Consider the following scenario. You put software on your computer. After using it for a couple of days, you realize you don’t want it installed on your computer. So you go to the Control Panel and enter Windows 10 Apps and Features, or you utilize a 3rd party uninstaller and try to uninstall it.
Unfortunately, you discover that you are unable to uninstall the software. In this post, I’ll show you how to force uninstall stubborn programs from Windows 10.
Also Read
How to Force Uninstall Stubborn Programs/ Software in Windows 10
Let’s have a look at what happens during software installation.
During the installation of software, several things happen. Understanding them can help you understand why there are issues while uninstalling them at times:
- When you install an application, the files associated with it are stored in a specified folder. It is often located in the Program Files folder.
- Some types of files, such as shared libraries (.dll files), can be found in the Common Files folder under Program Files.
- Additional items, like drivers or shared libraries (again), are located in the WINDOWS\System32 and WINDOWS\System32\drivers folders. Furthermore, WINDOWS\System32\drivers is a subfolder of the WINDOWS\System32 folder. Whereas you can locate other files in C: UserAppData or C: ProgramData as well. These directories are hidden by default in Windows.
- The installation setup modifies the Windows Registry. Windows Registry is a database that keeps a record of the operating system’s settings and choices. The same is true for any programs or operating system components that rely on this database. However, the installer has the ability to modify the Registry if a shared library has to be registered or if specific file formats need to be connected with the application being installed. Consider the following example: Microsoft Word. You’ll be able to open Microsoft Word documents as well if you install them.
Further, it continues…
- The first step the installer does is to create a key in the Windows Registry. The Windows Apps and Features utility search for installed apps here.
- During the installation process, all of the installation files are kept in a specific log file. This file, along with the uninstaller, is placed in the application’s folder by the installation software. When you use the Add/Remove tool to remove an application, Windows looks for the registered uninstaller in the Registry and tries to run it. The uninstaller examines the log file and undoes all of the modifications made during installation. To put it another way, it deletes all the duplicated files, all the Registry keys that were generated, and so on.
- Suppose there is no log file or no record of the modifications made to the Registry. In that case, the uninstaller is likely to fail. This indicates that you need to uninstall the software package in a different way.
To make it clear, the uninstaller file may be used to remove any software. This file is created during the installation procedure. This file may or may not be created in some situations. This implies that using the Windows Add/Remove tool to remove it will be impossible. Most of the time, you’ll need to use a third-party uninstaller like Revo Uninstaller Pro 4.
Steps to Force Uninstall Stubborn Programs/ Software in Windows 10
However, Windows may fail to remove some third-party apps in some situations. Most users are likely to be confused as to what they should do to uninstall the software.
Thankfully, there are several techniques for force uninstall stubborn programs from Windows 10.
Let’s take a look at a few of them on How to remove an application that refuses to go away.
Fix 1: Use Safe Mode to uninstall the target program.
When attempting to remove stubborn software from your Windows 10 PC, third-party involvement might occasionally cause issues. On a Windows computer, you must boot into Safe Mode to remove all types of interference. Only stock apps and services are available when Windows is in Safe Mode. This approach can be used to uninstall an application that refuses to uninstall. Here are the steps you must take:
- To launch the Run dialog, with the help of the keyboard, press Windows Key and R simultaneously.
- To open the System Configuration tool, type MSConfig and hit Enter.
- Toggle into the Boot tab of the system configuration utility window.
- Under the Boot settings, enable the Safe Boot option by clicking the checkbox beside Safe mode.
- Proceed with a click on Apply followed by OK.
- When the dialog box appears, click on Restart to restart your computer.
Your computer will restart in Safe Mode after the Restart. You can delete the stubborn program that won’t uninstall using the other technique outlined in this article.
Fix 2: Using third-party Uninstallation Program
As we advocate, utilizing a third-party uninstaller is the safest approach to uninstall stubborn software that refuses to uninstall without damaging your computer. This function of Revo Uninstaller is designed to get rid of obstinate apps that are still on the user’s computer but aren’t included in the installed programs list.
