How to uninstall Jellyfin on Windows

Jellyfin Server organizes and streams your media library; it runs as a Windows service rather than a window you close. Its data directory holds your library database, metadata, users and server settings, so back it up before you remove anything if you might reinstall and want your library and accounts back. This guide covers Jellyfin Server installed through the Jellyfin.Server winget package.

Stop the service first

Jellyfin Server runs as the "Jellyfin Server" Windows service, not a tray icon. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), switch to the Services tab, and confirm "Jellyfin Server" is not running before you uninstall; the uninstaller stops it for you if it is still going.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

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

winget uninstall --id Jellyfin.Server

Back up before you remove data

Jellyfin's server data lives under %ProgramData%\Jellyfin\Server when it was installed as a service, or %LOCALAPPDATA%\jellyfin for a direct, non-service run (Jellyfin's data directory documentation). Copy whichever one exists before you remove it.

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%ProgramData%\Jellyfin\Server`	Library database, metadata, users, plugins and server configuration (service install)	Back this up first; the uninstaller does not remove it
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\jellyfin`	The same kind of data for a non-service run	Back this up first; the uninstaller does not remove it
`Program Files\Jellyfin\Server`	Program files, including the bundled ffmpeg	Safe to remove yourself once `winget list` shows the package is gone; it holds no library data

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Service "Jellyfin Server" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Jellyfin.Server
Test-Path "$env:ProgramFiles\Jellyfin\Server"
Test-Path "$env:ProgramData\Jellyfin\Server"
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\jellyfin"

If Get-Service succeeds without suppressed errors, no match means the service is gone; a result means it is still registered.
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 True means the program folder, including ffmpeg and the other program files, is still on disk; this is a known gap, see below.
The next two returning True means your library database and settings 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 %ProgramData%\Jellyfin\Server or %LOCALAPPDATA%\jellyfin on its own.

Account and subscription

Jellyfin has no central account of its own; every user and their watch history live in the server data folder above. Removing the app does not touch other devices connected to this server.

What Mole lists

For Jellyfin Server installed from winget:

%ProgramData%\Jellyfin\Server and %LOCALAPPDATA%\jellyfin, whichever exists, are listed but not selected, since they hold your library database and settings.
For the measured Jellyfin Server registration, its own Jellyfin\Server setup folder is recognized as program files. The shared Jellyfin parent and Jellyfin Media Player are kept.

What this test covered

Tested with Jellyfin Server installed through winget. The full program folder remaining after uninstall was confirmed on 2026-09-27. Multiple users, plugins and a configured library were not tested.

On 2026-10-04, the added residue rules were checked with controlled files in the Windows VM using the current source: exact ownership, another installed copy and source-path absence after recycling. This did not repeat the vendor uninstall or verify a released package.