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April 24th, 2026 04:45
What Dell apps can I uninstall and what processes can I disable/remove?
Hi all,
I'm just going through the process of decluttering a Dell Vostro 5581 (few years old now I know).
I have gone through via Control Panel > Programs and Features and Uninstall some Dell apps that way. I have also done the same by going to Settings > Apps > Installed apps and removing Dell apps that way as well.
However - there are some entries leftover in the both areas and wondering which ones can I remove because I still want to keep the Dell Power Manager software (for battery health).
I also wondered if there are process shown in Task Manager that I can disable/remove - again while keeping Dell Power Manager.
Here's what is shown in Settings > Apps > Installed Apps that has the word "Dell" in it. What should I uninstall?:
Here's what is shown in Control Panel > Programs and Features linked to "Dell". What should I uninstall?:
It should be noted that I no longer see an entry in Control Panel for the "SupportAssist OS Recovery".
Additionally - here's what is shown in Task Manager filtered to show anything with Dell linked to it. What should I disable/remove?:
Thank you for your help.
Darth Riker
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April 24th, 2026 19:30
Well I went through a uninstalled everything but Dell Power Manager and Dell Power Manager Service. All seems to be working okay.
Not shown in the above posts is that you also need to uninstall SmartByte (from either Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and/or via Control Panel > Programs and Features).
One important thing to note on uninstalling SmartByte:
Even when you do uninstall it from your laptop the processes are left on your computer. You still need to manually disable these.
To do so tap on Win Key + R then type in services.msc and click on OK.
In this Window double click on and change Startup Type to Disabled (then click Apply then OK) for the following:
(edited)
Rashmik
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April 24th, 2026 07:27
Yes that approach is fine Keep Power Manager, remove unnecessary Dell apps and disable extra startup items to improve performance safely.
Darth Riker
2 Intern
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April 24th, 2026 09:35
@Rashmik Thanks.
I guess what I really want to know is can I remove the following and not cause Dell Power Manager to stop working?:
Via Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and/or via Control Panel > Programs and Features
After this I'll then check what Dell related Background Processes are running. From the one's that are listed at the moment are any linked to Dell Power Manager or Dell Power Manager Service?
Current Background Processes
(edited)