Uninstalling applications on a computer can be a tedious task, especially when there are multiple programs that need to be removed. The traditional method of going through the control panel and manually uninstalling each application can be time-consuming and cumbersome. However, with the use of PowerShell, this process can be streamlined and made more efficient. In this article, we will explore how to uninstall applications with PowerShell.
PowerShell is a powerful command-line tool developed by Microsoft. It provides administrators and users with a way to automate tasks and manage the Windows operating system. It uses a combination of commands, known as cmdlets, to perform various tasks. One of these tasks is uninstalling applications.
To begin, open PowerShell by pressing the Windows key + R and typing "powershell" in the Run dialog box. This will open the PowerShell window. Next, we need to get a list of all the installed applications on the computer. To do this, we will use the Get-AppxPackage cmdlet. This cmdlet lists all the applications installed through the Windows Store.
Once the list of applications is displayed, we can use the Uninstall-AppxPackage cmdlet to remove the desired application. This cmdlet requires the package name of the application as an input parameter. To find the package name, we can use the Get-AppxPackage cmdlet again and filter the list using the name of the application we want to uninstall.
For example, let's say we want to uninstall the application "Candy Crush Saga". We would use the following command:
Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*candy crush saga*"} | Uninstall-AppxPackage
This will remove the "Candy Crush Saga" application from the computer. We can also use a wildcard (*) to filter the list of applications. For instance, if we want to remove all applications with the word "game" in their name, we can use the command:
Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*game*"} | Uninstall-AppxPackage
This will uninstall all the applications with the word "game" in their name.
Apart from applications installed through the Windows Store, PowerShell can also be used to uninstall traditional desktop applications. To do this, we will use the Get-WmiObject cmdlet. This cmdlet allows us to access Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) classes, which contain information about the installed applications. We can use the Win32_Product class to get a list of all the installed applications.
Once we have the list, we can use the Uninstall method to remove the desired application. This method requires the name of the application as an input parameter. For example, to uninstall the application "Adobe Acrobat Reader DC", we would use the following command:
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*adobe acrobat reader dc*"} | Invoke-WmiMethod -Name Uninstall
This will uninstall the application "Adobe Acrobat Reader DC" from the computer.
In addition to the above methods, PowerShell also allows us to uninstall applications remotely. This can be useful in a network environment where administrators need to remove applications from multiple computers. To do this, we will use the Invoke-Command cmdlet. This cmdlet allows us to run commands on a remote computer.
To uninstall an application on a remote computer, we would use the following command:
Invoke-Command -ComputerName <computer name> -ScriptBlock {Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*application name*"} | Invoke-WmiMethod -Name Uninstall}
This will remotely uninstall the desired application from the specified computer.
In conclusion, using PowerShell to uninstall applications can save time and make the process more efficient. With its powerful cmdlets, we can easily remove applications from our computer or even multiple computers in a network environment. So the next time you need to uninstall an application, consider using PowerShell for a hassle-free experience.
