Windows - Software Lifecycle - Uninstall Targeted Microsoft Store Apps

What the Microsoft Store app removal Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ removes targeted Microsoft Store applications from your Windows endpoints. The Worklet accepts a list of Microsoft Store app package names as a parameter and systematically removes each app from all user accounts on the endpoint.

The Worklet removes both the AppxPackage (the installed app instance) and the AppxProvisionedPackage (the pre-provisioned app image). Removing both verifies that the app is uninstalled for current users and will not be automatically installed for new users logging in to the endpoint. This dual-removal approach maintains a clean app baseline even when new user accounts are created.

Common use cases include removing bloatware like 3D Builder, Bing Weather, Candy Crush, TikTok, iTunes, or Roblox. You configure the app list by editing the Worklet parameter before deployment. The Worklet includes error handling to log issues if removal fails and provides verbose output for troubleshooting.

Why enforce Microsoft Store app removal

Pre-installed Microsoft Store bloatware consumes system resources and creates management overhead. Windows endpoints ship with games like Candy Crush, social media apps like TikTok, and entertainment software that users do not need for business purposes. These apps consume disk space, use memory, and generate distracting notifications that reduce productivity.

Centralizing app removal through Automox maintains consistency across your entire endpoint fleet. Manual app removal by end users is unreliable and time-consuming. The Worklet prevents app reappearance by removing the provisioned package, which stops Microsoft from automatically reinstalling apps when users create new Windows accounts or when Windows updates are deployed.

Some Microsoft Store apps represent security or compliance concerns depending on your organization's policies. The Worklet enables IT operations teams to maintain strict control over endpoint software inventory without requiring manual user intervention or helpdesk support.

How Microsoft Store app removal works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet searches for each app in your specified list by running Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers with a name wildcard filter. For each app name in the list, it checks whether matching app packages exist on the endpoint. If any specified app is found, the Worklet returns exit code 2 (non-compliant) indicating that remediation is needed. If none of the specified apps are found, the Worklet returns exit code 0 (compliant) and no remediation occurs.

2. Remediation phase: The Worklet retrieves two lists at the start: all AppxPackages across all users (Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers) and all AppxProvisionedPackages for the system (Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online). For each app name in your list, the Worklet matches it against both lists using wildcard filtering. For each matching AppxPackage, it executes Remove-AppxPackage with -Confirm:$false to remove the app instance for that user. For each matching AppxProvisionedPackage, it executes Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName to remove the provisioned image. The Worklet logs each successful removal. If no matching packages are found for an app name, it logs verbose output (if enabled) but continues processing. If an error occurs during removal, the Worklet logs the error, exits with code 1, and stops further processing.

Microsoft Store app removal requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 and later

• PowerShell 3.0 or higher (Appx PowerShell module is built-in to Windows)

• Administrator or system privileges on the endpoint (required for Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers and Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage commands)

• Specific app package names in the appList parameter (e.g., 3DBuilder, BingWeather, Tiktok, CandyCrushSaga, iTunes, Roblox)

• The Worklet parameter appList must be configured with the target app names before deployment

• Works on WORKSTATION and SERVER endpoint types

Expected state after app removal

After successful remediation, the specified Microsoft Store apps will no longer appear in the applications list on your endpoint. Both the installed instances (AppxPackage) and the provisioned images (AppxProvisionedPackage) are removed. Users will not see these apps in the Start menu or Windows Search results. You can verify removal by checking the Start menu, searching for the app names in Windows Search (which should return no results), or running Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Where-Object Name -like "*appname*" in PowerShell to confirm the apps no longer appear.

The next time the Worklet runs in evaluation mode, it will not find the removed apps and will mark the endpoint as compliant. New user accounts created after remediation will not have these apps automatically installed, maintaining your organization's app baseline policy. You can verify removal by checking the Start menu or by running Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers in PowerShell to confirm the apps no longer appear in the output.

How to validate uninstall targeted microsoft store apps changes

1. Run this Worklet on a pilot Windows endpoint and review evaluation output for uninstall targeted microsoft store apps.

2. Confirm Automox activity logs show successful completion and exit code 0.

3. Verify endpoint state using checks aligned to evaluation script logic, such as Get-AppxPackage, Where-Object, Write-Output.

4. Validate remediation effects from script operations such as Get-AppxPackage, Get-AppxProvisionedPackage, Where-Object, then rerun evaluation for compliance.