How to uninstall Claude on Windows

Removing Claude Desktop and canceling a paid plan are separate jobs; do the one you mean to do. Before removing the app, confirm that the conversations you need open on the Claude website, and copy %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json if you set up MCP servers there. This guide covers Claude Desktop installed per-user from the Anthropic.Claude winget package.

Quit Claude first

Save anything open and quit Claude. It runs several processes, so check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any Claude.exe still listed before you uninstall.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find Claude, and choose Uninstall, or run:

winget uninstall --id Anthropic.Claude

Cancel the plan separately

Uninstalling the app does not cancel Pro or Max. While you can still open Claude, use Settings, then Billing, on the web or in the app.

Cancel your Pro or Max subscription

Where the data lives

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process Claude -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Anthropic.Claude
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\AnthropicClaude"
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\Claude"

• No output from Get-Process only means this query observed no matching process; a suppressed error leaves the running state unknown. A listed process means a window or helper is still open.
• A completed winget list query with no match means the package record is gone; a matching row means the uninstall did not finish.
• The first Test-Path returning False means the program folder is gone; True means files remain there.
• Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\Claude" returning True means your MCP configuration and local sessions are still there, which is expected unless you removed them yourself.

If you installed it with winget

winget uninstall runs the same uninstaller Settings › Apps uses and removes the same program files; it does not touch %APPDATA%\Claude on its own.

What Mole lists

For Claude Desktop installed per-user from winget:

• The program folder rides on the app's own row and is selected by default.
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Claude, which holds logs, is selected by default.
• %APPDATA%\Claude is listed but not selected, since it holds your MCP configuration and local sessions. The Chromium cache folders inside it (Cache, Code Cache, Crashpad, GPUCache and the like) are separate rows selected by default.
• The Start Menu shortcut is selected by default.
• If a claude:// link registration still points at the removed program, Mole lists it too and backs it up to a .reg file before removing it; in this test that removal failed and the registration stayed behind, so you may still see it afterward. It points at nothing once the app is gone, and you can leave it.
• A small installer log that every app built with the same packaging technology shares can stay behind; it is not specific to Claude and is safe to ignore.

What this test covered

Tested with Claude 1.44121.2 installed through winget, per-user scope. Every other listed row was ticked and removed in this test. Not verified: a signed-in account, or removing an install with MCP servers configured.