Export & Import Lists - Bulk Crap Uninstaller

Overview

BCU allows you to export lists of installed applications and import them on other systems. This is useful for creating standardized uninstall scripts, documenting installed software, or preparing batch operations.

Exporting Application Lists

From the GUI

Select applications to export (or select all)
Go to File → Export → Export to file
Choose a filename (.bcul extension)
The selected applications are serialized to XML

Programmatic Export

public static bool ExportUninstallers(
    IEnumerable<ApplicationUninstallerEntry> itemsToExport, 
    string filename)
{
    var applicationUninstallerEntries = itemsToExport as List<ApplicationUninstallerEntry> ??
                                        itemsToExport.ToList();
    if (applicationUninstallerEntries.Count <= 0)
        return false;

    try
    {
        ApplicationEntrySerializer.SerializeApplicationEntries(
            filename, applicationUninstallerEntries);
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBoxes.ExportFailed(ex.Message, null);
        return false;
    }
    return true;
}

Export Format: BCU exports to .bcul files (Bulk Crap Uninstaller List), which are XML files containing serialized application entries.

BCUL File Format

The .bcul format is an XML serialization of application information:

public sealed class ApplicationEntrySerializer
{
    public static void SerializeApplicationEntries(
        string filename, 
        IEnumerable<ApplicationUninstallerEntry> items)
    {
        SerializationTools.SerializeToXml(
            filename, 
            new ApplicationEntrySerializer(items));
    }

    public ApplicationEntrySerializer(IEnumerable<ApplicationUninstallerEntry> items)
    {
        Items = items.ToList();
    }

    // Needed for serialization
    public ApplicationEntrySerializer() { }

    public List<ApplicationUninstallerEntry> Items { get; set; }
}

Structure

BCUL XML Structure
Serialized Properties

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<ApplicationEntrySerializer>
  <Items>
    <ApplicationUninstallerEntry>
      <DisplayName>Example Application</DisplayName>
      <DisplayVersion>1.0.0</DisplayVersion>
      <Publisher>Example Publisher</Publisher>
      <InstallLocation>C:\Program Files\Example</InstallLocation>
      <InstallDate>2024-01-15T00:00:00</InstallDate>
      <EstimatedSize>104857600</EstimatedSize>
      <UninstallString>C:\Program Files\Example\uninstall.exe</UninstallString>
      <QuietUninstallString>C:\Program Files\Example\uninstall.exe /S</QuietUninstallString>
      <RegistryPath>HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Example</RegistryPath>
      <RegistryKeyName>Example</RegistryKeyName>
      <UninstallerKind>Nsis</UninstallerKind>
      <IsValid>true</IsValid>
      <IsProtected>false</IsProtected>
      <SystemComponent>false</SystemComponent>
    </ApplicationUninstallerEntry>
    <!-- More entries -->
  </Items>
</ApplicationEntrySerializer>

Importing Application Lists

Manual Import

Go to File → Import → Import from file
Select a .bcul file
BCU loads the list and matches entries to currently installed applications
Matched applications can be selected for uninstallation

Automatic Batch Processing

# Import and automatically uninstall all apps from list
BCUninstaller.exe /uninstall-list "applications.bcul" /quiet /auto

# Import and show GUI for selection
BCUninstaller.exe /uninstall-list "applications.bcul"

Auto Mode Warning: /auto flag will uninstall ALL applications in the list without confirmation. Use carefully!

Use Cases

Software Auditing

Export installed software lists for documentation and compliance reporting

System Deployment

Create standard uninstall lists for cleaning up pre-installed bloatware

Migration Planning

Document applications before migration to plan reinstallation on new systems

Automated Cleanup

Create reusable scripts for removing specific application sets

Export Options

Export Selected Only

Export only the applications you’ve selected in the GUI:

Select applications using Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click
Use filters to select groups
Export to create focused uninstall lists

Use Case: Remove a specific set of applications across multiple computers

Export All Applications

Export the complete list of installed applications:

Ctrl+A to select all
Export for complete system documentation

Use Case: System auditing and inventory management

Export with Filters

Apply filters before exporting:

Filter by publisher (e.g., all Adobe products)
Filter by install date (e.g., apps installed after specific date)
Filter by size or other criteria
Export filtered results

Use Case: Remove all applications from a specific vendor

Comparison and Matching

When importing, BCU matches entries to installed applications:

private static readonly ILookup<string, string> PropertyRelationships = 
    new Dictionary<string, List<string>>
{
    {
        nameof(UninstallString),
        new List<string>
        {
            nameof(UninstallerLocation),
            nameof(UninstallerFullFilename)
        }
    },
    {
        nameof(RegistryKeyName),
        new List<string> { nameof(RatingId) }
    },
}.SelectMany(x => x.Value.Select(y => new { x.Key, Value = y }))
 .ToLookup(x => x.Key, x => x.Value);

Matching Criteria

Strong Matches
Fuzzy Matches
No Match

Registry Key Match:

Same RegistryKeyName
Same BundleProviderKey (MSI GUID)

Install Location Match:

Same InstallLocation path
Same UninstallerFullFilename

Name and Publisher:

