Force Uninstall Programs which won’t Uninstall In Windows 10

If you’re unable to uninstall a program because Windows 10 won’t uninstall it then how can you remove that program from your PC? Don’t worry in this guide we will see how you can force uninstall programs in Windows 10. Now many Windows users face this issue where when they try to uninstall a particular app from their system but unable to do so. Now the basic way to uninstall a program from Windows 10 is quite easy, and before trying to force uninstall a program you should definitely follow the below steps:

1.Type control in Windows Search then click on Control Panel from the search result.

Open the control panel by searching for it using search bar

2.Now under Programs click on “Uninstall a program“.

Note: You may need to select Category from the “View by” drop-down.

uninstall a program

3.Search for the application which you want to uninstall from your system.

4.Right-click on the particular app and select Uninstall. 

Uninstall unwanted programs from the Programs and Features window

6.Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the program successfully from your PC.

An alternative way to Uninstall Programs from Windows 10 PC:

1.Open the Start Menu then search for apps and features, then click on “Apps & features” from the search result.

Type Apps & Features in the Search

2.Select the Program which you want to uninstall under Apps & features.

choose the program you want to uninstall or else Type the name of that program in the search box

3.If you can’t find the program which you wish to uninstall then you can use the search box to find the particular program.

4.Once you have found the program, click on the program and then click on the Uninstall button.

Click on the app that you want to uninstall and click on Uninstall

5.Again click on Uninstall to confirm your actions.

Click on Uninstall again to confirm

6.This will successfully uninstall the particular application from your PC.

But the above is only valid for the application which you can easily uninstall, what about the apps which cannot be uninstalled using the above approach? Well, for those applications which won’t uninstall we have some different methods using which you can force uninstall applications from Windows 10.

Force Uninstall Programs which won’t Uninstall In Windows 10

Make sure to create a restore point just in case something goes wrong.

Method 1: Use Default Program Uninstaller

1.Open the directory where the particular program or application is installed. Most of these apps are generally installed under the directory:

C:\Program Files\(Name of that program) or C:\Program Files (x86)\(Name of that program)

Use Default Program Uninstaller

2.Now under the app folder, you can look for the uninstallation utility or uninstaller executable (exe) file.

Now under the app folder, you can look for the uninstaller executable (exe) file

3.Generally, the Uninstaller comes built-in with the installation of such apps and they are usually named as “uninstaller.exe” or “uninstall.exe”.

4.Double-click the executable file to launch the Uninstaller.

Double-click the executable file to launch the Uninstaller

5.Follow on-screen instructions to uninstall the programs completely from your system.

Method 2: Force Uninstall Program using Registry Editor

Before continuing, make sure to create a full backup of Registry, just in case something goes wrong then you would have a backup to restore from.

1.Press Windows Key + R then type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.

Type “regedit” &hit Enter for launching the Registry Editor

2.Now under the Registry, navigate to the following directory:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

Force Uninstall Program using Registry Editor

3.Under the Uninstall directory, you will find a lot of keys that belong to different applications installed on your system.

4.Now to find the folder of the program which you wish to uninstall, you need to select each folder one by one then check the Value of DisplayName key. The value of DisplayName shows you the name of the program.

Under the Uninstall select the folder & check the value of DisplayName key

5.Once you have located the folder of the application which you want to install, simply right-click on it and select the “Delete” option.

Right-click on the folder of the application and select Delete

6.Click Yes to confirm your actions.

7.Once done, close Registry Editor and reboot your PC.

When the PC restarts, you see will see that the application is successfully uninstalled from your PC.

Method 3: Use Safe Mode to Uninstall Apps

The best & easiest way to get rid of applications that won’t uninstall is to delete such apps from Windows 10 in Safe mode. Safe mode is essential if you need to troubleshoot issues with your PC. As in safe mode, Windows starts with a limited set of files and drivers which are essential for starting Windows, but other than that all the 3rd party applications are disabled in safe mode. So to use Safe mode to uninstall apps from Windows 10, you need to follow the below steps:

1.Press Windows Key + R then type msconfig and hit Enter to open System Configuration.

msconfig

2.Now switch to the Boot tab and checkmarkSafe boot” option.

Now switch to Boot tab and check mark Safe boot option

3.Make sure the Minimal radio button is check marked and click OK.

4.Select Restart in order to boot your PC into Safe Mode. If you have work to save then select Exit without restarting.

6.Once the system restarts, it will open up in safe mode.

7.Now when your system boots into safe mode, follow the basic method listed above to uninstall the particular program.

Click on the app that you want to uninstall and click on Uninstall

Method 4: Use Third-party Uninstaller

There are various third-party uninstallers available in the market that can help you perform force uninstall of the programs which won’t uninstall in Windows 10. One such program is  Revo Uninstaller and Geek Uninstaller which completely free to use.

When you use Revo Uninstaller, it will display all the applications installed on your system. Simply, select the program which you want to uninstall from your system and double-click on it. Now Revo Uninstaller will show 4 different Uninstall Modes which are Built-in mode, Safe mode, Moderate mode, and  Advanced mode. Users can choose any one of the mode suitable to them for the uninstallation of the application.

You can also use Geek Uninstaller to force uninstall third-party applications as well as apps installed from the Windows Store. Simply open Geek Uninstaller then right-click on the application or program which won’t uninstall and choose “Force Removal” option from the context menu. Then click “Yes” to confirm and this will successfully uninstall the program which wasn’t uninstalling earlier.

You can also use GeekUninstaller to force uninstall programs

Another popular uninstaller application is the CCleaner which you easily download from here. Download and install CCleaner on your PC then double-click on its shortcut on the desktop to open the application. Now from the left-hand window pane select Tools and then from the right window pane, you can find the list of all the installed programs on your system. Select the program which you want to uninstall then click on the “Uninstall” button from the right corner of the CCleaner window.

For download and install this application, Tools from the left pane and in the right pane of CCleaner

Method 5: Try Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter

Microsoft provides a free utility tool called “Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter” which can help you fix issues when you’re blocked from installing or removing programs. It also fixes corrupted registry keys. The Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter fixes:

  • Corrupted registry keys on 64-bit operating systems
  • Corrupted registry keys that control the update data
  • Problems that prevent new programs from being installed
  • Problems that prevent existing programs from being completely uninstalled or updated
  • Problems that block you from uninstalling a program through Add or Remove Programs (or Programs and Features) in Control Panel

Now let’s see how to use the Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter to fix problems that block programs from being uninstalled or removed in Windows 10:

1.Open Web browser then download Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter.

2.Double-click on the MicrosoftProgram_Install_and_Uninstall.meta.diagcab file.

3.This will open the Troubleshooter wizard, click Next to continue.

This will open the Troubleshooter wizard, click Next to continue

4.From the screen “Are you having a problem installing or uninstalling a program?” click on the Uninstalling option.

Select Uninstalling when asked what type of problem you’re having

5.Now you will see a list of all installed programs on your PC. Choose the program which you want to uninstall. 

Choose the program which you want to uninstall under Program Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter

6.Select ‘Yes, try uninstall‘ and this tool will remove that program from your system within a few seconds.

Select 'Yes, try uninstall' from Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter

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I hope the above steps were helpful and now you can easily Force Uninstall Programs which won’t Uninstall in Windows 10, but if you still have any questions regarding this tutorial then feel free to ask them in the comment section.

2 thoughts on “Force Uninstall Programs which won’t Uninstall In Windows 10”

  1. Very helpful thanks! I’ve managed to uninstall HP printer software that gave the following error:
    error -2147467259: Failed to find driver package
    by using Method 2: Force Uninstall Program using Registry Editor

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