bloatware
noun
| BLOHT-wair
unwanted pre-installed computer software
What does bloatware mean?
Bloatware refers to pre-installed computer software that is unwanted, usually because it takes up a large amount of memory and impedes functionality, is difficult to remove, or is generally substandard and unasked for.
Examples of bloatware
Often one of the reasons a PC is inexpensive is that, as with broadcast TV and “free” cell phones, some other entity is subsidizing the price. Bloatware consists of all those trial software applications that are designed to tempt you into buying programs that didn’t come with your PC. … It can be hard to remove bloatware completely from your system, and leaving it in place can even compromise performance. Although many desktops come with some bloatware, manufacturers tend to put more of it into lower-end consumer models.
—Matthew Buzzi, PC Mag, 17 Feb. 2025
… bloatware—software with minimal usefulness that eats up tons of a computer’s memory and disk space.
—… lol if I wanted AI tools I’ll purchase them third party and shop around for one with no privacy issues. I don’t want AI bloatware in my computer taking space for no reason when I didn’t request it.
—Bloatware is a term for software that comes preloaded on a device but is not needed in any way, shape or form. It could be software that someone paid to be on there, or it could be something the manufacturer put on, or whoever sold it to you added. You find it by looking at the device and going “Why the hell is this thing on here? I don’t need an app for this, and if I wanted one I’d download one of the good ones!”
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Where does bloatware come from?
Bloatware has been in use in print since at least the early 1990s, and combines the noun bloat (“unwarranted or excessive growth or enlargement”) with ware as in software.
We can complain about “bloatware.” Or we can ask developers to utilize processing speed in ways that can make us all more productive.
—Software from Microsoft or San Mateo, CA-based e-business specialist Siebel Systems is stuffed with features and benefits customers may say they want. But it’s clear that this kind of innovation-laden “bloatware” imposes unique costs of its own, as the overwhelming majority of customers use only the tiniest fraction of all that functionality.
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How is bloatware used?
There is little evidence of software companies using bloatware as a positive descriptor of their own products. It is generally used by consumers, with a mixture of disdain and exasperation.
