It can clean up leftovers, detect orphaned applications, run uninstallers according to premade lists, and much more. Even though BCU was made with IT pros in mind, by default it is so straight-forward that anyone can use it effortlessly.

Why should I use this uninstaller instead of any other?

While it is true that there are many different uninstall managers out there, only few come close to the detection rate and versatility of Bulk Crap Uninstaller, When compared to the stock windows uninstall manager you might find that BCU will show many times more applications. To top it off, BCU is fully free and open source. You can freely modify it to suit your needs, or even better help improve it for the rest of its users!

Features

Uninstall countless applications quickly

BCUninstaller will do all the hard work of ordering and running uninstallers for you. All you have to do is select them from the list. Many applications do not provide non-intrusive uninstallers. They will be executed first, so you will be able to leave the computer sooner.

Remove all leftovers from uninstallations

Often times uninstallers will not remove files that were created after the application was installed - temporary files, settings, shortcuts, etc. BCUninstaller will search for and offer to remove all of those, saving you many minutes, if not hours.

Detect orphaned applications

Oftentimes applications end up without a working uninstaller. They sit on your hard drive, you might even be using them, but most uninstall managers will not see them. BCUninstaller will detect, list, and enable you to remove those applications.

Startup manager

As any uninstall manager in existence BCU has a startup manager. It is not a useless gadget however, it has some powerful functions. The manager is tied into the main application list - you can see which applications are starting on boot and disable them.

Multiple languages

BCUninstaller has a growing collection of localisations. At this time there are English, French, German and Polish translations. If you wish to help translate BCU to your language please contact me through the feedback page.

Uninstall lists and searching

You can create special lists that will automatically select all matching uninstallers. One of the most common uses for these is uninstalling crapware from a series of similar computers in classrooms or offices. Many different filtering methods are available, all of which are also available for searching in the main list!

Verification of certificates

Think that malware might be impersonating a legitimate application? BCUninstaller will look for and test digital signatures attached to the uninstallers. Green entries are verified, while blue failed verification for some reason. Take note that it is common for legitimate MSI uninstallers to fail verification, this is caused by internal workings of Windows Installer.

More data than you'd ever need

Wondering about what GUIDs are in use, where the application is installed to, or who signed the certificate? BCU will tell you all that and much, much more. The search algorithm will look through all of that data when filtering. While most of the time there is little use for all of that info, it can be a godsend while trying to corner a worm or debug your uninstaller.

Other notable features:

  • Detection and uninstallation of Windows Store apps
  • Uninstallation of multiple items at once (with collision prevention)
  • Advanced grouping, sorting, filtering and searching
  • Automatic detection and closing of running applications
  • Automatic updating and error reporting
  • Custom commands can be executed before and after uninstallation
  • Editing tools and backup creation - can generate .reg files and remove junk to recycle bin
  • Fully portable, requires Net 3.5 which is installed on all Windows 7 machines by default
  • Quiet (unattended) uninstall of many programs when they don't openly support it
  • Visibility of protected and invalid entries (system uninstaller doesn't see them)

What's New

Features

  • Add Custom Notes feature for uninstaller entries by @ronimuliawan in #939
  • Add JSON output format to BCU-console list and export by @hazeliscoding in #967
  • Add dry-run mode to BCU-console uninstall command by @hazeliscoding in #968
  • (Portable ver) Add Windows ARM64 support to launcher and publish script by @NihilDigit in #990

Fixes

  • Clarify uninstall progress - leftover scan next step by @One-Simon in #930
  • Fix BCU-console hanging on Console.ReadKey() after showing help by @hazeliscoding in #966
  • Uninstall: Execute the Confirmed Directory Entry by @zbalkan in #987
  • Do not offer to send access denied error during junk backup creation by @Klocman in ebeaf7a
  • Show a better error message for missing or blocked BCU files and do not offer to send by @Klocman in 693765f
  • Catch OverflowException in HandleDestroy by @Klocman in 47078f9
  • Add additional error checking to NSIS quiet uninstall by @Klocman in e17302c

Translations

  • Arabic language translation file update by @HomamLazaref in #957
  • Updated Simplified Chinese translations by @Starkxim in #964
  • Add Ukrainian language support by @serhiihoroshko in #965
  • Update Ukrainian localization by @serhiihoroshko in #997
  • Add Korean translation by @ptrsk in badd28c
  • Add Greek translation by @buglocker in f249e92
  • Merge French translation update by Thierry in d42f42d

Other

  • Install the setup-selected language even when Extra Languages is deselected by @hazeliscoding in #969
  • Installer: verify current .NET runtime bootstrap by @zbalkan in #986
  • Fixed and cleaned up tests by @zbalkan in #985
  • Updated MSTest dependencies by @zbalkan in #1003
  • CI: Pin Actions and Publish Windows Test Results by @zbalkan in #988
  • ci.yaml - force windows-2022 by @Klocman in e92a8d2