How to Uninstall WinRar From Windows 7/8/10

Uninstalling programs from your computer is supposed to be a mainstream process for most users but sometimes it’s simply not. Some programs simply cling on to your PC and you are unable to uninstall them without undertaking a serious process in order to do so.

There are quite a few ways to get rid of an application which is installed on your computer even though some of them are related to each other. It’s definitely not impossible and it’s quite easy in most cases, except for the ones where the application is registered as harmful and dangerous for your computer.

Uninstalling WinRar (64-bit) From Windows OS

WinRAR is a trialware file archiver utility for Windows, developed by Eugene Roshal of win.rar GmbH. It can create and view archives in RAR or ZIP file formats,[4] and unpack numerous archive file formats. To enable the user to test the integrity of archives, WinRAR embeds CRC32 or BLAKE2 checksums for each file in each archive.

However, certain users reported that they were unable to get rid of this program when they wanted to clean up their PC from unused applications. There are quite a few alternatives for this process and users often don’t want WinRar to interfere with other applications working on the same process. Follow the instructions below in order to get rid of WinRar.

Solution 1: Uninstall WinRar Through Settings or Control Panel

This is definitely the first method you tried yourself but let’s try this again in order to make sure we tried to uninstall it the usual way. If this method helps you deal with Kodi-related error messages, you don’t have to continue with other solutions. This is also the easiest solution for casual users.

  1. First of all, make sure you are logged in with an administrator account as you won’t be able to delete programs using any other account.
  2. Backup the data you want to save because deleting WinRar will remove it.
  3. Click on the Start menu and open Control Panel by searching for it. Alternatively, you can click on the gear icon in order to open settings if you are using Windows 10.
  4. In Control Panel, select to View as: Category at the top right corner and click on Uninstall a Program under the Programs section.
  5. If you are using the Settings app, clicking on Apps should immediately open a list of all installed programs on your PC.
  6. Locate WinRar in Control Panel or Settings and click on Uninstall.
  7. WinRar’s uninstall wizard should open with two options: Repair and Remove. Select Remove and click Next in order to uninstall the program.
  8. A message will pop up asking “Do you want to completely remove WinRar for Windows?” Choose Yes.
  9. Click Finish when the uninstalled completes the process and restart your computer to see whether errors will still appear.

Solution 2: Using a Dedicated Tool to Uninstall WinRar

There are a lot of different uninstallers designed to replace Control Panel and Settings as they often get unresponsive and they sometimes freeze in the middle of the uninstallation process.

You don’t have to use this particular uninstaller but this one was able to help people who were dealing with this problem in particular and that is exactly why we recommend it. It will also get rid of the registry entries and app data for you if you will like you are not the man for that job or if you are a casual user.

  1. Download Advanced Uninstaller Pro from their official website or from CNET.
  2. Locate the file you downloaded, double-click on it, and follow the instructions on screen in order to uninstall it. Be careful not to install any additional programs you might be prompted to install and uncheck them all. Select Custom Installation and uncheck everything except Advanced Uninstaller Pro.
  3. Open the program and open General Tools.
  4. Under General Tools, click on Uninstall Programs and a list of all your installed programs should appear.
  5. Select WinRar and click the Uninstall button located to the left under the information about the program you selected.
  6. After clicking on the Uninstall button, the uninstaller will probably fail since it’s either displaying an error message or it has already been used or deleted.
  7. However, this program implements a scanner whose purpose is to scan your hard drive and your registry for leftovers. It will locate these files and you can click on Select All and remove them.
  8. Reboot your PC and check to see if WinRar has been removed from your device.

Solution 3: Using PowerShell to Get Rid of WinRar

Windows PowerShell is a powerful command-based tool used to execute different commands. It’s a powerful tool which can help you automate tasks using a command-line shell and a scripting language which was built using .NET Framework and .NET Core. It used to be exclusive to Windows but it was made open-source and now it’s available to all platforms.

It’s quite similar to Command Prompt and it even replaced Command Prompt in the context menu which appears when you use the Windows Key + X key combination or when you right-click on the Start menu located at the bottom left corner of your screen.

You can use PowerShell to uninstall various apps and you can even use it to delete preinstalled Windows Apps such as Photos, Video, Calculator, etc.

  1. Type PowerShell in your Search bar, right-click on the first result, and select Run as administrator.
  2. Copy and paste the following command in order to receive the full list of the apps you have installed along with detailed info regarding every single one.
    Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Select Name, PackageFullName
  3. Wait for the list to load and try to search for WinRar. This might take a while but be patient while you look through the installed apps.
  4. When you find it, copy everything next to the PackageFullName line by selecting the entire text and using the Ctrl + C key combination.
  5. Use the following command in order to uninstall WinRar from your PC. Replace the bolded PackageFullName with the actual name you just copied and click Enter.
    Remove-AppxPackage -package PackageFullName
  6. Restart your computer and see if WinRar is completely removed from your computer.