Similar DisplayName (fuzzy match)
Same Publisher
Similar DisplayVersion

Confidence Score: Matches are scored based on similarity

Scripting and Automation

PowerShell Integration

# Export list of installed applications
& "C:\Program Files\BCUninstaller\BCUninstaller.exe" /export "installed-apps.bcul"

# Uninstall all apps from list quietly
& "C:\Program Files\BCUninstaller\BCUninstaller.exe" `
    /uninstall-list "bloatware.bcul" `
    /quiet `
    /auto

# Uninstall with confirmation
& "C:\Program Files\BCUninstaller\BCUninstaller.exe" `
    /uninstall-list "applications.bcul"

Batch Scripts

@echo off
REM Automated bloatware removal script

echo Removing pre-installed bloatware...
"C:\Program Files\BCUninstaller\BCUninstaller.exe" /uninstall-list "bloatware.bcul" /quiet /auto

if %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
    echo Bloatware removed successfully!
) else (
    echo Error occurred during uninstallation
    exit /b %ERRORLEVEL%
)

echo Cleaning up leftover files...
REM Additional cleanup commands here

Task Scheduler

Create scheduled tasks for periodic cleanup:

Open Task Scheduler
Create new task
Set trigger (e.g., weekly)
Set action: Run BCUninstaller.exe /uninstall-list "path\to\list.bcul" /quiet /auto
Configure for highest privileges

Scheduled Cleanup: Useful for removing apps that frequently reinstall themselves or for maintaining clean state on shared systems.

Advanced Export Features

Custom Filtering

Create custom export lists programmatically:

// Export all Adobe products
var adobeApps = allApplications
    .Where(x => x.Publisher != null && 
                x.Publisher.Contains("Adobe", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase));
AppUninstaller.ExportUninstallers(adobeApps, "adobe-products.bcul");

// Export all applications installed after a date
var recentApps = allApplications
    .Where(x => x.InstallDate > new DateTime(2024, 1, 1));
AppUninstaller.ExportUninstallers(recentApps, "recent-installs.bcul");

// Export protected system components
var sysComponents = allApplications
    .Where(x => x.SystemComponent || x.IsProtected);
AppUninstaller.ExportUninstallers(sysComponents, "system-components.bcul");

Differential Exports

Compare two systems and export differences:

public List<ApplicationUninstallerEntry> GetDifferentialList(
    List<ApplicationUninstallerEntry> system1Apps,
    List<ApplicationUninstallerEntry> system2Apps)
{
    var diff = new List<ApplicationUninstallerEntry>();
    
    foreach (var app in system1Apps)
    {
        var match = system2Apps.FirstOrDefault(x => 
            x.RegistryKeyName == app.RegistryKeyName ||
            (x.DisplayName == app.DisplayName && x.Publisher == app.Publisher));
        
        if (match == null)
            diff.Add(app);
    }
    
    return diff;
}

Export Formats

BCUL (XML)
CSV
HTML

Native Format:

Complete application information
Preserves all BCU-specific data
Can be imported back into BCU
Human-readable XML

Best For: Automation and batch operations

Best Practices

Version Control

Store export files in version control to track changes over time

Documentation

Add comments to BCUL files to document purpose and usage

Testing

Test import/uninstall on non-production systems first

Regular Updates

Update export lists regularly as software changes

Path Dependencies: Exported uninstall strings may contain system-specific paths. Test imports on target systems before automating.

Troubleshooting

Import Issues

Application Not Found:

Application may have different name/version on target system
Application may not be installed
Registry key names may differ between versions

Solution: Use fuzzy matching and verify installed applications manually Invalid Uninstall Strings:

Paths may differ between systems
Uninstaller may have been moved/deleted

Solution: BCU validates uninstall strings and marks invalid entries

Export Issues

Empty Export:

No applications selected
Filter too restrictive

Solution: Verify selection before exporting Serialization Errors:

Special characters in names
Corrupted application data

Solution: Review application details for invalid data

Bulk Uninstall

Using imported lists for batch uninstallation

Unattended Mode

Automating uninstalls from exported lists

Getting Started

Core Features

User Guide

CLI Tools

Support

​Overview

​Exporting Application Lists

​From the GUI

​Programmatic Export

​BCUL File Format

​Structure

​Importing Application Lists

​Manual Import

​Automatic Batch Processing

​Use Cases

Software Auditing

System Deployment

Migration Planning

Automated Cleanup

​Export Options

​Comparison and Matching

​Matching Criteria

​Scripting and Automation

​PowerShell Integration

​Batch Scripts

​Task Scheduler

​Advanced Export Features

​Custom Filtering

​Differential Exports

​Export Formats

​Best Practices

Version Control

Documentation

Testing

Regular Updates

​Troubleshooting

​Import Issues

​Export Issues

​Related Topics

Bulk Uninstall

Unattended Mode

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Exporting Application Lists

From the GUI

Programmatic Export

BCUL File Format

Structure

Importing Application Lists

Manual Import

Automatic Batch Processing

Use Cases

Export Options

Comparison and Matching

Matching Criteria

Scripting and Automation

PowerShell Integration

Batch Scripts

Task Scheduler

Advanced Export Features

Custom Filtering

Differential Exports

Export Formats

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Import Issues

Export Issues

Related Topics