For some reasons, if you would like to uninstall the default apps in Windows 10 Mobile, it is possible. You can uninstall default apps in Windows 10 Mobile, all you need to do is get full access to the file manager or MTP.
It is quite an easy task to delete apps in Windows 10 PC but it is a bit tricky on Windows 10 Mobile. Remember, if you delete a default app from your Windows 10 Mobile, you’ll need to use Windows Device Recovery Tool to restore the app. Simply resetting the phone won’t bring back the default apps back, alternatively, you can sideload the default app.
Get Full File Access over STFP on Windows 10 Mobile
Here’s how you can get full file access (source: XDA-Developers).
- Download Lumia Registry Editor.
- Set the string values under the Path System\Currentcontrolset\control\ssh\sirepuser to the following:
Represented in this guide as key: value
stfp-home-dir : C:\
default-home-dir : C:\
sftp-mkdir-rex : .*
sftp-open-dir-rex : .*
sftp-read-file-rex : .*
sftp-remove-file-rex : .*
sftp-rmdir-rex : .*
sftp-stat-rex : .*
sftp-write-file-rex : .*
auth-method : password
user-pin : 1234 - Exit the app.
- Download Swish Easy SFTP.
- Go to Windows Explorer, dbl-click on the Swish icon under Devices and Drives. Click on Add SFTP Connection at the top
- Enter in a label that you wish to save the connection present as .
- Under host your phone’s IP as Host.
- Enter in Sirepuser as the User.
- Enter / as the Path.
- Press Create
- Go back to the Swish folder then click on the connection that you just created (YOU MUST HAVE PAGENT RUNNING FOR THIS TO WORK).
- When prompted, enter “1234” as the password.
- Done!
Uninstall default apps in Windows 10 Mobile
- Connect the phone to PC using USB after getting Full File Explorer or MTP access.
- Go to C:\PROGRAMS\COMMONFILES\XAPS or C:\PROGRAMS\COMMONFILES\OEM\PreinstalledAPPS (depends on the device).
- You will find the list of apps.
- Delete them and it will be removed from the phone.
The hack may or may not work, do it at your own risk, the article is for educational purpose. We will, however, update the article when a new and easy method is available.
View Comments (1)
Thanks, but I would not recommend this. It could sometimes leave apps in a weird half-uninstalled corrupt state where the app is still listed in apps lists but not working and it is not possible to fully uninstall or reinstall the app again.
I would instead recommend to use the DeployAppx.exe tool from Windows 10 IoT Core images. That tool apparently works correctly on phones as well and it can list, uninstall, reinstall, sideload apps as well as register an app directly from extracted files in a directory. Using this method, it is almost always possible to install the app again directly from Store app if you would like to install it again.