How To Fix Unable To Uninstall Program In Windows 10 Issue

There are a lot of things that you can do with your Windows 10 computer. You can install apps and games on it  to enhance your personal experience with your computer and do productivity tasks or enjoy various games. Sometimes though you will want to uninstall certain apps from your computer but it seems that it can’t be done. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the unable to uninstall program in windows 10 issue.

How To Fix Unable To Uninstall Program In Windows 10 Issue

Microsoft has made it quite easy for owners of Windows 10 computer to uninstall any program on their device. This can be done by following the steps listed below.

  • Open the Start Menu.
  • Click on Settings
  • Click on Apps
  • Look through the list of programs installed on your computer and locate and click on the program you want to uninstall.
  • Click on Uninstall in the resulting context menu.
  • Go through the uninstallation utility by following the onscreen instructions, and the program will be uninstalled.

Check if the unable to uninstall program in Windows 10 issue still occurs.

Sometimes though, following the above listed steps won’t be enough to uninstall a program from your computer. When this issue occurs then it’s time to consider other methods of removing the program.

Use the program uninstaller

A lot of software publishers today will bundle their program with an uninstaller. This will make it easier for those who use their programs to uninstall it from any computer. What you should do is to check if such uninstaller comes with the program you wish to get rid of.

  • Go to the directory on your computer where the program or application you want to remove is installed. For example, the default directory for most third-party programs is C:\Program Files\(Name of application) or C:\Program Files (x86)\(Name of application).
  • Look through the contents of the directory for an executable uninstallation utility. This utility is usually named uninstaller.exe or uninstall.exe.
  • Once you have located the executable uninstallation utility, double-click on it to launch it.
  • Follow the onscreen instructions all the way to the end of the uninstallation wizard, at which point the wizard will uninstall the program that you were unable to uninstall using conventional methods.

Check if the unable to uninstall program in Windows 10 issue still occurs.

Uninstall the program from the registry editor

All of the programs installed in your computer will have their information stored in the Windows 20 registry. If after trying to uninstall the program it is still present in your computer then deleting their presence in the Windows registry will effectively remove it completely.

  • Press the Windows Logo key + R to open the Run dialog.
  • Type regedit into the Run dialog and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor. 
  • In the left pane of the Registry Editor, navigate to the following directory:
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Uninstall.
  • In the left pane of the Registry Editor, locate the sub-key of the program or application you want to uninstall from your computer under the Uninstall key.
  • After locating the sub-key belonging to the program or application you want to uninstall right-click on it and click on Delete in the resulting context menu.
  • Click on Yes in the resulting popup to confirm the action.
  • Once the sub-key belonging to the target application has been successfully deleted, close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Check if the unable to uninstall program in Windows 10 issue still occurs.

Uninstall the program from Safe Mode

There are instances when another program running on your computer is preventing the uninstallation of a certain program. If this is what’s causing the problem then you will need to start your computer in Safe Mode and so the uninstall procedure from here.

  • Press the Windows Logo key + R to open the Run dialog.
  • Type msconfig into the Run dialog and press Enter to launch the System Configuration utility.
  • Navigate to the Boot tab of the System Configuration utility.
  • Enable the Safe boot option under the Boot options section by checking the checkbox located directly beside it
  • Click on Apply and then on OK.
  • Click on Restart in the dialog box that pops up to restart your computer.

When your computer boots up you should try to uninstall the program.

Once the program has been uninstalled you can exit Safe Mode by following the steps listed below.

  • Press the Windows Logo key + R to open the Run dialog.
  • Type msconfig into the Run dialog and press Enter to launch the System Configuration utility.
  • Navigate to the Boot tab of the System Configuration utility.
  • In System Configuration, click the Boot tab, and then uncheck Safe boot.
  • Click on Apply and then on OK.
  • Click on Restart in the dialog box that pops up to immediately restart your computer.

Use a third party uninstaller

If the above steps fails to fix the problem then you will need to download and install a third party uninstaller application in your computer. There are a lot of these uninstallers available to choose from but right now let’s concentrate on the Revo Uninstaller which is quite effective.

  • Download the free version of the Revo Uninstaller from here: https://www.revouninstaller.com/revo-uninstaller-free-download/
  • Once the installer for the program has been downloaded, navigate to where you saved it, locate it and double-click on it to run it.
  • Follow the onscreen instructions and go through the installer until the program has been successfully installed.
  • Make sure the application you want to uninstall is not running. You can check Task Manager and quit its process if it is running.
  • Launch Revo Uninstaller.
  • When Revo Uninstaller is running it will display all of the third-party applications installed on your computer. Locate the application you want to uninstall from your computer in this list and double-click on it.
  • Click on Yes in the resulting dialog box to confirm that you indeed want to uninstall the target application.
  • The Revo Uninstaller will provide you with four different Uninstall Modes that you can choose from. Built-in mode  uses the uninstaller the target application came with to try and uninstall it, Safe mode has all of Built-in mode’s features combined with light scans of the computer’s registry and hard drive for files and registry entries left behind by the target program, Moderate mode’s combines Safe mode with an extended scan for leftover files and registry entries, and Advanced mode does everything Moderate mode does with the addition of a deep and thorough scan of the Registry and hard drive for remnants left behind by the target application. I highly recommend that you select Advanced mode and click on Next.
  • Wait for Revo Uninstaller to create a system restore point and once it is done, click on Next.
  • Click on Uninstall.
  • Once the uninstallation process has been completed close the uninstallation wizard.
  • Restart your computer

Check if the unable to uninstall program in Windows 10 issue still occurs.

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