9 ways to open Apps & Features tool on Windows 11

The Apps & Features control panel is the Settings equivalent of the Programs and Features tool from the Control Panel. Like the Control Panel, the Settings version is your primary uninstaller, where you can remove both UWP (Microsoft Store) apps and desktop software. The tool also includes Reset and Repair troubleshooting options for UWP apps.

The Settings uninstaller is quite necessary because you can't uninstall UWP apps using Programs and Features. So Apps & Features is an important utility that users will need to open from time to time. Here are 9 different ways you can open Apps & Features in Windows 11.

1. Open Apps & Features in Settings

This first method is one of the slower, but very straightforward ways to open Apps & Features. It involves manually navigating through Settings to access the Apps & Features tool. While not the best method, here's how you can open Apps & Features in Settings:

Click the Start button and click the gear on the left side of the menu to open Settings.

Click the Apps tab on the left side of the window.

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Select Apps & Features to display that uninstall tool.

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2. Open Apps & Features using Windows 11 search tool

Windows 11 search is like an app launcher where you can find and open apps, Settings, and Control Panel tools. So this utility provides us with a more direct way to open Apps & Features. You can open Apps & Features using the search box as follows:

Press Win + S dedicated to open Windows Search.

Type Apps & Features inside the search box to find the uninstall tool.

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Click the Apps & Features result in the search widget.

3. Open Apps & Features using Run

You can open multiple Settings pages by entering the URI for them in the Run dialog. The URI is a Uniform Resource Identifier, which is like a special command that each Settings page has. Here's how to open Apps & Features in Run using its URI:

To quickly access the Run dialog box, press Win + R .

Type ms-settings:appsfeatures into the Open box.

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Click the OK option to view Apps & Features in Settings.

4. Open Apps & Features in File Explorer

File Explorer doesn't incorporate any navigation links that you can select to display Apps & Features. However, you can still open the Settings uninstall tool from there using Explorer's address bar with the following steps:

Click the Explorer taskbar shortcut (the folder library icon) to display the file manager.

Clears the current path in Explorer's address bar.

Type ms-settings:appsfeatures into the folder path address bar.

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Press Enter to open Apps & Features.

5. Open Apps & Features using Windows Terminal

Windows has Command Prompt and PowerShell that you can use to open Apps & Features. You can use both of those command-line tools in Windows Terminal. Here's how to open Apps & Features using PowerShell or Command Prompt in Windows Terminal:

Press Win + X to open the Power User menu.

Select the Windows Terminal shortcut.

Press Ctrl + Shift + 1 for the PowerShell tab or Ctrl + Shift + 2 to view the Command Prompt tab in Windows Terminal.

Enter this command inside the PowerShell or Command Prompt tab:

start ms-settings: appsfeatures

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Press Enter to execute the open Apps & Features command.

6. Open Apps & Features using the Power User menu

Windows 11's Power User menu includes 15 handy shortcuts, one of which opens Apps & Features. To access that menu, press the Win + X keyboard shortcut . Then select the Apps & Features option from that menu.

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7. Open Apps & Features using the shortcut on the desktop

Since Apps & Features is such an important tool, it makes sense to add a shortcut to your desktop to open it. A shortcut there will make that Settings page almost instantly accessible. You can create an Apps & Features shortcut on your desktop using its URI like this:

Right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop area and select New.

Select Shortcut to open the wizard window.

Type explorer.exe ms-settings:appsfeatures into the Create Shortcut wizard's item location box and click Next.

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Delete the default title for the shortcut and type Apps & Features into the text box.

Select Finish to add the Apps & Features shortcut.

Double-click the Apps & Features shortcut on the desktop to display the uninstaller tool.

The Apps & Features shortcut will have a default folder library icon. To choose a better alternative, right-click the Apps & Features shortcut on the desktop and select Properties > Change Icon . Enter this path in the Look for icons box and press Return :

%SystemRoot%System32SHELL32.dll

You can then choose a different icon from the many alternatives. Select an icon there and click the OK button. Click Apply to save the new icon.

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8. Open Apps & Features using the shortcut on the Taskbar and Start menu

The taskbar is better for important shortcuts because it remains visible when windows are open on the desktop. You can also open Apps & Features from the taskbar by adding a shortcut to it. Create a shortcut on the desktop as mentioned in method 7. Then, right-click on that shortcut and select Show more options > Pin to taskbar .

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You'll also notice a Pin to Start option on the classic menu. Select Pin to Start menu if you want the Apps & Features shortcut there. You can then open that utility by clicking a pinned shortcut for it at the front of the menu.

9. Open Apps & Features using hotkey

The Apps & Features hotkey puts that uninstaller tool at your fingertips. You can easily set up a custom hotkey to open that utility without any additional software. Here are the steps to set up a hotkey for Apps & Features :

Add Apps & Features shortcut to desktop as instructed in method 7.

Right-click the Apps & Features shortcut on the desktop and select the Properties context menu option.

Click the Shortcut key box to activate the text cursor.

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Press A (for apps) to set the key combination Ctrl + Shift + A .

Select Apply to save your hotkey.

Now, press Ctrl + Shift + A to open Apps & Features using the new hotkey. That shortcut will always work as long as you don't delete its desktop shortcut.

Apps & Features is probably the most important settings tool to open in Windows 11. You can access it in a variety of ways using the Run menu, Settings, Power User, the search utility, File Explorer, Windows Terminal, and custom keyboard shortcuts. Opening the Apps & Features page with a custom keyboard shortcut is the most direct way to bring up that uninstall tool. Open Apps & Features in whatever way works best for you.

David Pac

Update 30 December 2024