New Windows 11 Policy Lets IT Admins Remove Pre-Installed Microsoft Store Apps

Microsoft is making life easier for IT admins with a new policy-based method that finally simplifies removing unwanted pre-installed Microsoft Store apps from Windows 11 devices. This new policy is currently available for customers running Windows 11 Enterprise and Education version 25H2.

Microsoft says IT administrators have long faced challenges removing pre-installed Microsoft Store apps from Windows devices. Custom scripts were unreliable, imaging processes were complex, and results often varied between system versions, which makes app removal time-consuming, hard to maintain, and prone to breaking after updates.

How does the new policy-based approach to app removal work?

The new policy-based approach offers a streamlined way for IT administrators to remove specific pre-installed Microsoft Store apps using familiar tools like Group Policy, Microsoft Intune, or Configuration Service Provider (CSP). This setting is turned off by default, and IT admins will need to enable it manually.

Once activated, this new policy automatically removes select Microsoft Store apps during the initial setup (OOBE), after an operating system upgrade, or when a policy update is applied during user sign-in. It supports all popular apps such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, Photos, Snipping Tool, Clipchamp, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Windows Terminal.

“If you’ve ever needed to remove pre-installed Microsoft Store apps, you might have encountered scripts that break when apps change, making your job more time-consuming. The new policy lets you select and remove apps according to your organization’s requirements with reduce operational overhead. By using policy, you can create a cleaner, work-ready experience for users at your organization,” the company explained on the Microsoft 365 admin center.

How can IT admins enable this Windows 11 policy?

To use the new policy with Microsoft Intune, enterprise admins will need to follow the steps mentioned below:

• In the Microsoft Intune admin center, head over to Devices > Manage devices > Configuration > Create > New policy to create a settings catalog policy.
• Now, use the following settings:
  • Category: Administrative Templates\Windows Components\App Package Deployment
  • Setting name: Remove default Microsoft Store packages from the system.
  • Value: Enabled
• Configure the toggle to True to remove each application.
• Finally, assign the policy to the specific group, or groups, of devices.

Overall, this new policy removes the need for manual scripting to significantly reduce the time and effort IT teams spend on device setup and maintenance. It helps to improve security by minimizing unnecessary apps and simplifying overall device configuration.

Keep in mind that Microsoft Intune won’t apply this policy to unsupported Windows 11 devices and will show a status of “Not applicable” instead. You can find a full list of supported apps and step-by-step instructions for applying the policy either to a single device using the Local Group Policy Editor or across multiple Active Directory-joined devices on Microsoft’s official blog.