Windows 10 ships with a truckload of system applications that are installed by default. Most of those are created and maintained by Microsoft. Some replace functionality of legacy programs of previous versions of Windows, others are unique to Windows 10.
If you go through the listing of installed system apps, you may notice one or the other that you don’t use. 3D Builder is probably a prime example of this.
Not only is the app only of use if you work with 3D models and 3D printing, it is also one of the first apps listed in the new Windows 10 start menu.
It is easy enough to uninstall most system apps — all listed in the Start Menu — by right-clicking on them and selecting uninstall.
This removes the app from the user account but leaves it on the system. In the case of 3D Builder, it makes room above the fold in the start menu for other applications.
Even if you remove them from the system using Powershell, they may come back after feature updates and other big system updates.
Tip: You can add your favorite programs to the very top of the Windows 10 start menu.
Windows 10 Annoyance: Re-installation of apps
You may have noticed that removed apps appear again on a device running Windows 10 after major updates.
If you run Windows 10 Insider Builds on a machine, you may have noticed that this happens quite frequently thanks to new releases being pushed out frequently by Microsoft.
If you have uninstalled 3D Builder or other Windows 10 system apps, they will be installed again after such an update.
While you can go ahead and uninstall them again from the start menu, it is an annoyance to users of the operating system.
If you made the deliberate decision to remove a system app, Microsoft should not push it back to the system after an update.
It is unclear why the company is not honoring user choice in this regard. It makes sense to push new apps the company created to the device, but if a user removes such an app, it should not be installed again on the system, ever.
Side note: Windows 10 Build 14905 ships with three new system apps, Holographic First Run, People Experience Host and Welcome Screen.
Windows 10 users may download and install these apps from the Windows Store if the need arises at a later point in time to restore them.
Microsoft could tie a link to the application’s Windows Store page to notifications or functions that rely on these apps to be present, making the re-installation process easier for users.
Closing Words
Microsoft should honor user choice for non-critical Windows 10 system applications like 3D Builder, Mail, People, or Xbox. Some users who uninstall those apps will be annoyed if they come back, while others may grudgingly remove them again from the system when that happens.
Now You: What’s your take on system apps on Windows 10?