Why can't I remove a program from Windows Add or remove programs?

Updated: 12/30/2019 by Computer Hope

Users can manually remove the program listing from Add or remove Programs using Microsoft's TweakUI or deleting the entry from the registry.

TweakUI

  1. Install and open TweakUI.
  2. In TweakUI, click the Add/Remove tab.
  3. In the Add/Remove Programs tab, select the programs you want to remove and click the Remove button.
  4. Close TweakUI when done.

Windows registry

Note

Be aware that modifying the registry improperly can cause issues with your computer.

  1. Click Start, Run, and type regedit.
  2. In the Registry Editor, open the key below.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
  1. In the registry key above, select the program you want to uninstall from the right side of the window.