How to uninstall HandBrake on Windows
Keep any source videos, completed encodes, custom presets and queued work you still need before removing HandBrake. This check used HandBrake 1.11.2 installed machine-wide through elevated winget.
Remove HandBrake
Close HandBrake, then use Settings › Apps › Installed apps › HandBrake › Uninstall. You can also run winget uninstall --id HandBrake.HandBrake --exact, which delegates to the registered vendor uninstaller. This Mole test invoked the NSIS uninstaller with /S; the Settings and external-winget paths were not exercised in this run.
Where data was observed
| Location | What to do |
|---|---|
%ProgramFiles%\HandBrake |
Program files, removed through the vendor uninstaller |
%APPDATA%\HandBrake |
Application settings, review and save what you want to retain |
%APPDATA%\HandBrake\logs |
Application logs, selected by default |
%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\HandBrake |
Owned Start Menu shortcuts |
Source videos and output files were not scanned as application leftovers. Removing settings does not establish that your saved presets or work can be recovered.
Check the result
Test-Path "$env:ProgramFiles\HandBrake" -ErrorAction Stop
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\HandBrake" -ErrorAction Stop
Test-Path "$env:ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\HandBrake" -ErrorAction Stop
winget list --id HandBrake.HandBrake --exact
A successful Test-Path returns True for a surviving path and False for an absent path. Query errors leave that path unresolved. The three paths were independently absent in this run. A successfully completed winget query with no matching registration confirms that registration is gone; neither check proves that all personal files or every registration has disappeared.
What Mole lists
The program folder, logs, owned Start Menu shortcuts, the owned notification-activator CLSID and usage records are selected by default. The whole Roaming HandBrake settings folder is listed for review and unchecked. Selecting application data includes that settings folder. Files go to the Recycle Bin and the selected registry registration is backed up before removal.
All six selected review outcomes were Removed or Missing, and the exact uninstall registration was absent afterwards. One AppUserModelId notification identity remained under the existing registration boundary; this test did not delete it.
What this test covered
Tested on October 4, 2026, in a Windows 11 ARM64 VM with a Mole development build, covering first launch and uninstall. Real encoding, preset recovery, other installation channels, external-uninstall detection and the released download were not verified.