Skip to content
How to Remove Unused Applications Automatically From Windows Machines

How to Remove Unused Applications Automatically From Windows Machines

Written By Anoop C Nair
Last Updated August 5, 2024
Posted In SCCM
SHARE

How to Remove Unused Applications Automatically From Windows Machines. Are you looking for an automated method to Remove Unused applications?

If so, we can do this through CM 2012 and Orchestrator. ConfigMgr 2012 Software metering and System Center Orchestrator Runbook are the main features used to perform this task.

Lastly, software metering data can be valuable! This post provides all the details on automatically removing unused applications from Windows computers. This guide will show you step-by-step instructions on setting up your system to detect and uninstall no longer used programs.

This helps free up space and improve your computer’s performance. The process is simple and easy to follow, making it a useful resource for anyone looking to keep their Windows machine running smoothly.

Patch My PC

How to Remove Unused Applications Automatically From Windows Machines

A series of blog posts can help you automate the “unused application removal process”. The following Five topics are covered in those posts. Neil Peterson has done a wonderful job by sharing these posts. Find the post details below.

How to Remove Unused Applications Automatically From Windows Machines - Fig.1
How to Remove Unused Applications Automatically From Windows Machines – Fig.1

1. Internals of software metering: This is all about creating rules and verifying that software metering is enabled on the client and server sides.

Remove Unused Applications Automatically From Windows MachinesDetails
Collection creation based on software metering dataThe collection will be created using the data collected through software metering and used during the Final Removal process.
Software removal based on collection membershipThis covers how to remove software based on collection membership. This collection can be used to target software removal Applications or packages.
Sample automation that provides advanced warning of pending software removalBased on the primary user’s User Device Affinity data, a notification message about removing unused applications/software from their primary machine will be sent to them.
An orchestrated final removal processThis explains how to create an Orchestrator Runbook to automate the removal process.
Picture CourtesyFree computer maintenance dot com
How to Remove Unused Applications Automatically From Windows Machines – Table 1

Resources

Free SCCM Training Part 1 | 17 Hours Of Latest Technical Content | ConfigMgr Lab HTMD Blog

We are on WhatsApp now. To get the latest step-by-step guides, news, and updates, Join our Channel. Click here – HTMD WhatsApp.

Author

Anoop C Nair is Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for consecutive 10 years! He is a Workplace Solution Architect with more than 22+ years of experience in Workplace technologies. He is Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM and Intune. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Windows, Cloud PC, Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security, Career etc…

Written by

Anoop C Nair is Workplace Technology solution architect with 25+ years of experience in global enterprise organizations such as JP Morgan, Capgemini, etc. Microsoft Certified Trainer. Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for consecutive 11+ years! He also conducts Intune and modern workplace tech training for enterprise organizations. He is Blogger, Speaker, and Founder of HTMD Community and HTMD Conference. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like Intune, Windows, Cloud PC. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Windows, Cloud PC, Windows, Entra, Microsoft Security.

Discussion · 2 comments

  1. How to notify user about unused software – without orchestrator integration

    We have enabled software metering in our environment, now that we have identified 200 users have not used the metered software for more than 30 days, so next step is to notify the users that they have a software and not being used for more than 30 days and in 15 days the software will be automatically removed from the computer.

    Requirement from business to have a popup on computers that has unused software with Software name, Number of days unused and days left to uninstall from workstation.

    We need to achieve this with out orchestrator integration, any help will be much appreciated.

    1. hi sudarsan, did you get a solution for your query. Our team also have the same requirement and we are searching for the most feasible method. if you got anything to share with us please reply at ranjanmanna@gmailDOTcom

Join the discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related guides

Intune

Windows 11 KB5101650 KB5099414 July 2026 Patch and 3 Zero Day Vulnerabilities and 570 Flaws

Key Takeaways Windows 11 KB5101650 KB5099414 July 2026 Patch and 3 Zero Day Vulnerabilities and 570 Flaws! In the July 2026 Patch, Microsoft introduced new features designed to improve the overall Windows experience. The update adds enhancements to Windows Update for more flexible update management and introduces Point-in-Time Restore, providing an additional recovery option for […]

AC Anoop C Nair 9 min read
Intune

2026 June KB5094126 KB5093998 Windows 11 Patch | 3 Zero Day Vulnerabilities and 200 Flaws

Key Takeaways 2026 June KB5094126 KB5093998 Windows 11 Patch | 3 Zero Day Vulnerabilities and 200 Flaws! The June 2026 Windows 11 Patch Tuesday update brings several improvements to File Explorer. It adds support for additional archive formats, including UU, CPIO, XAR, and NuGet Packages (NUPKG). The update also preserves View and Sort preferences in […]

AC Anoop C Nair 10 min read
Intune

2026 May KB5089549 KB5087420 Windows 11 Patch | 0 Zero Day Vulnerabilities and 120 Flaws

Key Takeaways The Windows 11 May 2026 Patch KB5089549 KB5087420 Update brings important security fixes, performance improvements, and reliability enhancements across the operating system. The update introduces new features such as Xbox Mode for gaming, File Explorer improvements, enhanced input and sharing experiences, better taskbar and Windows Hello reliability, and additional enterprise management capabilities for […]

AC Anoop C Nair 8 min read
SCCM

ConfigMgr 2603 Introduces New Early Update Enrollment Process

Key Takeaways In this post we are discussing the ConfigMgr 2603 Introduces New Early Update Enrollment Process. Microsoft has officially released Configuration Manager version 2603 to the Early Update Ring, giving organizations an opportunity to test upcoming improvements before the global production rollout. The release is targeted at enterprises running ConfigMgr version 2409 or later […]

AC Anoop C Nair 3 min read