoft Store, but now it’s asking for an update that I can’t actually install. I’m starting to feel a bit suspicious about it, and I’d like to uninstall it, but the uninstall button is disabled. Is there any way to force it?
Also, if you know the right way to get Microsoft Store on my laptop, I’d really appreciate the help!
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Built-in apps are called provisioned apps. They are scheduled to be installed for each new user that registers on a Windows 8 PC, so you can't uninstall them completely from the Start screen. To do so, you've to use Windows PowerShell command remove-AppxProvisionedPackage, like so:
remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -package Microsoft.BingTravel_1.2.0.145_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe -online
That would uninstall the Travel app. To remove Bing Map app, the command would be:
remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -package Microsoft.BingMaps_1.2.0.136_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe -online
Microsoft.BingMaps_1.2.0.136_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe is the app package name, which basically is the folder that you find in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps.
To uninstall apps installed from the Windows Store, the command is Remove-AppxPackage. It's syntax is as below:
Remove-AppxPackage PackageFullName
Note: Do not add -online parameter at the end of this command. [source]
I had success with the following method. Press Win+X, select Command Prompt (Admin). Run the command
DISM.exe /Online /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName:Microsoft.BingTravel_1.2.0.145_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Use folder names in the "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" folder as package names.
Source: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh852635.aspx
To automate this process, I got a list of packages by running "dir /b". Then converted it into a batch file like this
@echo off
cd /d C:\Program Files\WindowsApps
DISM.exe /Online /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName:B9ECED6F.ASUSCalculator_1.0.0.18_neutral__qmba6cd70vzyy
DISM.exe /Online /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName:B9ECED6F.AsusConverter_1.0.0.27_neutral__qmba6cd70vzyy
DISM.exe /Online /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName:B9ECED6F.TheWorldClock_1.0.0.6_neutral__qmba6cd70vzyy
DISM.exe /Online /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName:Microsoft.Adera_1.0.0.4957_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe
DISM.exe /Online /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName:Microsoft.BingFinance_1.2.0.135_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
....
pause
Run the batch file as Administrator. This removed all packages in WindowsApps directory: 34 folders, 1.5GB.
Sorry if it sounds like a rant! It kind of is!
I have apps installed on my PC, and having started with computer from back in 1996, when i want to uninstall a program, i go to the Control Panel, and go to Uninstall Programs (Sorry if it's not the right term, i'm french!)
Not there!
Oh it's a "Metro UI" thing or what's it called. So i go to the Microsoft Store, in my library i find the app i want deleted, and NOPE. I can't do that...
I need to go in the Start Menu, search for the app, right click and from the Contextual Menu, then i can uninstall.
My suggestion: Consistency. Be consistent. Why change the way things have been done for decades, and worked perfectly. Why go against all basic IT instinct and make it cryptic and hard to uninstall an app?
There is NO excuse for the uninstall option to be absent from the Microsoft Store. And the excuses for not having those apps listed in the "legacy" uninstall programs windows is nothing but laziness.
Just make a list of the Microsoft Store Apps, inject it in the good old "Uninstall Program" list, and add a flag on them so that when we click on uninstall, the PC knows it's a Metro app or whatever it's called, and send the same command it would have sent if i had right-clicked it from the start menu.
I remember people hating Windows 8 for something as trivial as "The start menu is now full screen and left to right instead of Top to Bottom" And i defended it with all my might! It was light weight, stable, great OS, it worked in the same way as before, just presented differently it was a GREAT OS.
But people hate your product because you present them differently. Do not change how your product works fundamentally!
Hi FJ,
I am Sumit here to assist you with this question.
Removing can be executed with this command:
In the search,
type powershell, right-click it and choose run as administrator.
Execute:
Get-appxpackage -allusers *Microsoft.WindowsStore* | Remove-AppxPackage -allusers
Hope that helps.
You can remove Store app package to disable Store using PowerShell command shared by Sumit. However you must know that you can't undo this action. In case if you want Store back later, then you may need to perform repair upgrade or clean install. Think wisely and then proceed.
Hope this helps!