A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft released new capabilities in Windows 11 Insider channels, allowing IT admins to remove pre-installed apps through a dynamic, policy-based method. Following that, the company also rolled out the non-security update for April 2026 (KB5083631), bringing this policy to more users, along with performance improvements. Now, the Redmond tech giant has shared additional details about this feature.
Basically, Microsoft has updated a policy present in Windows 11 version 25H2 and 24H2, that previously allowed IT admins to get rid of "some" pre-installed Microsoft Store apps. It has enhanced the policy to remove any preinstalled MSIX/APPX app as long as you reference its Package Family Name (PFN).
IT admins can now leverage the RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages policy to simply add PFNs to the dynamic app removal list. That said, it is worth noting that this feature is not integrated with the Intune Settings Catalog right now, and you should instead use Group Policy Object (GPO) or custom OMA-URI for mobile device management (MDM).
As an IT admin, if this is a capability that you are interested in, you should check out the technical details available here, which explain how you can add apps to the removal list for target devices. However, do keep in mind that if you remove an app, it will also get rid of any associated app data on the device. As such, you should always inform users before removing an app so that they can properly save local data ahead of removal. It's also worth highlighting that this policy cannot be used to remove system components, and is reserved for apps. Microsoft emphasizes that system components "aren't supposed to be removed".
In terms of the availability of the dynamic app removal list in the Intune Settings Catalog, that is expected within a few months. Once it becomes available, IT admins will be able to find it through the "Remove Default Microsoft Store packages" search query in the settings picker.
This updated policy is not available for regular users and is primarily meant for managed devices. As such, it is only available for Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 Enterprise and Education SKUs. Home and Pro still don't have this capability, and it's very unlikely that they'll get it. Since it's now rolling out with April's non-security update, it will generally roll out for all eligible users with May 2026's Patch Tuesday update, scheduled for May 12.
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