How to Uninstall Software

There are several reasons why you may want to uninstall software from your computer. It could be that the software is no longer being used and is unnecessary, it conflicts with other programs, it's not functioning as expected or you just want to free up some space on your computer's hard drive. Whatever the reason, it's not difficult to uninstall software.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Windows operating system

Uninstall Your Software on Windows

1. Identify the program to be uninstalled. If you are trying to free up some space on your hard drive, you may want to look through the list of programs you have installed and find a program you no longer need that takes up a lot of space and other resources.
2. Check that you no longer need the software that you plan to uninstall and that no other program on your system is relying on the software. You should also make sure that you don't have important files that you can only view or use with this program.
3. Go to the Control Panel and double-click on the "Add or Remove Programs" icon. Scroll down the list until you find your software, click the icon and hit the "Remove" button. This should begin the uninstall process.
4. Check that the program was successfully uninstalled. There should be no sign of the uninstalled program on your computer. You can verify this by looking in various locations, like the "Programs" list on your start menu and the list in your "Add or Remove Programs" application.
5. Use an uninstall program. As its name implies, an uninstall program makes it easy to uninstall software. One of the functions of this program is to eliminate every trace of the software being uninstalled, even from hidden folders.
6. Use the autorun feature of the software's CD to uninstall. If you originally installed your software via CD, you can use the uninstall feature to remove the program from your computer. When you insert the CD into the CD drive, a dialog box should appear with an option to uninstall the software. Click the uninstall button to begin.
7. Run the disk defragmenter when you have finished uninstalling a program. Removing software leaves gaps in the hard drive where the software files used to be. This will slow the system's performance. Running the defragmenter will eliminate these gaps and improve the computer's performance. You can find the defragmenter in the "System Tools" folder within the "Start" menu.

Tips & Warnings

• Backup your system files before you uninstall a program.

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