How to Recover Uninstalled Programs on Windows 10

There’s no undo button for an uninstall, and uninstalled programs don’t go to the Recycle Bin. To get a program back on Windows 10, you reinstall it: Microsoft Store apps come back from the Store’s Library, and desktop programs come back from the maker’s website or your original installer, after which you sign in or enter your license key. If you don’t know exactly what was removed, or several things broke at once, System Restore can roll Windows back to a restore point from before the uninstall, as long as one exists.

Applies to: Windows 10 version 22H2 (Home and Pro). Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates keep getting security fixes until the consumer program ends on October 12, 2027. The steps below work the same either way.

Which method should you use?

Your situation	Best route
You removed an app you got from the Microsoft Store (Netflix, Spotify, a game)	Reinstall from the Store Library
You removed a built-in app such as Calculator, Photos or Sticky Notes	Search for it in the Microsoft Store
You removed a desktop program (Chrome, Zoom, Office, a printer utility)	Download it again from the maker
You don’t know what was removed, or something else broke at the same time	System Restore, if you have a restore point
You need files you created with the program, not the program itself	Check where your data lives

Reinstalling is almost always faster and less risky than System Restore, because it changes only the one program.

Before you start

• Uninstalling isn’t deleting your documents. An uninstaller removes the program’s files, shortcuts and most of its registry entries. Files you saved in Documents, Desktop or OneDrive stay where they are.
• You’ll need the program’s name. If you’re not sure what disappeared, start with find out what was removed.
• Have your sign-in or license ready. Store apps need the Microsoft account you used originally. Paid desktop programs need your account with the maker or your license key, usually found in the purchase confirmation email.
• System Restore needs an administrator account. Reinstalling a Store app doesn’t.

Find out what was removed

Windows doesn’t keep a simple “recently uninstalled” list, but a few places can jog your memory.

Check Event Viewer

Programs that use Windows Installer (MSI) packages write an entry to the event log when they’re removed.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Event Viewer.
2. In the left pane, expand Windows Logs and select Application.
3. In the right pane, select Filter Current Log.
4. Open the Event sources list and tick MsiInstaller.
5. In the box that says <All Event IDs>, type 1034, 11724 and select OK.

Each matching event names the product that was removed and when. Event 1034 means “Removal completed with status,” and 11724 is the logged form of Windows Installer message 1724, “Removal completed successfully,” as listed in Microsoft’s Windows Installer event logging documentation. Programs with their own EXE installers and Store apps don’t log these events, so an empty list doesn’t prove nothing was removed.

Other places to look

• Reliability Monitor: type reliability in the Start search box and open View reliability history. Its informational events often include software installs and removals by date.
• Windows Security: if a program vanished without you removing it, open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history. Microsoft explains how to review and restore a quarantined item on its Protection history page. Restore something only if you’re sure it’s safe.
• After a reset: both Keep my files and Remove everything remove your apps. After a Keep my files reset, Windows usually leaves a Removed Apps page on the desktop listing the desktop programs it took off.

Method 1: Reinstall a Microsoft Store app from your Library

Every app and game tied to your Microsoft account stays in your Library, even if you removed it long ago or bought it on another PC. Games work a little differently because launchers keep their own records, which is explained in uninstalling and reinstalling games on Windows 10.

1. Open Microsoft Store from the Start menu.
2. Make sure you’re signed in. Select the profile icon at the top of the window and check that it shows the same Microsoft account you used when you first got the app.
3. Select Library near the bottom of the left sidebar.
4. Find the app. Use the filter at the top to switch between apps and games, or sort by name.
5. Select Install (shown as a cloud icon in some versions of the Store). The app downloads and appears in the Start menu when it’s done.

These are the same Library steps Microsoft gives in Fix problems with apps from Microsoft Store. If the app isn’t in your Library, you probably got it on a different account, or it was a desktop program after all, so try Method 2.

If the Store itself is missing or won’t open, fix that first by reinstalling Microsoft Store in Windows 10.

Built-in apps such as Calculator or Photos

Most apps that came with Windows 10 are published in the Microsoft Store, so you can search for them by name (for example, Windows Calculator) and select Get or Install. Only download them from the Store, not from other sites. The full walk-through for one of the most commonly removed apps is in how to reinstall Calculator in Windows 10.

Method 2: Download and reinstall a desktop program

1. Go to the program maker’s own website and open its download page. Avoid third-party download sites, which can bundle extra software.
2. Download the Windows version and run the installer. Accept the User Account Control prompt if it appears.
3. When the program opens, sign in or enter your license key.
4. Check that your settings and recent files are back. If not, see Will my settings and data come back?

Where to find what you need:

• Subscription software such as Microsoft 365 usually only needs you to sign in with the account that holds the subscription.
• One-time purchases usually list the key in the order confirmation email or in your account on the maker’s website.
• Games bought through a launcher stay in that launcher’s library. Reinstall the launcher, sign in, and install the game from there.
• PC maker utilities (audio control panels, function-key tools, support apps) come from the support page for your PC model on the manufacturer’s website.

