uninstall greyed out apps

We have all sorts of applications on our PC, but sometimes certain apps can become grayed out and unable to remove. This can be a problem, so today we’re going to show you how to uninstall grayed out apps on your Windows 10 PC.

Grayed out applications are somewhat common, and some applications are built-in into Windows, so that’s the reason they’re grayed out. Sometimes applications you install can get corrupted, and that will prevent you from removing them. Speaking of grayed out apps, here are some problems that users reported:

  • Unable to uninstall program Windows 10 – This problem can occur for various reasons, and if you encounter it, be sure to download Microsoft’s troubleshooter and run it. After using the troubleshooter, the issue will be resolved.
  • Uninstall Amazon Assistant Windows 10 greyed out – Many users reported issues with Amazon Assistant on their PC, and we already covered how to uninstall Amazon Assistant in one of our previous articles, so be sure to check it out for detailed instructions.
  • VMWare player uninstall greyed out – This issue can occur with almost any application, and if you encounter it, try deleting the software from Safe Mode.
  • Uninstall greyed out apps VMware, VirtualBox, Visual Studio 2015, McAfee – This problem can affect almost any application, but you should be able to fix it using the uninstaller software.
  • Greyed out apps won’t delete – Sometimes you might encounter certain grayed out apps that you can’t delete. However, you might be able to fix that issue by using PowerShell.

Here’s how you can uninstall grayed out apps on your PC

  1. Use Microsoft’s troubleshooter
  2. Enter Safe Mode and try to remove the application
  3. Use PowerShell
  4. Use CCleaner
  5. Use uninstaller software

Solution 1 – Use Microsoft’s troubleshooter

According to users, issues with certain applications can sometimes occur, and they can become grayed out and unable to remove. Microsoft is aware of this issue, and it has released its own troubleshooter to help you with this problem. If you can’t uninstall grayed out apps, you just need to do the following:

  1. Download Microsoft’s troubleshooter.
  2. Once the troubleshooter is downloaded, run it and follow the instructions on the screen.

After the troubleshooting process is finished, the issue should be resolved and you’ll be able to easily uninstall any application from your PC with ease.

Many users reported that this method worked for them, so be sure to try it out.

Solution 2 – Enter Safe Mode and try to remove the application

If you can’t uninstall grayed out apps on your PC, perhaps there’s a certain glitch that is preventing you from doing that. However, you might be able to fix this problem simply by entering Safe Mode and trying to remove the application from there.

In case you’re not familiar, Safe Mode is a special segment of Windows that runs with default settings, so it’s perfect for troubleshooting. To enter Safe Mode, you just need to do the following:

  1. Open the Settings app and head to the Update & Security section. To open the Settings app quickly, you can use Windows Key + I shortcut.
    update and security settings grayed out apps
  2. From the left pane pick Recovery. In the right pane, click the Restart now button.
    restart now button grayed out apps uninstall
  3. Navigate to the Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings and click the Restart button.
  4. Once your PC reboots, a list of options will appear. Now select the Safe Mode with Networking by pressing the appropriate keyboard key.

Once the Safe Mode starts, try to remove the application. If that doesn’t work, you might want to try removing the application’s installation directory manually. This method isn’t usually advised since it can leave registry entries behind, but if other solutions aren’t working, you might want to try it out.

Solution 3 – Use PowerShell

If you’re having problems removing certain applications from your PC, perhaps you can try removing them using PowerShell. Bear in mind that this solution only works for Universal applications that are downloaded from the Microsoft Store or available in Windows by default.

Before we start, we have to warn you that PowerShell is an incredibly powerful tool, so you can cause damage with it if you’re not careful, so use this solution and PowerShell at your own risk.

To remove Universal applications using PowerShell, you need to do the following:

  1. In the Search bar enter powershell. Locate Windows PowerShell on the list, right-click it and choose Run as administrator.
    search powershell grayed out applications
  2. Once the PowerShell starts, run the following command:
    • Get-AppxPackage | Select Name, PackageFullName
      powershell all apps grayed out apps
  3. List of all available Universal applications will now appear. Now you need to find the application that you want to remove and copy its Package name. Let’s say we want to remove ZuneVideo, for example. The Package name for this application would be:
    • ZuneVideo_10.18102.12011.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
      product name powershell grayed out
  4. Now enter Remove-AppxPackage <package name> command and press Enter to run it. In our example, the correct command would be:
    • Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.ZuneVideo_10.18102.12011.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
      remove grayed out apps powershell
  5. Be sure to replace the package name with the package name that matches the application you’re trying to remove.

After doing that, the problem will be resolved and you’ll successfully remove the selected application.

There’s another PowerShell method that might be a bit simpler to use. To do it, just follow these steps:

  1. Start PowerShell as administrator.
  2. Run the Get-AppxPackage | Out-GridView -Passthru | Remove-AppXPackage command.
    list apps powershell grayed out apps
  3. A new window with the list of all installed Universal applications will appear. Simply double-click the application that you want to remove and that’s it.
    grayed out apps

You can use any of these methods to remove grayed out applications from your PC. Bear in mind that this solution works only for Universal applications, and if standard applications are giving you this problem, perhaps you should try a different solution.

Solution 4 – Use CCleaner

ccleaner grayed out apps

If you’re unable to uninstall grayed out apps, perhaps a third-party solution might help you. Many Universal applications are a part of Windows 10, and they can’t be uninstalled using the conventional methods.

Of course, you can uninstall them using the PowerShell as we showed you in our previous solution, but this method is too complicated for average users. If you want something more straightforward, perhaps you should try out using CCleaner.

This tool is designed for cleaning unwanted and temporary files, but it can be also used to remove applications from your PC. What separates this tool from others is its ability to remove both Win32 and Universal applications.

This means that you can use this tool to remove built-in applications from Windows that are usually impossible to remove using the conventional methods. The tool is incredibly simple to use, so if you have problems with grayed out apps, feel free to try CCleaner.

Solution 5 – Use uninstaller software

Another way to uninstall grayed out apps is to use uninstaller software. In case you’re not familiar, uninstaller software is a special application that can uninstall any application from your PC, along with all of its files and registry entries.

By using uninstaller software, you’ll ensure that the application your trying to remove from your PC is completely removed. Some uninstaller applications can also forcibly remove applications from your PC, so they can be useful with those hard to remove apps.

There are many great uninstaller applications on the market, but if you’re looking for a simple to use and reliable uninstaller, we suggest that you try Revo Uninstaller.

Bear in mind that uninstaller software is designed to remove Win32 applications, but if you want to remove Universal applications or the applications that come with Windows 10, you’ll have to use one of our previous methods.

Grayed out applications can sometimes be a problem, and in this article we showed you several solutions that can help you deal with them, so be sure to try them all out.

READ ALSO:

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for letting us know!
Get the most from your tech with our daily tips
Tell us why!