How to uninstall Microsoft Photos in Windows 11 and 10

You can uninstall Microsoft Photos from Windows 11 and Windows 10. First check Settings > Apps > Installed apps: if the Uninstall option for Photos is available, use it. If it is greyed out, open Terminal (Admin) and run Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.Photos | Remove-AppxPackage, or use the free O&O AppBuster tool. You can reinstall Photos from the Microsoft Store at any time.

This guide covers all three methods, how to remove Photos for every user account on a PC, how to get it back, and what to set up afterwards so your images still open in the viewer you prefer.

Can you uninstall Microsoft Photos?

Yes, Microsoft Photos is a removable Store app, even though Windows ships it as a default app. Microsoft began testing a regular Uninstall option for Photos, People and the Remote Desktop client in Windows 11 Insider build 25931 in August 2023, which made the app removable from Settings and from the Start menu right-click menu. Whether your PC shows that option depends on the Windows build and edition you run, so check Settings first.

Where the Settings option is missing or greyed out, PowerShell and dedicated app removers still work, because Photos is installed as an AppX package like any other Store app. Removing it is safe for Windows itself: no system component depends on Photos. The only side effect is that image files associated with Photos need a new default app, which the last section explains.

Common reasons to remove Photos are a preference for a faster third-party viewer such as FastStone Image Viewer, IrfanView, ImageGlass or XnView, and Windows prompting users to switch back to Photos after updates.

How to uninstall Photos in Settings

The Settings app is the simplest way to uninstall Photos when your Windows 11 build supports it. It needs no commands and removes the app for your account.

1. Press Windows-I to open Settings.
2. Go to Apps > Installed apps.
3. Type "Photos" in the search field.
4. Select the three-dot menu next to Microsoft Photos.
5. Select Uninstall and confirm.

You can also right-click Photos in the Start menu and pick Uninstall. If Uninstall is greyed out or does not appear, Windows treats Photos as a protected inbox app on your build. Use one of the two methods below instead.

How to uninstall Microsoft Photos with PowerShell

PowerShell removes Microsoft Photos on any Windows 11 or Windows 10 build, including builds where Settings blocks the uninstall. The Remove-AppxPackage cmdlet removes the package for the current user by default.

1. Press Windows-X and select Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
2. Confirm the User Account Control prompt.
3. Optional check: run Get-AppxPackage *Photos* | Select Name, PackageFullName to see which packages match. Microsoft Photos is listed as Microsoft.Windows.Photos.
4. Run Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.Photos | Remove-AppxPackage and press Enter.

The command finishes without a message when it succeeds. Photos disappears from the Start menu and from the "Open with" menu in File Explorer.

Using the exact package name is safer than the wildcard *photos* that many guides suggest, because a wildcard matches every package with "photos" in its name, which can include other photo apps you installed.

To remove Photos for every account on the PC, run the command from an elevated window with the AllUsers switch: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers Microsoft.Windows.Photos | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers. Microsoft's Remove-AppxPackage documentation notes that the AllUsers parameter requires administrator permissions.

How to remove Photos with O&O AppBuster

O&O AppBuster is a free, portable app remover that uninstalls Microsoft Photos without typing commands. Download it from the O&O Software website; it supports all versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 and runs without installation.

1. Run the downloaded O&O AppBuster file.
2. Locate Microsoft Photos in the app list and check its box.
3. Select Remove in the toolbar.
4. Choose whether to remove Photos for the current user or for all users, then confirm with Yes.

AppBuster offers to create a System Restore point before the change, which gives you a way back. System Restore is turned off on many PCs: enable it under Settings > System > About > System protection.

How to reinstall Microsoft Photos

Microsoft Photos is a free app in the Microsoft Store, so reinstalling it takes a minute. Open the Microsoft Photos Store page or search for "Microsoft Photos" in the Store app, then select Get or Install.

Windows feature updates can also bring Photos back on their own, because inbox apps are part of the Windows image. If Photos returns after a major update, remove it again with the same method. Users who miss the simpler pre-2022 app can restore the Photos Legacy app instead, and the classic Windows Photo Viewer can be brought back in Windows 11 as a lightweight alternative.

What to do after removing Photos

After you uninstall Photos, assign a new default app for image files so double-clicks do not end in a "How do you want to open this file?" prompt.

1. Install the image viewer you want to use.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Default apps.
3. Select your viewer and choose Set default, or set it for individual file types such as .jpg, .png, .gif, .webp and .heic.

Video files that opened in Photos also need a new default, for example Media Player or VLC.

OneDrive Photos is a separate app. In August 2026 PCWorld reported that a new OneDrive Photos app had appeared on many Windows 11 PCs, tied to the OneDrive client; removing Microsoft Photos does not remove it. Microsoft said it would provide a separate uninstall option, as PCWorld reported.

FAQ

Related: how to uninstall Phone Link, remove pre-installed Windows 11 apps with O&O AppBuster, Windows 10 Debloat Tool GUI