How to uninstall CLion on Windows
Save projects, stop builds and debug sessions, and back up CLion's settings, plugins, scratch files and wanted Local History. Keep separately installed compilers and toolchains. This guide covers the standalone machine-wide winget installation; a Toolbox-managed copy should be removed from Toolbox.
Close CLion and uninstall
Close every CLion window. The test ran clion64.exe, fsnotifier.exe and a Rider.Backend.exe helper inside the CLion installation; check executable paths before stopping a helper with a shared name.
Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps › CLion › Uninstall, or run:
winget uninstall --id JetBrains.CLion --exact
JetBrains documents the standalone and Toolbox flows. The standalone uninstaller is under bin; let it finish before removing the program directory.
Review versioned IDE data
JetBrains documents settings and system data separately. These paths were observed for the tested version.
| Location | What to do |
|---|---|
%APPDATA%\JetBrains\CLion2026.2 |
Back up settings, plugins and scratch files |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\JetBrains\CLion2026.2 |
Review Local History along with caches and logs |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\JetBrains\Daemon |
Keep while another JetBrains product needs it |
| Project and toolchain directories | Keep source, build configuration and independent compilers |
Keep JetBrains parent folders, shared consent, identity and licensing state, and Toolbox data. Removing CLion does not cancel a JetBrains subscription or delete an account.
Check the result
Get-Process clion64, Rider.Backend, jetbrainsd -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id JetBrains.CLion --exact
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\JetBrains\CLion2026.2"
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\JetBrains\CLion2026.2"
No process output means those executable names are not running. A helper may belong to another JetBrains product, so check its path first. No winget match means the installation record is gone. True means the specific data folder remains; False means it does not. Retaining settings is expected and an error leaves the check unresolved.
What Mole lists
The program folder, matching shortcuts, usage records and registrations still pointing at CLion are selected by default. The two versioned IDE data folders are listed but not selected, and another installation using the same IDE version keeps them out of the review. The Daemon folder is selected only when no other installed JetBrains product claims it. Shared runtime, licensing and other IDE data are not CLion-only targets; firewall rules are reported but not removed.
Both versioned Local and Roaming directories are personal data, unchecked by default and excluded from bulk selection. Removing either requires selecting its row individually; Local History and scratch files do not regenerate with caches. Another installed copy of the same IDE version keeps both directories.
What this test covered
Tested on October 3, 2026 with CLion 2026.2.3, machine-wide winget installation on an ARM64 VM. The NSIS uninstall completed and explicitly selected versioned data and Daemon rows were removed. Shared runtime state and firewall rules remained. Real projects, compilation, Local History recovery, account sync, Toolbox coexistence and a separate vendor-only removal were not tested.
The October 4, 2026 review added a product-specific positive test for both personal-data directories, another installed copy and bulk-selection exclusion. Real history and scratch-file retention was retested in IntelliJ IDEA; this product was not separately retested with real history. Earlier explicitly selected data-removal runs do not prove data retention. The released download was not verified.