Confused? It does seem a little strange to install a program whose sole purpose is to remove other software, especially since you can uninstall programs easily from Control Panel or the Start menu. So why use one? Uninstaller tools are great when a program won’t uninstall normally (more common than you think) or when you suspect that a program didn’t uninstall completely (even more common). Some uninstaller programs even improve on the program uninstall process in general by doing things like monitoring the installation process to ensure a complete uninstall when you’re ready, by adding easy “uninstall” options to programs via the right-click menu, and lots more. Below are the 18 best free uninstall software programs available right now: The best feature in IObit Uninstaller is the right-click context menu integration. You can right-click any program on your desktop and choose to remove it with IObit Uninstaller, without ever having to find the program’s uninstall utility yourself. In fact, you can even use the Easy Uninstall feature to delete programs that are running. Just drag the green dot on top of the program window and IObit Uninstaller will know exactly what to do to remove it. After a program is deleted, you have the option to scan the registry and file system for leftover data that the installer may have missed, which is a great way to keep your computer free of clutter. This is also true if you uninstall a program without using IObit Uninstaller—it will still prompt you to remove any leftover files and registry items that the regular uninstaller might have missed. IObit Uninstaller can also create a System Restore point before making any changes, includes a file shredder, can force-remove a program, supports batch uninstalls, deletes bundled programs, and includes other useful tools, too. You can install this program in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. Sort programs by their size or installation date, delete entries from the list of software, search through the programs, export a list of installed software to an HTML file, and look up information on any program in the Registry Editor, install folder, or internet. This tool deletes both desktop and Store apps. You can also forcibly remove a program by eliminating any reference to it, both in the registry and file system. Some features, like batch uninstalls, unfortunately only work in the professional version. Geek Uninstaller uninstalls programs in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. After it’s finished deleting a program, it will automatically scan your computer for any remaining registry entries or files that may have been left over. Forced Uninstall is a feature in this app that can force a program to be removed if you’ve already tried using the software’s regular uninstaller but was unable to properly get it removed. This uninstaller can also remove program entries from the list of installed software, instantly search through all the programs, sort by install date or size, delete software in batches, and includes built-in reviews submitted by other users. You can uninstall programs on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Vista. Windows XP users have to use the portable version. Beyond its ability to clean up leftover files, perform forced uninstallations, and detect portable apps are these advanced and rare features: quiet uninstallations, prevent system shutdown during an uninstallation, create a restore point, bulk removal (no limit), quickly delete an app’s registry entry, uninstall by window/file/folder, and run commands before and after uninstalling. There’s also a startup manager, and a shortcut to Disk Cleanup and some other related Windows tools. This is a wonderful program removal utility if you take the time to appreciate all the options it offers. Check out the BCU Documentation page if you need help. It runs on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and older Windows versions, and you can use it in both private and commercial settings. A feature called Monitored Installations is also available, which takes a snapshot of your computer before and after a program install. This allows Advanced Uninstaller PRO to easily identify the changes an install made, thus allowing it to remove every single file that the program modified during its installation process. The only thing I don’t like about Advanced Uninstaller PRO is that it can seem very cluttered with all the extra tools it has, such as a registry cleaner and file shredder. 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP are supported. It’s similar to some of the other programs from this list. It supports instant searching of installed software, batch uninstalls, force uninstalls, and allows individual program entries to be removed from the list of software. Puran Uninstaller can also verify a program’s identity by utilizing code signing. If an application’s signature is found to be different from the known signature of that particular program, it’ll be identified as untrusted. You can uninstall software with this tool so long as you’re running any of the following versions of Windows (32-bit and 64-bit): Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Server 2008, or Server 2003. Hunter Mode is a unique feature that lets you manipulate a program by simply selecting its open window. You can uninstall the software, view its installation folder, kill the process, and even stop it from running at startup using this mode. When uninstalling a program with Revo Uninstaller, you can run it in advanced mode, which scans the file system and registry for leftover items that are no longer needed but didn’t get properly uninstalled with the built-in uninstaller. You can then delete some or all of the leftover items. Automatic restore point creation is a big plus. Also, there’s a junk file cleaner and privacy cleaner included, among other extra tools. We like Revo Uninstaller, but because there’s also a professional version, it lacks a handful of the same features you’ll find in some other uninstaller tools from this list, like removing partially uninstalled applications and support for batch removals. The official system requirements state that it works with Windows Server and Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. Its main feature that certainly stands out is the way it monitors program installs. After installing Comodo Programs Manager, any new software install will be monitored in real-time to keep track of every registry and file system change. Then, when you’re ready to uninstall the program, Comodo Programs Manager knows exactly where to look for a thorough cleaning. You can also restore a program from a backup if you accidentally removed it, remove programs from the right-click context menu in File Explorer, view the install folder of any program, and sort the list of installed software by name, company, size, the frequency of use, install folder, and install date. Comodo Programs Manager can remove Windows Updates, drivers, and Windows features in addition to regular programs. This program is only compatible with Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP. You’ll need a different program from this list if you’re looking for one that’s compatible with Windows 11 or Windows 10. You can search for installed software, remove and rename entries from the program list, and sort by name, installation