Program cannot be uninstalled - what to do?

If a program cannot be uninstalled, there may be problems with the installer program. Find out in this practical tip what you can do about it.

Program cannot be uninstalled - you can do this under Windows

If you cannot uninstall a program from your PC, there is no reason to despair. Below we tell you how to fix the problem on Windows:

• Just try a second time to uninstall the affected program and wait for the uninstaller to open.
• If this doesn't happen, you can try reinstalling the affected software to overwrite the incorrect installation.
• The uninstallation of the program should then proceed without any problems. Alternatively, you can use the uninstaller from the program folder.
• If problems occur here, you should download and install the latest version from the Windows Installer.
• You can also try to restore the PC to an earlier time using System Restore. In some cases, the uninstallation then works.
• If you still cannot remove the program using these tips, try uninstalling it with the Revo Uninstaller.

Programs cannot be uninstalled on Mac - what to do?

If you cannot uninstall programs under Mac OS, we have the following tips for you:

• Here, too, a simple restart of the PC can help in some cases.
• Afterwards, make sure that you have the necessary access rights to uninstall the desired program.
• The program may also be protected. To do this, right-click on a program file and remove the tick from "Protected". You must repeat this process for all files in the program.
• You can also try to delete the program using the terminal. Start the terminal and enter "sudo rm –rf". Before you confirm with [Enter], drag the desired program folder into the terminal so that the path appears behind the command. Then you can execute the command with [Enter].
• Make sure that the program you want to uninstall does not contain any special characters in the name. This can lead to problems during the deinstallation.
• If the program still cannot be removed, you can try to uninstall it using AppCleaner.

Further information on how to safely uninstall programs under Windows can be found in the next practical tip.