How to remove built-in apps from Windows 10 WIM-File with Powershell

PowerShell is a very powerfull Windows tool that allows power users to perform a series of advanced tasks. PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management framework that comes in a form of a command line.

Many users believe that PowerShell will eventually replace Command Prompt and the list of tasks you can perform using this tool proves them right. Actually, there are many PowerShell capabilities unknown to users but from time to time, Windows power users introduce them to the general public.

One of the most popular PowerShell features is the capability to remove built-in apps from Windows 10 WIM-File. This relatively new script allows users to remove unnecessary built-in-apps. All you need to do is download the script from Microsoft TechNet and run it.

This PowerShell script has been tested on the following Windows platforms: Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.  It is likely to work on other platforms as well, but no confirmation is yet available.

This script is very useful because in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update all the apps that were previously uninstalled are re-installed when Microsoft pushes out a feature update. With this tool, system admins can easily avoid such situations.

The latest Windows 10 builds no longer reinstall the apps you previously removed. Microsoft made the necessary changes starting with Windows 10 build 14926, which is the first build to no longer reinstall the default Windows 10 apps you uninstalled. This feature will become available to the general public in early 2017 when Microsoft launches the  Windows 10 Creators Update.

Until then, you can use this PowerShell script if you don’t want to include all of the default Windows Store Applications when creating a Windows-10-Image for the Enterprise.

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