Revo Uninstaller is a potent uninstaller. When a problematic application that you wish to delete gets stuck halfway through its uninstallation, forceful removal can be an alternative. The same is true when trying to install or reinstall applications. Forcing an uninstall will solve the stubborn problem.
Using Revo Uninstaller as a Third-Party tool to Uninstall the Target Application
- First of all, Be sure the program you want to remove is not operating at all (cross-check by using the Task Manager to terminate processes, find the target application’s process in the Processes tab, and use the context menu’s End task command).
- Download Revo Uninstaller by following the link and selecting the Free Download option.
- After downloading the program’s installer, go to the place where it was saved, locate it, and double-click on it to begin using it.
- Follow the on-screen instructions and follow the installation prompts to install the software successfully.
- Run Revo Uninstaller.
- Upon restarting the Revo Uninstaller, it will show a list of all of the third-party programs that have been introduced to your system. If you see the program you want to remove, you’ll want to double-click on it, and you can go on to the next step.
- Click on “Yes” on the pop-up message that appears to indicate that you wish to remove the program.
- After clicking on that button, Revo Uninstaller offers you many uninstall modes to select from. Select Advanced mode to go ahead. The scanning in Advanced mode removes any remaining files and registry entries. In contrast, Safe mode also accomplishes this, but for a more extended period of time. Ultimately, You should choose Advanced mode and then click Next.
- Click on Next when the task is complete.
- Choose “Uninstall” from the drop-down menu.
- After the uninstallation, just click End to close the wizard.
When you’ve finished uninstalling a program using Revo Uninstaller, you should restart your computer. After restarting, you can then confirm that the application was entirely removed by looking for the remnants that were left behind.
Ultimate Fix: Use the Uninstall Tool Provided by the Manufacturer
The location of this executable tool is in the obstinate program’s installation folder. This program is an uninstall wizard that you may use to remove stubborn applications from your computer. Follow these steps to utilize this method:
- Go to the installed location of the obstinate software. The most frequent installation route is C:\Program Files\(Name of the stubborn application) or C:\Program Files (x86)\(Name of the Stubborn application).
- Look through the contents of the application’s installation folder for uninstaller.exe or uninstall.exe.
- After locating the file, Run the file by double-clicking it.
- Go through the on-screen directions to finish the uninstallation.
The target application must have vanished by this method. If not so then try another one mentioned below.
Bonus Fix: Utilize the Registry Editor to get rid of the application.
Every time you install third-party software on your computer, it becomes rooted in your computer’s Registry. Deleting a program from your computer is the same as uninstalling it. When you delete the application’s Registry keys, you erase all traces of it from your computer. Suppose you’re having difficulty removing software using the above approaches. In that case, you may use the Registry Editor to delete the program entirely from your computer. To do this, you need to:
- Lunch the Run dialog by pressing the Windows key and R simultaneously.
- Launch the Registry Editor by entering the Regedit command into the Run dialog.
- Get into the following directory with the help of the registry window:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then look for SOFTWARE. Proceed further with Microsoft, then Windows, and you will find the CurrentVersion, so finally proceed with Uninstall.
- The Uninstall key is where you’ll find a program’s uninstall details in the left-hand pane of the Registry Editor.
- After finding the sub-key associated with the application you wish to remove (which may not have the same name as the application itself), just right-click on it and choose Delete from the context menu.
- Confirm the action by tapping on Yes in the window that appears.
- To finish the operation, restart your computer after closing the Registry Editor after the deletion of the target application’s sub-key.
Conclusion
Finally, we may conclude that you have successfully removed your desired application. However, we are here 27×7 to assist you better. You can connect us via the chat box available at the bottom of this page.
Further, if you wish to know more about gaming kinds of stuff, click here. For any problem related to technology, just go through GetDroidTips, and you will have your solutions right on the screen.