How to Remove Applications Using Microsoft Intune Admin Center

Start by logging into the Microsoft Intune admin center to assess which applications need removal from your managed devices.

# Open browser and navigate to:
https://intune.microsoft.com

Sign in with your Intune Administrator credentials. Navigate to Apps → All apps to view currently deployed applications. Use the search filter to locate specific apps you want to remove.

For apps not deployed through Intune, you'll need to identify them on target devices first. Connect to a sample device and run:

# List installed programs
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Select-Object Name, Version, InstallDate | Sort-Object Name

# List Windows Store apps
Get-AppxPackage | Select-Object Name, Version | Sort-Object Name

For Windows 11 25H2+ devices, use the Settings Catalog to remove built-in Microsoft Store applications like News, Solitaire, and Xbox apps.

Navigate to Devices → Configuration → Create → New Policy → Windows 10 and later → Settings catalog.

Name your policy "Remove Built-in Store Apps" and click Next. In the settings picker, search for "Remove default Microsoft Store packages" and configure:

{
  "Microsoft.News": "Enabled",
  "Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection": "Enabled",
  "Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI": "Enabled",
  "Microsoft.WindowsMaps": "Enabled",
  "Microsoft.ZuneMusic": "Enabled"
}

Assign the policy to your target device group containing Windows 11 25H2+ devices. The policy will apply during the next device check-in cycle (typically within 8 hours).

For applications not deployed through Intune, create a Win32 app package specifically for uninstallation. First, download the Microsoft Win32 Content Prep Tool from GitHub.

# Download Win32 Content Prep Tool
# Navigate to: https://github.com/Microsoft/Microsoft-Win32-Content-Prep-Tool/releases/latest
# Download IntuneWinAppUtil.exe

Create a source folder with the uninstall executable or script. For example, to remove Adobe Reader:

# Create uninstall script (uninstall_adobe.cmd)
msiexec /x {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-AC0F074E4100} /quiet /norestart

# Package the script
IntuneWinAppUtil.exe -c C:\Source -s uninstall_adobe.cmd -o C:\Output -q

The tool generates an .intunewin file. Navigate to Apps → Windows → Add → Windows app (Win32). Upload your .intunewin file and configure:

• Install command: Leave blank or use echo "Uninstall only"
• Uninstall command: uninstall_adobe.cmd
• Detection rules: File exists - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\Reader\AcroRd32.exe

Configure the Win32 app package to uninstall from specific device groups. In your newly created Win32 app, click Properties → Assignments → Edit.

Click Add group and select Uninstall as the assignment type. Choose your target device group that contains devices with the application installed.

{
  "assignmentType": "Uninstall",
  "targetGroup": "Devices-Adobe-Removal",
  "installIntent": "Uninstall",
  "notifications": "showAll"
}

Configure additional settings:

• End user notifications: Show all toast notifications
• Device restart behavior: Determine based on return codes
• Deadline: Set appropriate deadline for compliance

Save the assignment. Intune will begin processing the uninstall during the next device sync cycle.

For applications requiring complex removal logic or multiple components, use PowerShell remediation scripts. Navigate to Devices → Scripts → Add → Windows 10 and later.

Create a comprehensive removal script:

# Universal App Removal Script
# Remove Windows Store apps
$StoreApps = @("Microsoft.News", "Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection", "Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI")
foreach ($App in $StoreApps) {
    Get-AppxPackage *$App* | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | Where-Object DisplayName -like "*$App*" | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}

# Remove MSI products
$MSIProducts = @("BoxSync", "Dropbox")
foreach ($Product in $MSIProducts) {
    $App = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*$Product*"}
    if ($App) {
        Write-Output "Removing $($App.Name)"
        $App.Uninstall() | Out-Null
    }
}

# Clean up registry entries
$RegPaths = @(
    "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*BoxSync*",
    "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*BoxSync*"
)
foreach ($Path in $RegPaths) {
    if (Test-Path $Path) {
        Remove-Item $Path -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

Configure script settings:

• Run this script using the logged on credentials: No
• Enforce script signature check: No
• Run script in 64 bit PowerShell Host: Yes

Assign to target device groups and set execution schedule (immediate or recurring).

For applications originally deployed through Intune, configure implicit uninstall to automatically remove apps when devices leave target collections.

Navigate to Apps → Select your target app → Properties → Assignments → Edit. For existing "Required" assignments, enable the implicit uninstall option:

{
  "assignmentType": "Required",
  "implicitUninstall": true,
  "uninstallOnDeviceRemoval": true,
  "gracePeriodInMinutes": 60
}

This configuration ensures that when you remove devices from the target group, the application automatically uninstalls within 60-75 minutes.

To trigger immediate removal, simply remove devices from the assigned group:

1. Navigate to Groups → Select target group → Members
2. Remove devices that should no longer have the application
3. Wait for next sync cycle (typically 8 hours, or force sync via Company Portal)

Monitor the uninstall process across your device fleet using Intune's built-in reporting capabilities. Navigate to Apps → Select your app → Device install status.

Key status indicators to monitor:

• Uninstall pending: Device received policy, uninstall scheduled
• Uninstall succeeded: Application successfully removed
• Uninstall failed: Error occurred during removal process
• Not applicable: App wasn't installed on device

For failed uninstalls, collect diagnostic information from target devices:

# Check Intune Management Extension logs
Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-DeviceManagement-Enterprise-Diagnostics-Provider/Admin" | Where-Object {$_.TimeCreated -gt (Get-Date).AddHours(-24)} | Select-Object TimeCreated, Id, LevelDisplayName, Message

# Verify Intune sync status
dsregcmd /status

# Check scheduled tasks
Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName "*Intune*" | Format-Table TaskName, State, LastRunTime

# Review Win32 app installation logs
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\IntuneManagementExtension\Win32Apps\*" | Select-Object PSChildName, UninstallCommandLine, LastError

Common troubleshooting steps:

1. Detection rule mismatch: Verify file paths and registry keys are case-sensitive and accurate
2. Silent uninstall parameters: Test uninstall commands locally before packaging
3. Insufficient permissions: Ensure scripts run with SYSTEM context for system-wide removals

After successful app removal, clean up residual files and optimize device storage to ensure complete removal. Deploy a cleanup script to target devices:

# Comprehensive Cleanup Script
# Remove common residual folders
$CleanupPaths = @(
    "$env:ProgramFiles\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC",
    "$env:ProgramFiles(x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC",
    "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Adobe\Acrobat",
    "$env:APPDATA\Adobe\Acrobat",
    "$env:ProgramData\Adobe\Acrobat"
)

foreach ($Path in $CleanupPaths) {
    if (Test-Path $Path) {
        Write-Output "Removing residual folder: $Path"
        Remove-Item $Path -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

# Clean registry entries
$RegistryPaths = @(
    "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader",
    "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader",
    "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Adobe\Acrobat Reader"
)

foreach ($RegPath in $RegistryPaths) {
    if (Test-Path $RegPath) {
        Write-Output "Removing registry key: $RegPath"
        Remove-Item $RegPath -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

# Run disk cleanup
Start-Process "cleanmgr.exe" -ArgumentList "/sagerun:1" -Wait -NoNewWindow

# Report storage savings
$FreeSpace = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogicalDisk | Where-Object {$_.DriveType -eq 3} | Select-Object DeviceID, @{Name="FreeSpaceGB";Expression={[math]::Round($_.FreeSpace/1GB,2)}}
Write-Output "Current free space: $($FreeSpace | ConvertTo-Json)"

Deploy this script using the same method as Step 5. Set it to run 24 hours after the main uninstall process to ensure all applications are fully removed first.

Monitor storage optimization results:

# Generate storage report
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogicalDisk | Where-Object {$_.DriveType -eq 3} | Select-Object @{Name="Drive";Expression={$_.DeviceID}}, @{Name="TotalGB";Expression={[math]::Round($_.Size/1GB,2)}}, @{Name="FreeGB";Expression={[math]::Round($_.FreeSpace/1GB,2)}}, @{Name="UsedGB";Expression={[math]::Round(($_.Size-$_.FreeSpace)/1GB,2)}}