How to uninstall CopyQ on Windows
Back up CopyQ before uninstalling, even if its data row is unchecked in Mole. The tested vendor uninstaller removed some pre-existing files from an unselected data directory. CopyQ 17 also moved tab data and state to a different Windows directory.
Save your data and quit
Use File › Export to save the wanted tabs and settings, or fully exit CopyQ and copy all configuration, data and state directories listed in its official backup guide. Exports do not include the files of disk-synchronized tabs. Protect the backup because clipboard history can contain passwords or private text; verify an export in a separate test profile before relying on it.
Uninstall the tested package
In Windows 11, open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find CopyQ, and choose Uninstall. In Windows 10, use Settings › Apps › Apps & features. Keep the installed program folder intact until its uninstaller finishes. If this was the winget package, first confirm its exact identity:
winget list --id hluk.CopyQ --exact
If the successful query shows the intended installation, remove that package:
winget uninstall --id hluk.CopyQ --exact
This follows the package’s registered removal method; portable packages use their package-manager removal instead. An error or a missing winget match is not proof that the app is absent: check the Windows app list and the original installation method. Follow any vendor confirmation or restart request after saving other work. See Microsoft’s uninstall command documentation.
Data and components to check
The following locations or components need separate decisions. A remaining folder is not automatically disposable.
| Location or component | What to keep or check |
|---|---|
%APPDATA%\copyq |
Configuration; older versions also kept tab data here. Back up instead of treating it as cache. |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\copyq |
CopyQ 17 data and state. Back up together with the roaming directory. |
See CopyQ’s official documentation.
Check the outcome
winget list --id hluk.CopyQ --exact
Test-Path -LiteralPath "$env:APPDATA\copyq"
Test-Path -LiteralPath "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\copyq"
A successful package query with no matching row means that package registration was not found. A matching row means it still exists; an error leaves the result unknown. For each Test-Path, True means that exact location remains and False means it was not found; an access error does not mean it was removed. Keep deliberately retained data. Check Task Manager for a process whose executable belongs to this installation, and distinguish another version or a separate companion app before acting.
What Mole lists
The roaming history directory is personal data and starts unselected. The local directory was also unselected in the recorded default review. Explicit extra selections change the removal set. These choices control Mole’s cleanup, not what the vendor’s uninstaller removes by itself.
What this test covered
On the x64 PC, the Inno uninstaller removed the app registration. Mole retained the unselected roaming directory, but the vendor’s silent uninstall removed five pre-existing files inside it while leaving the directory and an INI file. This is not a history-preservation guarantee. An upgrade was not executed.
These results are from a development build of Mole. Other released builds were not individually tested.