How to uninstall KDE Connect on Windows

KDE Connect pairs this PC with your phone using a certificate and key it keeps in your profile, together with the list of paired devices and per-device settings. