Getting rid of apps from your home screen in Windows 11 isn’t exactly rocket science, but sometimes it feels like Windows makes it more complicated than it needs to be. So, here’s how to do it without pulling your hair out.
How to Remove Apps from Your Home Screen in Windows 11
First up, the reason you’d want to do this is straightforward: clutter. If your Start menu is overflowing and your desktop looks like a digital hoarder’s paradise, unpinning apps can free up some space and make things easier on the eyes. If you’ve got icons you don’t use anymore or just want a cleaner look, these steps will do the trick.
Method 1: Right-click and Unpin
This is the quick and easy approach, and it works in most cases. Find the app icon on your Start menu or desktop, right-click, and look for ‘Unpin from Start’. Clicking that will remove the shortcut from your home screen or start menu, and that’s about it. No uninstalling, no deleting files — just hiding the shortcut. Keep in mind, the app’s still on your PC, you’re just hiding the icon.
Pro tip: if it doesn’t work straight away, Windows can be a bit slow or laggy sometimes. Restarting the Start menu (or the whole PC if needed) can help it catch up, then give it another go.
Method 2: Use Settings for More Control
If you want to go a bit further or manage app icons in bulk, head into Settings > Personalisation > Start. Here, you can toggle what shows up or remove pinned apps from a master list, especially if you’ve pinned a lot of third-party or clutter-inducing apps. Not quite as quick as right-clicking, but gives you a better overview.
Method 3: Remove from Desktop (if applicable)
If you’re talking about desktop icons, right-click the icon and select Delete. Just be aware, sometimes these are shortcuts, not actual apps, so deleting them only removes the shortcut — the app stays installed. For a proper removal, you’ll need to uninstall it via Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
Extra Tips & Why It Helps
If things are still looking cluttered after unpinning, don’t forget you can also resize or rearrange tiles by dragging them around. Also, consider creating folders to group similar apps — a bit quirky, but it keeps things neat and saves space. Sometimes, you might need to unpin apps twice or restart your PC to get everything sorted; Windows can be a bit finicky that way.
And, as you might expect, Windows sometimes makes things harder than they need to be. Icons might not disappear immediately, especially if they’re pinned to the taskbar instead of the Start menu. In those cases, right-click > Unpin from taskbar is the way to go.
Tips for Removing Apps from Your Home Screen in Windows 11
- Group apps into folders if you want quick access but less clutter.
- Remember, unpin = just hiding the shortcut, not actually removing the app from your PC.
- You can always find unpinned apps via Start or the search bar.
- Resizing or rearranging tiles makes your home screen look a lot tidier.
- A quick restart after unpinning sometimes helps everything settle in.
FAQs
Can I still use an app after unpinning it from the home screen?
Too right. It’s still installed, just not shown on the main screen. Find it via search or in the Start menu.
How do I uninstall an app completely?
Head to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, find the app, and click Uninstall. Easy as — but make sure you really don’t need it anymore, since it’s a proper delete.
Can I pin an app back after unpinning?
Absolutely. Just search for the app, right-click, and choose Pin to Start.
Is there a limit to how many apps I can pin?
No official cap, but the more you pin, the messier it gets. Best to keep only the essentials pinned and maybe group the rest.
Will removing icons help my computer run faster?
Unpinning doesn’t boost speed directly, but it definitely clears mental clutter and makes it easier to focus. Less visual noise, more productivity, so it feels quicker overall.
Wrapping Up: How to Remove Apps from Your Home Screen in Windows 11
- Right-click the app icon.
- Select Unpin from Start.
- Check your Start menu to make sure it’s gone.
- Repeat for other apps, if needed.
- And voilà — a cleaner, less cluttered workspace.
Hopefully, that saves you a bit of time. Once everything’s tidied up, it’s much easier to focus on what really matters instead of hunting through a jungle of app icons. Just remember, if things get a bit messy again, you can tweak your setup anytime.