In may 2022 we did already talk about huge WindowsApps folder under Windows 10.
All things are still valid in 2023, and also for Windows 11, with the exception that there is an enhanced cleanup script available from the TenForum which also handles folder ownership stuff and can delete all orphaned folders.
As a reference, I have a copy of the script here, in case the other forum would close/disappear some time in the future.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: By Einstein1969 for www.tenforum.com :: %= CleanWA =% @set "Version=0.1.4.2 BETA" :: :: Detect orphaned dirs in %ProgramFiles%\WindowsApps, check for integrity/consistency :: :: Requirements: Save to UTF-8. Use Lucida Console Font in CMD window. Run with double click over icon script. :: Windows 10 version 1511 (build number 10586) onward :: :: history: :: 10/08/2022 0.1.4.2 BETA added some stuff for taking correct ownership with different languages :: 10/08/2022 0.1.4.1 BETA added some hints to take ownership :: 04/02/2022 0.1.4 BETA fix some minor bug and aesthetic improvements :: /10/2021 0.1.4 BETA fix bug for elevated char ;,=() &^ :: 29/09/2021 0.1.3 BETA Search for applications that do not have InstallLocation set. :: Enable support for Unicode UTF-8 and VT-ANSI :: 25/09/2021 0.1.2 BETA removed debug, added run as administrator , thanks Matthew Wai :: 25/09/2021 0.1.1 BETA add debug instruction for "file not found" bug/error. :: :: ref: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4689-uninstall-apps-windows-10-a.html :: ref: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/console-virtual-terminal-sequences :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: @echo off & setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion&color 1f&title CleanWA %Version% Rem Choice the WindowsApps (WA) directory to check. set "WA=%ProgramW6432%\WindowsApps" set PromptLine= copy /y nul "%TEMP%\yesnoall#.tmp" >nul for /f "tokens=2* delims=#" %%A in ( '^<nul copy /-y nul "%TEMP%\yesnoall#.tmp"' ) do set PromptLine=%%A del "%TEMP%\yesnoall#.tmp" set PromptLine=%PromptLine: =%& rem delete spaces (for russian) for /f "tokens=2-7 delims=[(/)]" %%A in ( "%PromptLine%" ) do if "%%~E" == "" ( set ans_yes=%%A& set ans_no=%%B& set ans_all=%%C ) else ( set ans_yes=%%A& set ans_no=%%C& set ans_all=%%E ) set ans_y=%ans_yes:~0,1%& set ans_n=%ans_no:~0,1%& set ans_a=%ans_all:~0,1% echo %ans_yes%, %ans_no%, %ans_all% echo %ans_y%, %ans_n%, %ans_a% Rem Check for Run as administrator. call :Restart_as_Administrator %1 Call :video_setting Rem check for permission on WA if not exist "%WA%\." echo( & echo Error: Problem accessing "%WA%" & goto :the_end echo( echo • Analyze "%WA%" echo( Echo • Check for applications that do not have "InstallLocation" set. echo( rem create list of registered app > "%tmp%\CleanWA.RegisteredApps.tmp.txt" ^ ( rem exclude "system" applications in c:\windows folder powershell -Command "Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | ? { $_.SignatureKind -ne 'System' } | sort -property {$_.InstallLocation+' '} | ForEach-Object {'{0,-40} {1,-20} {2}' -f $_.name,$_.version,$_.InstallLocation}" ) type nul: > "%tmp%\CleanWA.RegisteredApps_good.tmp.txt" type nul: > "%tmp%\CleanWA.RegisteredApps_NO_good.tmp.txt" FOR /f "usebackq tokens=1,2,*" %%a in ("%tmp%\CleanWA.RegisteredApps.tmp.txt") do ( if "%%c" equ "" ( echo( %CSI%7m? Warning: Registered app "%%a" does not have a "InstallLocation" set/defined. ?%CSI%27m echo( echo Rem Warning: Registered app "%%a" does not have a "InstallLocation" set/defined. >> "%tmp%\CleanWA.RegisteredApps_NO_good.tmp.txt" ) else echo(%%a %%b %%c >> "%tmp%\CleanWA.RegisteredApps_good.tmp.txt" ) echo v check finished. echo( echo • Detect orphaned dirs echo( type nul > "%tmp%\CleanWA.report_orphans.tmp.txt" set "dn=0" & rem number of folders/directories set /A "Size=0, Totsize=0,dirsO" FOR /f "tokens=*" %%z IN ('dir /b /o:n "%WA%"') DO ( set /a "dn+=1" FOR /f "tokens=1-4" %%g in ('dir /S /W /-C "%WA%\%%z"') do (set "oldlineSize=!line!" & set line=%%i) call :pad dn 4 set /A "size=!oldlineSize:~0,-4!