How to uninstall HMCL on Windows

HMCL is a Minecraft launcher, so what matters is the game folder it manages: worlds, mods, resource packs and screenshots. Before uninstalling, open HMCL's game settings, note where its game directory is, and copy your saves out if you want to keep them. This guide covers HMCL installed per-user from the HMCL.HMCL.Stable winget package, which winget manages as a portable package.

Quit HMCL and Minecraft first

Close Minecraft and the launcher window, then check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any Java or HMCL process still listed. HMCL added no startup entry in this test.

Remove the app

A portable winget package has no separate uninstaller; winget removes it:

winget uninstall --id HMCL.HMCL.Stable

It also shows in Settings › Apps › Installed apps, where Uninstall does the same.

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WinGet\Packages\HMCL.HMCL.Stable_Microsoft.Winget.Source_8wekyb3d8bbwe`	The launcher	Removed by the uninstall, together with anything saved inside it
The game directory shown in HMCL's settings	Worlds, mods, resource packs, screenshots	Back it up first; if it sits inside the package folder above, the uninstall removes it

Check the result

winget list --id HMCL.HMCL.Stable
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\WinGet\Packages\HMCL.HMCL.Stable_Microsoft.Winget.Source_8wekyb3d8bbwe"

A completed winget list query with no match means the package record is gone.
Test-Path returning False means the package folder is gone; True means files remain there.

If you installed it with winget

For portable packages, winget documents winget uninstall --purge, which also deletes everything created inside the package folder after the install. Copy anything you want to keep out of that folder first.

Account

Uninstalling the launcher does not sign you out of your Microsoft account or affect your Minecraft purchase.

What Mole lists

For HMCL installed as a winget portable package, Mole removes it through winget's own uninstall, which takes the package folder. No other row was listed in this test.

What this test covered

Tested on September 28, 2026 with HMCL 3.16.3 installed through winget as a portable package, per-user scope. The launcher was opened once. Not verified: a game directory with worlds and mods, or a signed-in account.