What is an installed software on my Windows 8 computer?

An installed software is a collection of programs and supporting files that has been installed and registered to the Windows 8 system.

When a software is installed on you Windows 8 computer, it will be properly managed by the Windows 8 system and made available to you in a number of ways:

• Apps search box - An installed software will be searchable in the apps search box after clicking the "Search" icon. For example, if Microsoft Office 2013 is installed on your computer, you can type in "word" in programs search box and select to run "Word 2013" program from Microsoft Office 2013 software.
• System tray icon - An installed software may present icons in the system tray to provide you quick ways to access the software. For example, if McAfee antivirus software is installed, a McAfee icon will show up in the system tray to allow you to view the monitoring status, make configuration changes, etc.
• Folder and file context menu - An installed software may add commands in the folder and file context menu on Windows Explorer to provide you quick ways to open or process the folder or file with the software. For example, if WinZip software is installed, the WinZip entry will be added to the folder and file context menu. You can ZIP the selected folder or file with this context menu entry.

Installed software may get outdated and contains security vulnerabilities. And sometimes malware (Virus, Worms, Adware, Spyware) can get installed into your computer as part of other software installation or by clicking links on malicious emails or Websites. So understanding how to manage installed programs is very important to keep your computer secure.

⇒ View Installed Software and Programs on Windows 8

⇐ Uninstall Old or Bad Software on Windows 8

⇑ Uninstall Old or Bad Software on Windows 8

⇑⇑ Windows 8 Security Tutorials