+0, sizeMB=size/105" echo • !dn! - Searching for folder: echo "%%z" (about !SizeMB! MBytes^) %CSI%0K set "found=" for /f "usebackq tokens=1,2,*" %%a in ("%tmp%\CleanWA.RegisteredApps_good.tmp.txt") do if not defined found ( rem echo • Pkg. InstallLocation "%%c" %CSI%0K %RI% set _V_=%%z set v1="x!_V_:%%a_%%b=!x" set v2="x!_V_!x" if !v1! NEQ !v2! ( set Found=1 rem echo( %CSI%102m? Found an app that use this folder ?%CSI%44m : %CSI%102m"%%a"%CSI%44m version: "%%b" %CSI%0K ) ) if defined found ( echo(%RI%%RI%%RI% ) else ( rem check for unknown folder/dir rem known:_x64_, _x86_, _neutral_ .... others? set v1="x!_V_:_x64_=!x" set v2="x!_V_!x" set "OK=N" if !v1! NEQ !v2! set "OK=Y" set v1="x!_V_:_x86_=!x" if !v1! NEQ !v2! set "OK=Y" set v1="x!_V_:_neutral_=!x" if !v1! NEQ !v2! set "OK=Y" if !OK! NEQ Y ( echo( echo %CSI%43m? No Match folder: "%%z" ?%CSI%44m%CSI%0K echo( echo( ping -n 2 127.0.0.1 >nul ) else ( echo( echo %CSI%101m? orphans folder! ?%CSI%44m%CSI%0K echo( echo( rem why 105? 1024*1024/10000 ~ 105 set /A "Totsize+=size, TotsizeMB=Totsize/105, dirsOrphans+=1" title CleanWA %Version% [Tot. space orphans: about !TotsizeMB! MB] [dirs/folder orphans: !dirsOrphans!] ( echo rem folder "%%z" (about !oldlineSize! Bytes^, about !SizeMB! MBytes^) echo takeown /F "%WA%\%%z" /r /d %ans_y% echo icacls "%WA%\%%z" /t /grant %USERNAME%:F echo RD /Q /S "%WA%\%%z" echo( ) >> "%tmp%\CleanWA.report_orphans.tmp.txt" ) ) rem pathping 127.0.0.1 -n -q 1 -p 100 >nul ) echo( echo( echo( echo v check finished. echo( echo dirs/folder orphans: !dirsOrphans! echo( echo Tot. space orphans: about !TotsizeMB! MB echo( >nul: copy /a "%tmp%\CleanWA.RegisteredApps_NO_good.tmp.txt" + /a "%tmp%\CleanWA.report_orphans.tmp.txt" "%tmp%\CleanWA.report.tmp.txt" echo coping Report/script "%tmp%\CleanWA.report.tmp.txt" for offline delete in \Users\Public copy "%tmp%\CleanWA.report.tmp.txt" \Users\Public echo( pause start notepad "\Users\Public\CleanWA.report.tmp.txt" :the_end :: pause if double clicked on instead of run from command line. echo %cmdcmdline% | findstr /I /L %comspec% >nul 2>&1 if %errorlevel% == 0 echo( & pause exit /B 0 goto :eof :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: SUBROUTINE :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :Restart_as_Administrator (Fsutil Dirty Query %SystemDrive%>Nul)&&( if "%1" neq "admin" ( start /MAX %~f0 admin Exit ) )||( mode con cols=90 lines=20 echo( & echo It is necessary to start the script with administrative rights. echo( & echo Please wait ... I am restarting the script with administrative rights. echo( & echo Answer "YES" to the next User Account Control UAC request to continue echo( running this script with administrative permissions. & echo( timeout /t 4 powershell.exe -c "Start -WindowStyle Maximized -Verb RunAs cmd /c, ("^""%~f0"^"" -replace '[;,=() &^]', '^$0'), "admin" " & Exit ) goto :eof :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :video_setting For /F %%a In ('echo prompt $E^| cmd') Do Set "ESC=%%a" set "CSI=%ESC%[" & set "RI=%ESC%M" set "echoVT=<nul set/p.=" rem get windows size for /f "tokens=1,2 skip=3" %%A in ('powershell -command "$Host.ui.rawui.WindowSize"' ) do set /a windowWidth=%%A, windowHeight=%%B, sm_e=%%B - 3 mode con: COLS=%windowWidth% LINES=%windowHeight% Rem Setting Scrolling Margins echo %CSI%4;%sm_e%r rem set UTF-8 chcp 65001 cls goto :eof :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :pad set "pad=!%1!" for /L %%L in (1,1,%2) do set "pad= !pad!" set "pad=!pad:~-%2!" set "%1=!pad!" goto :eof ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
