New Windows 10 19H1 preview lets users remove more pre-installed Microsoft apps

A fresh Windows 10 install usually traps consumers with some pre-loaded Microsoft apps and services, but that may have just changed. With the release of the latest Windows 10 19H1 preview build on October 17, Microsoft is letting some consumers remove more of the pre-installed inbox app bloatware from their PCs. Any pre-installed third-party games and apps can already be removed from Windows 10 — including Candy Crush — but some stock Microsoft inbox apps can’t be ditched as easily. The new 18262 preview build now allows for quick and easy deletion of core stock apps like 3D Viewer, Calculator, Calendar, Mail, and Movies & TV, Paint 3D, Snip & Sketch, Sticky Notes, and Voice Recorder. Microsoft’s removal process is as simple as right-clicking one of these apps on the Start Menu and selecting uninstall, or visiting the context menu in the All Apps list. Previously, the only removable stock Microsoft apps included Solitaire Collection, My Office, OneNote, Print 3D, Skype, Tips, and Weather. Though these apps are light in size, it is a welcome change for the consumers who are looking to free up space on their PCs. It also is good for those who don’t utilize these Microsoft apps or have found better third-party alternatives downloaded through the store. This same preview build also introduces some other new features to the Windows 10 experience. DPI Awareness in Task Manager, some new troubleshooting improvements, and new abilities in Narrator to read by sentence are highlights of the changelog for this release. Only beta testers running Fast Ring or Skip Ahead Windows Insider builds will be seeing all the new Windows 10 features today. These could likely roll out in April to all consumers once beta testing is complete. Enrollment in the Windows Insider program is easy, and all it takes to get started with these new Windows elements is to click on a few menus and then restart the computer. Windows Insider builds are usually unstable, and features have been known to be removed before a full public release to consumers not enrolled in the program. Though a small feature like the ability to remove pre-loaded apps is likely to make the cut, it is sometimes hard to predict which Insider features make it to the final release. Microsoft has announced that it will ease up the aggressive add tactic to get Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 after receiving negative backlash from users, as Windows Latest reports. There is no official word on whether stopping the full-screen multipage popups is permanent, but a plan to “share a new timeline in the coming months” was mentioned. Windows 10 Home users saw these ads, but some Pro and Business users also saw them after rebooting their computers. Regardless of who saw them, the ads’ pause comes as the Windows 10 end-of-life date, October 14, 2025, approaches. Windows 10 is on its way out, with support ending in October 2025. That isn’t changing, though Microsoft’s approach to rolling out new features in the meantime definitely has. In a surprising move, Microsoft announced in a June 4 Windows Insider Blog post that it is bringing a Beta Channel for those Windows Insiders currently running on Windows 10 version 22H2. This means that despite the end of support, Windows 10 users will continue to get some new features that were initially restricted to Windows 11, such as the new Copilot app. It’s also possible that other features may be on the way, but Microsoft has not released any further information on the subject. It was originally stated that Windows 10 version 22H2 would be its final feature update, but that appears to not be true anymore. Microsoft has confirmed it will offer security updates for Windows 10 after the end-of-life date for the operating system for consumer users but for a fee. The brand recently announced plans to charge regular users for Extended Security Updates (ESU) who intend to continue using Windows 10 beyond the October 14, 2025 support date.