[Windows 8] How to remove tablet apps?


Recommended Posts

How do I remove these tablet apps from Windows 8? I'm using Windows on a workstation and everytime I open audio/video/image it opens on full screen tablet app. I know I can set the default program but I would also like to completely remove these.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lol, right click on it and press uninstall... Was that so hard to figure out? And FYI they are not "tablet apps"

I thought it only removes it from the start screen?

Well, they are. Apps are on full screen with huge buttons, those are intended for touchscreen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, they are. Apps are on full screen with huge buttons, those are intended for touchscreen.

No they are not, they work perfectly on non-touchscreen computers and will eventually replace desktop apps (for casual users).

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought it only removes it from the start screen?

Well, they are. Apps are on full screen with huge buttons, those are intended for touchscreen.

Modern (Metro) apps are shown in full screen.... desktop apps are shown either full or window.

If you don't want modern apps, then uninstall them or leave them alone... use desktop apps from now on.

To change default settings... which you want to choose another app as default... go to default programs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No they are not, they work perfectly on non-touchscreen computers and will eventually replace desktop apps (for casual users).

Yes they work but are hard to use compared to desktop apps because the UI is designed for small screens and big fingers not mouse and keyboard. It's like using a Media Center with mouse and not remote.

With the touchscreen apps you continually have to move mouse from one side of the screen to another because those are on full screen. It's really hard on big monitor with high resolution.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

what a pointless argument. If you don't like that side of Windows 8, you really shouldn't have upgraded. Metro is very, very, very well documented on people's either for or against opinions. You should have read about it before upgrading.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Either you uninstall them or just change file associations.

what a pointless argument. If you don't like that side of Windows 8, you really shouldn't have upgraded. Metro is very, very, very well documented on people's either for or against opinions. You should have read about it before upgrading.

and you're reaction is, I think, too much. I don't think this is one of those "Windows 8 sucks, blah blah" thread. He's merely asking how to remove Metro apps.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

what a pointless argument. If you don't like that side of Windows 8, you really shouldn't have upgraded.

there is a lot more to win 8 than just apps, if someone doesnt want to use them then they dont have to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got them uninstalled, it resets associations to normal Windows programs. I should have tried it before asking but I just figured that removing those from start screen doesn't remove them from Windows, thats usually been the case with Windows.

Thank you :)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just associate them with Media player. No need to uninstall anything.

This, you don't have to use Metro programmes, just like you don't have to use WMP if you've got iTunes installed. Same procedure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really wish 8 was a little more smart in the ways it handled files. If I open a file on the desktop, it should open using a desktop app, and If I open a file in Metro Start it then can open in those apps. If I'm on the desktop, I really don't want to jump into a full screen experience every time I open a picture. Also, the Start Videos app doesn't even support all video formats that WMP does. Certain video files will fail to open unless I manually set them to WMP.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really wish 8 was a little more smart in the ways it handled files. If I open a file on the desktop, it should open using a desktop app, and If I open a file in Metro Start it then can open in those apps. If I'm on the desktop, I really don't want to jump into a full screen experience every time I open a picture. Also, the Start Videos app doesn't even support all video formats that WMP does. Certain video files will fail to open unless I manually set them to WMP.

how wierd, i oopen a photo from the desktop and it opens the picture previewer like it did on 7 open it in metro and it runs a metro app same with video and music if done form desktop mine opens a desktop app not a fullscreen metro app. all completly seperate

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To get back to the actual question, there should be two options when you right-click on a tile for an immersive app: Unpin from Start, and Uninstall. Unpin from Start just removes the app's tile from Start, as you say; Uninstall removes the app from the computer.

In addition, you can change the default program association as before through Default Programs in the Control Panel (do a Settings search (Search charm -> Settings or Windows key + W) for "default"). You should also get a little pop-up notification the first time you open file of some type, offering to change the defaults.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Usually the first time you open a file of a given type, a toast notification will appear in the upper-right telling you to click it if you want to change which app opens that type of file. That's often the easiest way to choose a desktop app.

Personally, I use the desktop photo viewer for now, less because of the full-screen thing but more a preference for certain features not (yet) available in the Photos app. But I use the new Music and Videos apps quite a lot, even on my desktops with huge monitors. This is probably because Video is most often full-screen to begin with, and Music is usually playing in the background (and the full-screen experience is great for finding what to play).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

This thread is so lame, I decided to sign up just so I can post in this thread

Calum, for the record, you are 100% dead wrong about them being called "metro" apps. It constantly baffles me that people will berate others for using improper terminology, while then sharing improper terminology.

I decided to use one of my MSDN support incidents to talk to someone at Microsoft who is versed in the world of Windows 8, since threads like this are all over the place and provide a massive amount of misinformation. I spent some time on the phone with some support reps at Microsoft who have been specifically trained in Windows 8. The proper terms they were trained to use, are "modern applications" or "windows 8 styled applications". If they are not one of those two, they are called "desktop applications". The techs specifically said that they are not to use the term "metro".

The other tip I'll share is that if you want to open up IE in desktop mode, from the start screen, you create a shortcut to IE on the desktop (or wherever) and right click that shortcut and "pin to start".

OR

Go to "c:\users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs", and create a shortcut to iexplore.exe there.

You cannot uninstall the modern version of IE.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got them uninstalled, it resets associations to normal Windows programs. I should have tried it before asking but I just figured that removing those from start screen doesn't remove them from Windows, thats usually been the case with Windows.

Thank you :)

Unpinning them from the Start screen removes them from there, but clicking Uninstall actually uninstalls them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Off-topic posts moved to this thread. Please feel free to continue the discussion there :)

I will close this thread now, as the thread author's problem was solved. Joni_78, please don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like it to be opened again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.