You just got a used computer. However, it seems the owner failed to do a factory reset before sending in the PC. Now, you have to uninstall every unwanted program on the computer to make space for yours. You hop into ‘Programs and Features,’ and you discovered what had to be done.
You must manually uninstall every program on the computer. The quicker way is using ‘Programs and Features.’ However, the slower way is using the uninstaller files bundled with the programs.
To confess, those solutions are very slow. In this article, you’ll learn how to uninstall multiple programs at once on Windows.
How To Uninstall Multiple Programs At Once On Windows
As there is no built-in utility to uninstall multiple programs on Windows, Windows users looking to uninstall multiple programs will have to use external programs.
If you’re not willing to uninstall programs using an uninstaller app, you can always use the Programs and Features utility built into Windows.
While using Programs and Features will save you some resources, it is about the most unfriendly way to uninstall multiple programs on Windows.
The tool doesn’t do anything on its own; it only runs the uninstaller that’s bundled with any piece of Windows software. That’s why you can’t remove malware from Programs and Features.
However, this tool is practical for uninstalling programs, and it’s better than manually jumping through each uninstaller file.
- Using Programs and Features
Much has been said about this built-in Windows utility, and here is a handy tutorial on how to use it exactly. Programs and Features have been around since Windows 7 at least, and Microsoft hasn’t found a good reason to update the lowly-featured uninstaller tool.
There are many ways to access the tool, depending on what version of Windows your computer runs. Here is how to uninstall multiple programs using ‘Programs and Features.’
- Open ‘Programs and Features.’
Hit the Windows button on your keyboard and start typing ‘programs and features,’ when the tool pops up, hit Enter to open the tool.
Alternatively, you can simultaneously press the Windows + R buttons to open the Run dialog box. Enter ‘appwiz.cpl’ and hit Enter.
You can also open Control Panel and navigate to Programs and Features.
If you’re on Windows 8 or 8.1, you can simply press the Windows + X buttons to output an array of options. Press the F button to open Programs and Features.
- Select the program that you wish to uninstall one after another.
As there isn’t an option to select multiple programs at once, you will have to select the programs to uninstall one after another.
You can select the programs that you wish to uninstall by double-clicking on the program. You can also right-click on the program and select Uninstall/Change to initialize the uninstallation. You might have to confirm after clicking Uninstall/Change.
While Programs and Features is a handy way to uninstall multiple programs, it can be tedious if you’re uninstalling tens of programs.
If you have an internet connection and you don’t mind getting an external app, you can follow up with the steps outlined in the method below.
- Using IObit Uninstaller
As Microsoft has decided to keep an outdated tool for uninstalling programs on Windows, some developers have decided to create a better version for efficiency and ease of use.
IObit Uninstaller is a complete uninstaller package for Windows. It offers a wide range of features, but the practical one for our use case is the ‘Batch Uninstall’ function.
Batch Uninstall lets you mark a set of programs to uninstall, uninstalling everything at once. Also, the program scans residual files after uninstalling a program to make sure that everything clears. This isn’t always the case when you use the built-in uninstaller program.
Here is how to use the IObit Uninstaller program to uninstall multiple programs at once on Windows.
- Download and install IObit Uninstaller.
To avoid installing malware, you should avoid installing the uninstaller program from other sources apart from the official website (iobit.com).
IObit Uninstaller is compatible with Windows versions back to Windows XP, and the main features are all free. However, there is a premium version of the software if you want to do more than just uninstalling programs.
- Run the program and mark the programs that you want to uninstall
After installing the program, you can click ‘Finish’ to instantly run the program. On the main screen, you’ll see a list of all your installed programs. To the right of each program, you’ll also see a trashcan icon.
While you can click on the trashcan icon to uninstall the programs one at a time, you can also mark to uninstall multiple programs if you want.
Click on the checkbox to the left of each program to mark them for uninstallation. When you’ve selected all the programs that you wish to uninstall, click on the big green ‘Uninstall’ button at the top right corner of your screen.
As shown in the screenshot above, you will be required to confirm the initialization of the uninstallation process. After clicking ‘Uninstall,’ IObit will start running the uninstallation files of each of the selected programs chronologically.
While that is more automated than using ‘Programs and Features,’ it performs the same function.
IObit loops through each of the selected programs and runs each of the uninstaller programs. For this reason, you might have to confirm the uninstallation of each of the programs.
TLDR; you don’t just mark the programs and click ‘Uninstall.’ You need to wait to see if you need to confirm any process.
- Using other uninstaller programs
While IObit is the recommended program for uninstalling programs in bulk, other programs that perform the same function do exist.
Absolute Uninstaller and CleanMyPC are other programs you can try to batch uninstall programs on Windows. While some of these programs are free, you might have to pay a premium for others.
Conclusion
Manufacturers often bundle Windows with unwanted programs. If you didn’t get a new PC, you might find some programs installed by the previous users.
If you’ve never uninstalled 10 or 20 programs in one go, you’ll have no idea what you’re up to. For those that know, this article will show you how to uninstall multiple programs at once on Windows.
While Microsoft’s ‘Programs and Features is a handy solution, it’s not near as practical as the recommended IObit uninstaller.