Solution 4: Use the Built-In Uninstaller To Uninstall WinRar

The second manual approach is very similar to the first method, but it would start the uninstall process directly via using the attached removing process in its installation folder.

  1. Go to the installation folder of WinRAR (64-bit)
  2. Have a browse of the list, and click on a process named “Uninstall”
  3. Follow the removing instructions to finish the uninstallation, and then restart your computer.

Solution 5: Get Rid of Leftover Files

After each uninstallation, some files remain either on your computer or in your registry. If you want to get rid of WinRar completely, your will have to delete these files and registry entries as well.

This solution includes deleting the leftover files after completing any of the solutions above or after completing all of them. However, since we have used several different methods, you shouldn’t be able to find many files related to WinRar. Still, it’s worth to check just in case as these leftover files may simply be the ones which are causing all of these WinRar-related errors even though WinRar is not even installed on your Computer.

Navigate to following folders and delete everything related to WinRar. Be careful not to delete anything related to other software you may have installed:

My Computer >> C: >> Program Files (x86) >> Common Files >> WinRar
My Computer >> C: >> Program Files (x86) >> WinRar
My Computer >> C: >> Program Files >> Common Files >> Winrar
My Computer >> C: >> Program Files >> WinRAR
My Computer >> C: >> Document and Settings >> All Users >> Application Data >> WinRAR
My Computer >> C: >> Documents and Settings >> %USER% >> Application Data >>WinRAR

After we have dealt with the files which remained after the uninstallation, it’s time to delete all of the unnecessary registry entries which can also cause different error messages if they are not dealt with properly. We will first backup the changes to the registry just in case.

  1. Open the Registry Editor by searching for it in the Search box located in the Start menu or by using the Ctrl + R key combination in order to bring up the Run dialog box where you need to type “regedit”.
  2. Click on the File menu located at the top left part of the window and select the Export option.
  3. Choose where you want to save the changes to your registry.
  4. In case you cause some damage to the registry by editing it, simply open Registry Editor again, click File >> Import and locate the .reg file you exported beforehand.
  5. Alternatively, if you fail to Import the changes made to the registry, you can restore your system to a previous working state by using System Restore. Learn how to configure System Restore and how to use it by checking out our article on this topic via this link.
  6. After we have successfully backed up our registry, we will always be able to go back to it in case something goes wrong with your computer completely. Follow the instructions below in order to apply the fix.
  7. Look under the following folders for files and folders related to WinRar and delete them.
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WinRAR (64-bit),
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WinRAR (64-bit), and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\eg ui
  8. Click on Edit >> Find and search for “WinRar” and delete everything you can find related to iCloud.
  9. Restart your computer and your problems should be gone by now.

Solution 6: Fix Your Windows Uninstaller Service

Windows operates using services and processes which are required to run in order for your PC to operate smoothly. However, users have reported that they were unable to access the Add or Remove Programs section in the Control Panel not the Settings app since there was always an error message which appeared.

Follow the instructions below in order to find out just how to fix this particular issue by re-registering the Windows Installer Service.

  1. Restart your computer and press the F8 key repeatedly as soon as you see the BIOS information on your screen. Pressing the F8 key allows you to access the “Safe Mode” of your computer. Select “Safe Mode” and hit “Enter.”
  2. Log on as “local administrator.” Click “Start” and select Run. Open Command Prompt in order to run several command needed to fix the issue.
  3. Un-register Windows Installer service by typing “msiexec/unregister” at the command prompt and hit “Enter.” Immediately re-register Windows Installer by typing “msiexec/regserver” on the next command line and hit “Enter.” Type “Exit” to close out of the command prompt. You can now attempt to remove the program once again from “Add or Remove Programs.”
  4. Run the System File Checker in order to check your system for missing or corrupt files.
  5. Open Command Prompt in order to execute the System File Checker.
  6. Type “sfc/purgecache” at the command prompt and hit “Enter.” At the next prompt, type “sfc/scannow” and hit “Enter.”
  7. Type “Exit” to close out the command prompt and once again attempt to remove the program from “Add or Remove Programs.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin Arrows


Kevin Arrows is a highly experienced and knowledgeable technology specialist with over a decade of industry experience. He holds a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and has a deep passion for staying up-to-date on the latest tech developments. Kevin has written extensively on a wide range of tech-related topics, showcasing his expertise and knowledge in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. His contributions to the tech field have been widely recognized and respected by his peers, and he is highly regarded for his ability to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner.