Although Windows itself has the add/remove function, which can remove the software installed on the computer, but compared with third-party tools, the built-in removal of Windwos is sometimes not clean, and even the removal fails or does not exist. Shown on the list, this article recommends a free and open-source Bulk Crap Uninstaller that is easier to use than the built-in one. It is very powerful. It not only scans installed software, but also supports free installation. More detailed information, including when it was installed, trustworthiness, etc., allows you to quickly find out whether there is any rogue software.
In addition, it also provides blocks arranged according to file size, so you can clearly know which software takes up too much hard disk space at a glance.
Bulk Crap Uninstaller should be the strongest removal tool at present, free and open source, scannable and free installation software
Bulk Crap Uninstaller provides an installation version and a free version. The file size of the free version is quite large, regarding 150MB. It depends on which version you want to use. Go to the Release page of GitHub to download.
Every time you open the software, it will scan once, the default is English, this one has Chinese language:
At the beginning, you will be asked to set the language. If you don’t want to use English, remember to open the menu and choose Chinese:
Like this, press Apply following setting:
Then it will restart, and the interface will change to Chinese. Currently, there are only Simplified Chinese and no Traditional Chinese. You have to get used to it:
There will be a 6-step setup process at the beginning. It is recommended to take a closer look to see if you need it:
Just scan it. If you don’t understand what it is for, just keep the default and just press continue:
For damaged or missing software, a highlight function is also provided, allowing you to quickly find out that it cannot be removed with the new built-in removal function of Windows:
After completing the settings, you will enter the main screen. Each software will display the publisher, user rating, installation date, size, bits, etc. The information is very detailed. For software that you are not sure regarding, it is recommended to take a look. Decide whether to keep it or not. I think it’s good to refer to user reviews, because Microsoft’s own built-in 3D viewer, Little Painter 3D, etc. only have one star, but they are not rogue software, and this judgment is not accurate:
The color part is divided into five types, which is not bad. You can know the status of the software at a glance:
- certificate verified by
- unverified certificate
- unregistered application
- Windows Store Apps
- Uninstaller is missing
The removal steps are also very simple. Select the software you want to remove and open the right-click menu. The first one is the uninstall function:
There are two ways to uninstall and silence. The next page will explain what silence is for:
Silence seems to be aimed at those tenacious, hard-to-remove software, which is normally just uninstalled. What I like very much is that this can prevent the system from shutting down or restarting following removal, and can also create a restore point before removal. If you regret it, you can restore it:
You will be asked to confirm once more before removing, and press start if there is no problem:
There will also be a prompt following completion:
It also provides deletion of residual content, but it is not guaranteed. It is also recommended that users who understand the working principle operate once more to avoid affecting system performance:
Provides a search function to quickly find the software you want to remove:
There are also many functions that can be adjusted in the settings, and the detection also supports Steam games and other third-party installation store sources:
The following block shows the hard disk space occupied by each software, and the larger the file, the larger the file:
Although this one can also scan free installation software, but not all of them can be scanned in my test, and only 20% of them can be scanned so far.
