You remove a built-in app like Microsoft Teams or Xbox Game Bar from Windows 11, only to find it back after a feature update or system reset. This happens because the app is defined as a provisioned package in the Windows image. Provisioned packages are stored in the offline system image and are re-applied during servicing operations. This article explains why provisioned packages reappear, how Windows manages them, and the correct methods to permanently remove them.
Key Takeaways: How Provisioned Packages Work and How to Stop Them Returning
- DISM /Remove-ProvisionedPackage: Removes the package from the offline image so it does not get reinstalled during updates or resets.
- Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online: Lists all provisioned packages currently registered in the running system image.
- Windows Feature Update re-provisioning: Feature updates rebuild the OS image and reinstall all provisioned packages if you only removed them from the user account.
What Are Provisioned Packages and Why They Return
A provisioned package is a Windows app package that is pre-installed in the operating system image. When you set up a new user account or apply a feature update, Windows copies these packages from the image to the user profile. The package remains in the image even if you uninstall it from your current user account.
When you uninstall an app using the right-click context menu or Settings > Apps > Installed apps, you only remove it from the current user account. The provisioned package still lives in the system image. On the next feature update, Windows reapplies the image, and the app comes back for all users.
There are two distinct layers to understand:
- User-level removal: Removes the app from the current user profile only. The package remains provisioned.
- Image-level removal: Removes the package from the offline system image. The app will not return for any new or existing users after servicing operations.
Windows 11 uses the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool to manage provisioned packages. This tool works with the Windows image that is stored on disk, not with the running user session.
Steps to Permanently Remove Provisioned Packages on Windows 11
To permanently remove a provisioned package so it does not return after updates or resets, you must use the DISM command line tool. The process has two phases: identify the package name, then remove it from the image.
Phase 1: Identify the Provisioned Package Name
- Open Windows Terminal as Administrator
Right-click the Start button and select Windows Terminal Admin. Confirm the User Account Control prompt. - List all provisioned packages
Type the following command and press Enter:Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | Select-Object DisplayName, PackageName
This outputs a table showing the friendly display name and the full package name for each provisioned app. - Locate the target package
Find the package you want to remove. For example, Microsoft.WindowsTeams has DisplayName Microsoft.WindowsTeams and a PackageName ending in 8wekyb3d8bbwe. Write down the full PackageName value.
Phase 2: Remove the Package from the System Image
- Run the removal command
Type this command and replace PackageName with the full name from the previous step:Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName PackageName
For example:Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.WindowsTeams_1.0.0.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe - Wait for the operation to complete
DISM will process the removal and report success or failure. A progress bar shows the status. Do not close the terminal during this step. - Verify the removal
Run the list command again:Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | Select-Object DisplayName, PackageName
Confirm the package no longer appears in the list. - Restart the computer
Reboot to finalize the change. The app will not reappear after future feature updates unless you reinstall it manually.
Alternative Method: Remove for All Existing Users
After removing the provisioned package, the app may still be installed for existing user accounts. To remove it from all current users, run this PowerShell command as Administrator:
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Where-Object {$_.Name -eq "Microsoft.WindowsTeams"} | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers
Replace the Name value with the package name of your target app. This step is not required for new users created after the provisioned package removal.
If Provisioned Packages Reappear After a Feature Update
Even after you remove a provisioned package using DISM, a major Windows 11 feature update may re-add it. This happens because the feature update replaces the system image with a newer version that still contains the package. Microsoft defines which packages are included in each Windows 11 release image.
Feature Update Reinstates the App After DISM Removal
After a feature update, run the list command again to see if the package returned. If it did, you must remove it again using the same DISM command. Microsoft does not preserve package removal decisions across feature updates. To avoid this recurrence, you can block the specific package from being installed during the update by using Group Policy or a servicing plan in Windows 11 Enterprise or Education editions.
Package Removal Fails with Access Denied Error
If you see an Access Denied error when running Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage, ensure you are running Windows Terminal as Administrator. Also check that the package is not currently in use. Close all instances of the app and try again. If the error persists, the package may be a protected system component that cannot be removed through DISM.
Protected Packages Cannot Be Removed
Some provisioned packages are marked as non-removable by Microsoft. Examples include the Windows Store, Calculator, and Photos. Attempting to remove these packages will produce an error. You can verify if a package is removable by checking the ProvisionedPackage property in PowerShell. Non-removable packages have the flag NonRemovable set to True.
User-Level Removal vs Image-Level Removal: Key Differences
| Item | User-Level Removal | Image-Level Removal |
|---|---|---|
| Tool used | Settings > Apps > Installed apps or right-click Uninstall | DISM Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage |
| Scope | Current user account only | All current and future user accounts |
| Persistence across feature updates | App returns after feature update | App returns after feature update |
| Persistence after system reset | App returns after reset | App returns after reset |
| Requires administrator rights | No | Yes |
Both methods fail to survive a feature update or system reset. Only blocking the package through Group Policy or using a custom Windows image with the package permanently removed can prevent reappearance across major updates.
You now know the difference between user-level and image-level removal of provisioned packages in Windows 11. Use the DISM Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage command to remove packages from the system image. For a more permanent solution in managed environments, configure Group Policy settings under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > App Package Deployment to block specific packages. Remember that feature updates will re-add provisioned packages, so you must reapply the removal after each major update.