When you install programs, no matter how large of a program they are, they will always create multiple files on your computer for the program data. These extra folders and files will take up a bit of space and if you think of how many programs you have on your computer already (games, browsers, Microsoft Office, picture editors, etc. etc.) you’ll realize that there are a lot of random program files floating about.
For most people, when they want to get rid of a certain program, they simply right click and select delete. This however, does not completely remove all of the little files and your computer will be left cluttered up with useless junk that you’ve attempted to delete.
So, when you want to remove a program it is essential to do it properly. Right clicking and deleting it will not work so let’s look at a few proper ways to completely remove your program and all of the files.
- One way to completely remove all of the program files upon deletion is to open up the actual program itself. Many will have an ‘Uninstall’ feature somewhere on their interface so that should be the first thing you should look for. If that is not there or if you can’t seem to find it then continue to the next steps.
- When the program itself doesn’t show an uninstall feature then you need to go work around that. First, go to your ‘Start Menu’, and then click on ‘Control Panel’. From there you’ll see several options but the one you want today is titled ‘Programs’ so click on it. Then click on ‘Uninstall a Program’.
When you click on that you will see a list generated of all of the programs installed on your computer currently. This is exceptionally useful because you can sort the programs by date of last use, frequency of use, name, and more. When you sort it by frequency of use you can then see the programs that are not being used on your computer at all, and remove them. Generally if you haven’t used them in about a year you probably won’t use them in the future. If they are a paid program, you might want to reconsider deleting, but if you have the installation CD then you can safely remove that useless clutter without worry.
So to remove it you simply find the program you want, right click it, and then select ‘Uninstall/Change’. Follow the installation prompts and poof! It will disappear from your computer completely!
You need to be sure you completely remove all of the program files when you are removing a program else you will end up with a lot of clutter that will only bog your computer down and hinder its performance. Performing these simple steps upon uninstallation of a program will ensure that you are minimizing the clutter on your computer and effectively removing all of the programs.