All programs and applications designed for the Windows Operating System are fairly easy to install. However, some programs and applications can give users quite the fight when they try to uninstall them. One such application is Skype. Skype is one of the absolute most popular instant messaging and VoIP calling platforms in use today and is a product of Microsoft, the same people responsible for Windows. Downloading and installing Skype on your computer is pretty easy and can be accomplished in a multitude of different ways. However, Skype is known to be pretty clingy – many users have trouble uninstalling the desktop Skype client from their computers.
Users have reported facing a variety of different issues when trying to uninstall Skype from their computers. No matter how hard Skype tries to hold on, however, uninstalling it is not impossible. If you’re looking to uninstall Skype for Business, you might want to take a look at uninstall skype for business instead. If you are looking to uninstall the desktop client for Skype, however, you’re definitely in the right place. Here’s what you need to do in order to completely uninstall Skype from your Windows computer:
- Completely close Skype. To do so, right-click on the Skype icon in your computer’s Notification Area and click on Quit or Quit Skype. Alternatively, you can also open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc, locate and click on Skype in the Applications tab and click on End Task to force close it.
- Press the Windows Logo key + R to open a Run dialog.
- Type appwiz.cpl into the Run dialog and press Enter to launch Windows’ Add or remove programs utility.
- Locate and right-click on Skype in the list of applications and programs installed on your computer, and then click on Uninstall or Remove in the resulting context menu.
- Follow the onscreen instructions and prompts to go through the entirety of the uninstallation wizard. Skype will have been successfully uninstalled once you’re through the uninstallation wizard, and what comes next is deleting all of the files and registry entries left behind by the application.
- Press the Windows Logo key + R to open a Run dialog.
- Type %appdata% into the Run dialog and press Enter.
- Locate the Skype folder in the instance of File Explorer that opens up, right-click on it, click on Delete in the resulting context menu and confirm the action.
- Press the Windows Logo key + E to launch a fresh instance of File Explorer.
- Navigate to C:\Program Files (or C:\Program Files (x86) if you’re using Windows 8 or later).
- Check to see there are any folders titled Skype and/or SkypePM in the directory. If you do find any such folders, delete them. If no such folders exist, simply move on to the next step.
- Press the Windows Logo key + R to open a Run dialog.
- Type regedit into the Run dialog and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
- Click on Edit > Find….
- Type Skype into the Find what: field and click on Find Next.
- Delete the registry entry the Registry Editor finds, and rinse and repeat for every single other registry entry that the Registry Editor finds on your computer (there should be around 50 of them).
Once done, you will have not only uninstalled Skype but you will also have gotten rid of all the data Skype left behind on your computer. If you are, for whatever reason, unable to uninstall Skype from your computer using the steps listed and described above, fear not – you can still give the methods listed and described in uninstall programs on windows 10 a shot (Method 4, which involves the use of Revo Uninstaller, is especially recommended for users who cannot seem to uninstall Skype the conventional way).