Can't Uninstall Android Studio in Windows?

Simplest workaround when "Add and Remove Programs" in Windows doesn't work - can't find "uninstall.exe" in Android Studio program folder.

This article was originally published at vtsen.hashnode.dev on March 12, 2022.

It looks like the later version of Android Studio (Arctic Fox or later version), the "uninstall.exe" is missing from the installation. Thus, you have no way to uninstall the Android Studio in Windows if you install it from the installer.

You get the following error when you try to uninstall it.

The easiest workaround is getting the older version of uninstall.exe and manually copy it to your Android Studio. Then, run uninstall program again.

1. Download Android Studio 4.2.2

The latest version of Android Studio that has uninstall.exe is version 4.2.2. So we download it from the archives page.

• You first need to click "I agree to the terms", then search for version 4.2.2.
• Choose "Windows (64-bit)" zip version

2. Manually Copy uninstall.exe

• Open the zip file. At the root folder, copy uninstall.exe to your local Android Studio folder.
• Go to windows control panel - "Add and remove programs". Uninstall Android Studio there.
• The error should be gone now.

Some Thoughts

Because of this missing uninstall.exe issue, I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't need to install from the installer at all, although it is recommended way. It may be a better idea for me to just download the zip directly and copy the installation files manually.

To uninstall, I can also simply delete the installed folder and other user files manually if needed.

FYI - I have 4 versions of Android Studio now:

Since I keep multiple versions of Android Studio, it may be better this way. What do you think?

See Also

• Android Studio Tips and Tricks