It takes more than dragging and dropping an application's icon to the Recycle Bin to remove it from a Windows machine. To run, each software necessitates the installation of a number of files in various sections of the operating system. These support files and their locations vary depending on the type and complexity of the software, but they must be deleted in order for the software to be totally removed from your computer.

Thankfully, most programmes allow you to uninstall both the application and the files that support it in a single step.

You can uninstall programmes in Windows 10 by going to the Start Menu, selecting the app from the All Apps list, and right-clicking it. Choose "Uninstall" from the pop-up menu.

If you're using Windows 8, access the Control Panel by right-clicking on the bottom-left corner of the screen and selecting "Uninstall a Program" from the drop-down menu.

(It's under the heading "Programs.") Select the programme you want to uninstall from the list.

Open the Start menu in Windows 7 and select Control Panel from the right pane. Select Programs and Features from the drop-down menu. After that, select "Uninstall a programme." Select the programme you want to uninstall from the list.

Uninstall programmes on Windows XP by hitting the Start button, then selecting Add or Remove Programs from the Control Panel. This will work with Windows Vista as well.

This method may or may not work with various programmes. You can uninstall these through the Settings menu, same to how you could uninstall them from the Control Panel in previous versions of Windows. Choose Settings after right-clicking on the Start Menu. Select Apps from the settings menu. You can access an Uninstall button by right-clicking on the list of applications.

You may discover that certain applications do not provide you with an opportunity to uninstall them at all. There are a few possible explanations for this. This could be the case if the registry key name is longer than 60 characters. If this is the case, the issue can be resolved by changing the register name. Be cautious - Microsoft warns that mistakenly altering the registry might result in major problems, and it recommends backing up the registry beforehand.

Microsoft recommends that you keep a few applications installed (like Xbox, Mail, Calendar, Calculator and Store.) Some of these can be erased using PowerShell in Windows 10. Despite the fact that this method does not require you to alter your registry, you should exercise caution when deleting these programmes.