How to Recover Uninstalled Programs on Windows 11/10

Have you accidentally uninstalled a program and then realized that you may need it later? There is no need to worry. This article will learn how to recover uninstalled programs on Windows 11/10.

A user may uninstall a program due to insufficient disk space on their computer. Another reason for removing a program is that the application doesn’t work after a Windows update or the requirement is not there anymore.

What Happens When you Uninstall Programs?

A program/app that is uninstalled removes all its features and components from the computer. Once done, there is no way to get them back unless the program/app is reinstalled. Uninstalling several programs may seem like a good idea at first since doing so will free up more space for installing new ones or storing essential files. After a while, they may realize that they needed those uninstalled programs.

How to Recover Uninstalled Programs on Windows 11/10

You can either use Windows System Restore or a third-party data recovery tool to recover uninstalled programs and their installation files and related data. This article will show you how to recover uninstalled programs through Windows System Restore.

Use System Restore to Recover Uninstalled Programs

In Windows, the feature called System Restore allows users to restore various aspects of their computer’s state to a previous point in time, including system files, installed applications, and Windows Registry. You can also use it to fix system malfunctions or other issues and recover uninstalled programs.

However, to do this, it needs to be running in the first place. Windows usually trigger the creation of a System Restore point when installing a major update. Some software applications also do it, but it is less common.

If you have a System Restore point, then follow these steps below to restore uninstalled programs through a Windows system restore point:

Press Windows + I key on your keyboard to open Windows Settings.
In the search box, type Recovery. Look for Recovery Control Panel, and click to open it.
Click on the Open System Restore link in the Recovery Panel.
Once the System Restore appears, click on the Next button.
It will reveal the list of system restore points.
Select the one you created before uninstalling the program
Then, click on Next > again click on Finish.

If you do not see any restore points, you should check your system protection to ensure it is on. To do this, follow the steps below:

Go to Start > Type Control Panel in the search box.
In Control Panel, search for Recovery > Select Recovery > Then click on Configure System Restore > And then click Configure.
Make sure that the system protection icon is on.

We also recommend you to set up Backup & Restore on your Windows PC. It will allow you to recover specific programs. The biggest drawback of System Restore is that you will lose applications installed after the restore point. Hence it is not a full-proof method and should use with caution.

I hope this post helped you know how to recover uninstalled programs in Windows 11/10.

What Does Uninstalling Programs Do in Windows?

Uninstalling programs in Windows leads to the following points:

It will delete the .exe file of the program and delete the program’s installation folder.
Data generated by the application will be deleted as well.
Your computer will no longer have access to the app’s features and components.

It is impossible to undo the uninstall operation. To reinstall an uninstalled program, you can download and install it again. You can easily install the app on your computer by downloading the installation file from a reliable resource and clicking the setup file. However, all of your previously stored data will be lost. You can restore it by reinstalling the application.

How do I Remove Windows Built-in Apps

Many apps come pre-installed with Windows 11/10. Some pre-installed apps (commonly called built-in apps) can be removed easily by right-clicking on them and selecting uninstall. However, plenty of built-in apps cannot be removed using this method, and they must be removed using PowerShell commands. Follow these steps to do so:

Press Windows + X key on your keyboard > Click Windows PowerShell (Run as Admin).
Type or paste the following command into the PowerShell window:
- Photos: Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage
- Store: Get-AppxPackage *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage
- Sports: Get-AppxPackage *bingsports* | Remove-AppxPackage
- Voice Recorder: Get-AppxPackage *soundrecorder* | Remove-AppxPackage
- Weather: Get-AppxPackage *bingweather* | Remove-AppxPackage
Remove any of the app you want > Press the Enter key.

How to Reinstall Windows Default Apps

Windows comes with a set of universal apps, but some people don’t like them and want to get rid of them. Most of them can be manually uninstalled using the Settings app, while others can be deleted with PowerShell. In minutes, you can uninstall Windows 10 apps like Calendar, Mail, Camera, Photos, or Candy Crush Soda Saga. But the question is how to reinstall those apps when you realize that you need them?

Following are the steps to reinstall the default apps with the help of the PowerShell:

Go to Start > In the search box, type Windows Power Shell.
Right-click on Windows PowerShell and click More > Run as Administrator from the dropdown menu.
This app may ask you whether you want it to make changes to your computer in a pop-up window > Click Yes to proceed.
Type or paste the following command into the PowerShell window:

Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode-Register”$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”