date, size, or version number. It’s a wise choice to use this tool for removing programs because you can quickly switch over to its file and registry cleaner to sweep up any residual files that an uninstaller may have left behind. Open CCleaner’s uninstaller from the Tools menu, where you can find other useful tools like a duplicate file finder, hard drive wiper, and startup manager. A portable version of CCleaner is also available. CCleaner works with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. It has an AutoFix invalid entries option in the menu that can scan all the installed programs to find any that don’t refer to an actual program you have installed. This may happen if you’ve removed a program in the past, but the entry remained in the list of installed software. You can also modify the name of any of the listed programs, as well as change the uninstall command line string. Absolute Uninstaller can also remove Windows Update installs and has a search function, though it’s not nearly as good as the ones in most other programs I’ve reviewed here. This program can be used on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and probably older versions of Windows, too, as well as Windows Server operating systems. Some programs can be uninstalled automatically and very quickly. For others, you must uninstall them manually, clicking through their uninstall wizards like you would normally. While testing PC Decrapifier, four programs were selected for uninstallation. Only one required a walkthrough of a regular uninstall wizard, while the others were removed automatically without any prompts whatsoever. Unfortunately, this program provides no way to filter or search through the list of software. PC Decrapifier should work fine in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, and 2000. It has an easy-to-understand interface that lets you export the list of programs to a file, remove application entries from the list, and sort all the software by name, version number, company, install folder, and install date. The program can also be switched to an advanced mode that supports batch uninstalls. It’s completely portable and less than 50 KB in size. It can be used with nearly all versions of Windows, including Windows 11, 10, etc., through Windows 98. This would be a great feature to ensure that the uninstaller can remove 100% of the program, but it’s painfully slow. While testing it, the initial analysis didn’t complete even after an hour had passed. The interface of ZSoft Uninstaller isn’t organized very well. You can only sort the list of programs by name and install date, but you have to find the option in the menu to do so (and even then, the result just isn’t very satisfying). In short, this shouldn’t be your first pick when choosing a good program uninstaller. We recommend trying any of the above programs in this list before settling here. However, we’ve kept the entry in our list because you might have better results. ZSoft Uninstaller was tested in Windows 10 and Windows 7, so it should work with other versions, too, like Windows 11, 8, and XP. A portable version and a regular installer are available through the link below. Programs identified as antivirus software, file sharing applications, toolbars, and backup programs can be uninstalled, but nothing else. The OESIS Removal Module tool uninstalls the above software silently, with no intervention on your part. It also supports batch uninstalls and automatically scans for leftover files and registry entries to ensure that the entire program, including all its references, are deleted. This is a portable program, which means you don’t need to install it to your computer to use it. It should work with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. Like other programs like this one, this will scan for leftover files after the normal uninstallation, to make sure everything gets removed. You can even force a new program installation to be logged so that leftovers will be easier to delete when you want to remove the program in the future. Some of the filtering options that make finding a program to uninstall easier, include recently installed, huge, and negatively reviewed. You can do quite a bit by right-clicking a program in the list, like research it online, rate it for other users to know how you feel about it, and delete its entry in the list. However, you can’t remove programs in bulk, so you have to uninstall each of them individually. It works with Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. You can search for programs in the list, as well as view any of the installed programs in File Explorer to know exactly where it’s installed. You can also remove Windows patches. A restore point is created before uninstalling a program, but that’s the only other feature included. Batch uninstalls and scanning for leftover registry items, for example, aren’t allowed. The official requirements are that you’re running up to Windows 7, but it should work equally well on Windows 11, 10, and 8, too. One difference in this program and some of the other programs from this list that forcibly remove programs is that Free Uninstall It can remove software by an executable even if it’s not listed in the list of installed programs. Fortunately, unlike some similar programs, there’s an option to create a System Restore point before removing software. An installation monitor is included that’s supposed to track how a program is installed to provide an easy way to remove it, but we weren’t able to get it to work properly. This program should work with Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. You can search for programs in the list, look up software online to find more information, remove entries from the list of programs, and open the registry item that refers to the program. An HTML file can be created that includes tons of useful information in a really nice format, such as the name, publisher, size, frequency of use (even with the number of times you’ve used it), version number, EXE, icon file location, install location, and more. We tested Free Uninstaller in Windows 10 and Windows XP, but it should also work just fine with other versions of Windows, including Windows 11, 8, and 7. Since antivirus programs are integrated much more tightly into Windows to protect it from threats, removing these programs can be especially difficult for the general programs in this list. Uninstall McAfee Products: McAfee AntiVirus Plus, McAfee Family Protection, McAfee Internet Security, McAfee Online Backup, McAfee Total Protection, etc. Uninstall Norton Products: Norton device security products Uninstall Bitdefender: Bitdefender has a different tool for each product that needs to be removed. Uninstall Kaspersky Products: Kaspersky Small Office Security 2 for Personal Computer / for File Server, Kaspersky PURE / PURE R2, Kaspersky Anti-Virus (all versions), Kaspersky Internet Security (all versions), Kaspersky Password Manager (all versions), AVP Tool driver, and Kaspersky Lab Network Agent 8 Uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials Uninstall Comodo Products: Comodo Internet Security, Comodo Firewall, Comodo Antivirus, Comodo Client Security, and Comodo Advanced Endpoint Protection (AEP) Uninstall AVG Products: AVG Free, AVG Internet Security, AVG Ultimate, etc. Uninstall Avast Products: Avast Free Antivirus and Avast Premium Security