Reinstall with winget (optional)

If you’re comfortable typing commands, the Windows Package Manager can reinstall many popular programs from their official sources. Microsoft’s winget documentation says it works on Windows 10 version 1809 or later and comes with the App Installer app from the Store.

1. Right-click Start and select Windows PowerShell.
2. Type winget search zoom (replace zoom with your program’s name) and press Enter.
3. Note the Id of the correct result, then type winget install --id followed by that Id and press Enter.

Method 3: Roll back with System Restore

System Restore returns system files, installed programs, the registry and system settings to how they were when a restore point was made, without touching your personal files. It’s the right tool when you can’t pin down what was removed, or when an uninstall also broke something else. It isn’t selective, though: programs, drivers and updates installed after the restore point will be removed, so note anything you installed recently.

Check that you have a restore point

Microsoft’s System Protection page notes that System Protection isn’t turned on by default, so many PCs have no restore points. Type create a restore point in the Start search box and open it. On the System Protection tab, if protection for your system drive (usually C:) shows Off, there’s nothing to restore from and you’ll need Method 1 or 2.

Run System Restore

These steps follow Microsoft’s System Restore guide. Save your work and close open programs first, because the PC restarts.

1. Press Windows key + R, type rstrui.exe and press Enter. (You can also open Control Panel > Recovery > Open System Restore.)
2. Select Next. If you only see one restore point, tick Show more restore points.
3. Choose a restore point dated before the day you uninstalled the program.

4. Select Scan for affected programs. The results list programs and drivers that will be deleted and ones that might be restored. If the program you want isn’t in the second list, pick another point or reinstall it instead.

5. Select Close, then Next, then Finish. Windows restarts and applies the restore, which can take 15 minutes or more. Don’t turn off the PC.

When Windows starts again, a message tells you whether the restore succeeded. Open the program to confirm it works. Some programs come back but need a quick repair: open Settings > Apps > Apps & features, select the program, and choose Modify or Repair if offered.

If Windows won’t start normally, you can run the same restore from the recovery environment under Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore. Getting there is covered in how to enter recovery mode in Windows 10. If your drive uses BitLocker, have your recovery key ready.

Undo a restore

If the restore made things worse, run rstrui.exe again. Windows offers an Undo System Restore option that returns the PC to how it was just before the restore. Restores run from the recovery environment can’t be undone this way.

Will my settings and data come back?

What	After reinstalling
Program files	Put back by the installer
Settings stored in your user folder (AppData)	Often still there, so the program may remember them
Settings the uninstaller removed	Lost, unless System Restore or a backup brings them back
Documents you saved with the program	Untouched, unless you deleted them separately
Cloud-synced settings and libraries (Microsoft 365, game launchers)	Return when you sign in
Game saves	Often in Documents or the cloud; check the game’s save location

If you also deleted files, look in the Recycle Bin, File History or OneDrive. The options are laid out in recovering permanently deleted files in Windows 10.

What file recovery tools can and can’t do

Many pages about this topic recommend “data recovery” software. Here’s what those tools realistically do:

• They recover files, not installed programs. At best they find leftover files such as an old setup file or a folder of settings. A program also depends on registry entries, services and components in other folders, so recovered program files rarely run.
• Success fades quickly. Every new file written to the drive can overwrite what was removed. On SSDs, which most Windows 10 PCs use, Windows tells the drive to clear deleted space, and recovery often fails within minutes.
• Free versions are usually limited, and the scan can take hours.

For getting a program back, a fresh installer from the maker is quicker and safer. Recovery tools only make sense for irreplaceable files the program created, such as a project or save file with no backup.

Copying an old program folder back from a backup has the same problem: the files are there, but Windows doesn’t know the program is installed, so it usually won’t start or update.

If something goes wrong

“System Restore did not complete successfully”

Temporarily turn off third-party antivirus and try again, or run System Restore from the recovery environment. For more ways to bring a misbehaving PC back, see how to recover Windows 10.

The installer says the program is already installed

Leftover entries can confuse the installer. Restart the PC, check Settings > Apps > Apps & features for a stale entry and remove it, then run the installer again. Some makers publish a cleanup tool on their support site for exactly this.

The Store says the app isn’t available

Some apps are withdrawn from the Store over time. If it no longer appears, check the developer’s website for a current version or a replacement.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay again for software I uninstalled?

No, in nearly every case. Your purchase is tied to your account or license key, not to the installed copy. Some licenses limit how many PCs can use them at once, so deactivate an old PC if you hit that limit.

Can I get back a program that a Windows update removed?

Yes. Updates occasionally remove software that isn’t compatible with the new version. Download the latest version from the maker, which usually fixes the incompatibility, rather than restoring the old one.

How do I avoid this next time?

Turn on System Protection and create a restore point in Windows 10 before big changes, and keep license emails in one folder. When you clean up, follow the steps for uninstalling programs on Windows 10 and remove one program at a time so it’s clear what changed.

Is it different on Windows 11?

The same three routes apply, but the menus are arranged differently. See recovering uninstalled programs on Windows 11 for those screens.

Start with the quickest fix: check your Store Library or the maker’s download page, and keep System Restore for the times you can’t tell what went missing.