Microsoft Store is a built-in online platform for Windows users to download and install a variety of apps, games, movies, and books on their PC. With the help of this service, installing apps on your computer is risk-free and safer than installing them from untrusted sources. Additionally, Microsoft Store has a lot of features but also some downsides. The lack of an option to remove or uninstall apps from the Microsoft Store Library section is one complaint many users have made about Microsoft Store.
Any App Store should be able to manage connected devices’ installed apps and display a list of those apps. For Microsoft Store, the list of applications you have downloaded from the store and installed on your computer is displayed, but you cannot uninstall installed applications directly from the Store. Despite how rudimentary the capability is, Microsoft Store lacks a menu for uninstalling apps, in contrast to other app stores like Google Play Store and Apple App Store. However, you can use a workaround to hide or remove the unused app from the Microsoft Store.
Hide or Remove apps from the Microsoft Store Library
Since removing programs directly from the Microsoft Store is impossible, as we have already mentioned, you must use other means to remove an app from your computer if you installed it through the Microsoft Store and decide it is no longer necessary. Likewise, even after uninstalling such an app, Windows keeps it in the Library section of the Microsoft Store. You can prevent your app library from becoming overrun with uninstalled apps, by following these two steps:
- Uninstall the Microsoft Store app via Settings
- Use the “Show installed products only” option in your Microsoft Store Library
1] Uninstall the Microsoft Store app via Settings
There are several methods you can use to uninstall unused applications from your Windows computer, as the Microsoft Store doesn’t have an option built-in to allow you to remove apps directly from it
You can, hence, uninstall the Microsoft Store app using the Windows Settings as described below:
- Press Windows + I to open Settings on your computer.
- Click on Apps and select Apps & features.
- On the App list, navigate to the app you want to uninstall and tap on the three-dot icon in front of it.
- Now, click on Uninstall.
2] Use the “Show installed products only” option in your Microsoft Store Library
As we have mentioned several times, Windows keeps the Windows Store apps you’ve uninstalled from your computer in the Library section of the Store. However, the Windows Store Library section also has a menu to show installed products only, and you can use this to hide all uninstalled apps you don’t want in the Library
To do this:
- Open Microsoft Store on your computer and click on the Library option at the left-hand pane when the Store opens.
- At the right-hand side of the resulting page, just above your app list, tap on the Sort and filter menu
- Now click on Show installed products only.
After this, you should only see installed apps in the Microsoft Store.
Read: Microsoft Store is not opening after reset
Is it possible to remove apps directly from Windows Store Library?
No, the Microsoft Store does not offer a feature that enables users to disable apps from within it. Therefore, if you have any unwanted apps on your Windows Store, you must first uninstall them using one of the techniques we have covered in this article and then use the method we have also covered in this article to hide them from your Windows Store Library.
Why does the Windows Store keep uninstalled apps in the Library section?
Any app you have downloaded from the Microsoft Store is kept in the Library section of the Store after you uninstall it, most likely so users who might be interested in the app in the future can quickly reinstall it. However, this is not ideal for all situations or users, thus, Microsoft may try to address this in the future by introducing an option that enables users to hide or remove apps from their Windows Store Library. In the interim, you can make use of the method we outlined for hiding uninstalled programs from the Windows Store Library.
