System Requirements
O&O AppBuster is a small program, but it works closely with Windows itself. The requirements below are what it needs in order to see and change everything it is supposed to.
Operating system
| Supported | Windows 10 and Windows 11 (all editions) |
| Architecture | 64-bit (x64) and ARM64 |
| Not supported | Windows 8.1 and earlier, Windows Server |
Earlier Windows versions do not have the modern app platform that O&O AppBuster is built around, so there would be little for the program to manage.
Runtime
O&O AppBuster is a .NET 8 desktop application. The required runtime components are supplied with the program, so you do not need to install anything separately.
Administrator rights
O&O AppBuster requires administrator rights. When you start the program, Windows shows a User Account Control (UAC) prompt, which you confirm with Yes.
This is deliberate. Every meaningful action in O&O AppBuster needs elevated rights:
- uninstalling Windows apps for all users or from the whole machine,
- uninstalling desktop apps,
- deleting the registry entries and folders of orphaned and defect apps,
- creating a system restore point.
Asking once at startup means you get a single UAC prompt per session instead of one prompt for every single action.
O&O AppBuster cannot start without administrator rights. On a managed work PC, contact your administrator before removing software.
Disk space
The program itself is a single executable of a few megabytes. It writes only its configuration and, if you switch logging on, a log file into your user profile:
%LocalAppData%\OO Software\OO AppBuster\
Removing apps frees disk space rather than using it. How much you can reclaim is shown per app in the Storage column of the app list.
Optional: Windows Package Manager (winget)
The update feature uses the Windows Package Manager (winget), which is part of the App Installer package from the Microsoft Store. It is preinstalled on current Windows 11 systems.
- If
wingetis present, O&O AppBuster can find and install updates for your desktop apps. - If it is not present, the update feature is switched off. Everything else works normally, and the settings dialog tells you why the option is unavailable.
To add it, install App Installer from the Microsoft Store.
➡️ Updates
Optional: System protection
To create a system restore point, Windows System Protection must be switched on for your system drive. If it is switched off, O&O AppBuster tells you and explains where to enable it:
Control Panel → System and Security → System → System Protection → Configure… for drive C:.
You can continue without a restore point, but we recommend against it for a first larger clean-up.