Microsoft wants Windows 10 users to embrace the apps tied to its core services, and it has implemented a fairly aggressive policy along the way, automatically reinstalling software and putting obstacles in the way of removing it for good. Fortunately, the web has come to the rescue with a number of tools aimed at modifying the operating system's behavior, and one of them is Win10Clean, which can block reinstalls, purge OneDrive entirely, and disable Windows Defender, among other things.
After several updates, Windows 10 has managed to smooth out some of its rough edges, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the operating system perfectly reflects Microsoft's new policies. Unfortunately, those policies aren't very "pro-user", and more than once Redmond has crossed over into abusive territory.
Official apps that reinstall themselves without permission, programs deleted "due to compatibility issues", ads injected into File Explorer, data collection, mandatory hotfixes… the list goes on. This is where many users suggest going back to Windows 7 or adopting some flavor of Linux, but there's another very effective route: using third-party software to put things in order and, along the way, clean up the operating system.
Clean Windows 10 with a single click
That brings us to Win10Clean. Its interface is very Spartan, and most of its functions are reduced to two tabs. In "Home" you'll find the ability to disable Windows Defender (useful if you prefer another antivirus), revert File Explorer's appearance to the Windows 7 style, block automatic app reinstallation, remove OneDrive, and clean up the context menu.
The "Win10 Native apps" tab requires more work on our part. Here a large number of apps are uninstalled, but they are registered by their internal names, so you'll need Google's help to identify each one correctly.
Win10Clean is open source, lightweight, portable, and has no external dependencies. Its main changes are reversible, but its developer notes that the program does not modify anything related to privacy. At the moment, VirusTotal does not report any positives on the Win10Clean executable, and on downloading it I haven't detected anything strange, nor any background "gifts".
