14 DAY TRIAL // With the release of Windows 10 build 14926, Microsoft is also making a significant change to the way it handles the upgrade process for existing users, as the firm decided not to reinstall the pre-loaded apps anymore and thus bring back some of the tiles that you already removed.
Specifically, it’s no longer a secret that many Windows 10 users actually remove some of the pre-installed apps because they rarely launch them, but with every new build (and major update, such as the Anniversary Update), Microsoft reinstalls them all once again.
It was just a matter of time until some people started accusing Microsoft of forcing these apps on its users, so the company has decided to change this behavior with the introduction of the latest build.
Uninstalled apps remain uninstalled
From now on, whenever a new build is released (Microsoft hasn’t said whether the same approach is being used for major feature updates pushed to retail users or not), apps are no longer reinstalled.
“We’ve heard your feedback, and starting with Build 14926, when your PC updates it will check for apps that have been uninstalled, and it will preserve that state once the update has completed. This means if you uninstall any of the apps included in Windows 10 such as the Mail app or Maps app, they will not get reinstalled after you update to a newer build going forward,” Dona Sarkar, the head of the Windows Insider program, announced when pushing the new build.
While this isn’t a significant change for the majority of users, it surely helps improve the upgrade experience because users can thus keep their computers clean and once they remove some specific apps, they remain uninstalled no matter what happens.
Hopefully, the software firm will use the same approach for feature updates too, so when Redstone 2 launches in spring 2017 for Windows 10 users, it won’t reinstall the apps that they previously removed.