In this guide, we will make you aware of the location of the UWP apps in Windows 11, their URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), steps to create a shortcut of these apps, and the methods to uninstall them from your PC. The Universal Windows Platform Apps, also known as Metro apps, Microsoft Store, or APPX packages, are a set of default apps that are installed into your PC as soon as you sign in with a Microsoft Account. For example, the Calculator, Calendar, Camera, Mail, Cortana, Maps, OneNote, are all UWP Apps.
Since they are automatically installed without the user’s intervention, the latter doesn’t seem to have much clue regarding how to effectively deal with these apps. And this query seems to continue in the latest iteration of the OS as well. If you are also on the same page, then this guide shall help you out. In this guide, we will make you aware of the location of the UWP Apps in Windows 11, the steps to create their shortcut and how could you uninstall these UWP Apps in Windows 11. Follow along.
Table of Contents
Where are the UWP Apps Located in Windows 11?
- The UWP or Universal Windows Platform Apps are located in the following directory:
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps
- The Windows Apps folder is hidden by default. So if you aren’t able to view it, then click on the View icon situated at the top menu bar > Show > Hidden Items.
Where are the UWP Apps EXE Files in Windows 11
- If you aren’t able to find the EXE file on a UWP App in the WindowsApps folder, then there’s another way out:
- Launch the Run dialog box via Windows+R shortcut keys.
- Then type in the below command and hit Enter:
shell:appsfolder
- This shall take you to the Windows 11 Apps folder, with all the EXE files present there.
How to Create a UWP App Shortcut in Windows 11
If you interact with a particular UWP app on a regular basis, then it’s better to create its shortcut on the desktop. Here’s how it could be done:
- As before, head over to the Windows 11 Apps folder via the shell:appsfolder command.
- Then right-click on the app’s icon of your choice and select Create Shortcut.
- Windows will now tell you to create a shortcut on the Desktop, click Yes.
- That’s it, you could now easily access the concerned UWP app from that shortcut on your Windows 11 PC.
How to Open UWP Apps via Commands (URI) in Windows 11
If you are looking to invoke your inner geek, then you could consider launching an app via its associated command rather than their EXE file. Here’s the list of some of the most popular and commonly used UWP Apps and their commands, also known as URI (Uniform Resource Identifier).
As far as entering these commands are concerned, you could copy-paste them into the Run dialog box (Windows+R). Some of them could also be accessed via the File Explorer’s address bar (Windows+E), or the Command Prompt window.
UWP Apps | Commands |
| 3D Builder | com.microsoft.builder3d: |
| 3D Viewer | com.microsoft.3dviewer: |
| Action Center | ms-actioncenter: |
| Alarms & Clock | ms-clock: |
| Calculator | calculator: |
| Calendar | outlookcal: |
| Call | ms-call: |
| Camera | microsoft.windows.camera: |
| Connect | ms-projection: |
| Cortana | ms-cortana: |
| Feedback Hub | feedback-hub: |
| Get Help | ms-contact-support: |
| Groove Music | mswindowsmusic: |
| outlookmail: | |
| Maps | bingmaps: |
| Messaging | ms-chat: |
| Microsoft Edge | microsoft-edge: |
| Microsoft News | bingnews: |
| Microsoft Store | ms-windows-store: |
| Mixed Reality Camera | ms-holocamera: |
| Mixed Reality Portal | ms-holographicfirstrun: |
| Movies & TV | mswindowsvideo: |
| Networks | ms-availablenetworks: |
| OneNote | onenote: |
| Paint 3D | ms-paint: |
| People | ms-people: |
| Photos | ms-photos: |
| Screen Snip | ms-screenclip: |
| Settings | ms-settings: |
| Snip & Sketch | ms-screensketch: |
| Tips | ms-get-started: |
| Weather | bingweather: OR msnweather: |
| Windows Parental Controls | ms-wpc: |
| Windows Security | windowsdefender: |
| Xbox | xbox: |
How to Uninstall/Delete UWP Apps in Windows 11
If you no longer wish to use a UWP app, then it’s better to uninstall it from your PC. There are three different methods through which this could be carried out.
Via Start Menu
- Head over to the Start Menu and search for the desired app.
- Then right-click on it and select Uninstall (or just click Uninstall in the menu).
- Finally, click Uninstall in the confirmation dialog box that appears.
Via Control Panel
- Bring up the Control Panel via Start Menu.
- Then go to the Program and Features section.
- Select the desired UWP App from the list and hit Uninstall.
- Finally, click Yes in the confirmation dialog box that appears.
Uninstall UWP Apps in Windows 11 via Command Prompt/PowerShell
Most of the UWP apps are treated as a system app, hence the native method of uninstalling it via Control Panel or Start Menu might not work. Therefore, you will have to execute their associate commands in the PowerShell/CMD to uninstall them. For that, please refer to our comprehensive guide on How to Uninstall Apps using Command Prompt (CMD) or Powershell in Windows 11. Or refer to the below shorter instructions:
Using Command Prompt
- Launch CMD as admin and type in the below command:
wmic
- After that, get the desired app package name via the following command
product get name
- Finally, execute the below command to uninstall the UWP from your Windows 11 PC via Command Prompt
product where name="App-Name" call uninstall/nointeractive
- Make sure to replace App-Name from the above command accordingly (but keep the name within inverted quotes).
Using PowerShell
- Launch the PowerShell window as an admin
- Then type in the below command to get a list of the app’s package name:
Get-AppxPackage
- Finally, use the below command to uninstall the UWP app from your Windows 11 PC via PowerShell:
Remove-AppxPackage Package-Full-Name
- Make sure you replace the Package-Full-Name with the desired package name from the above command.
Concluding Remarks
So this was all from this guide about the UWP apps in Windows 11, their URI, location, steps to create their desktop shortcut, and how to uninstall them. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.
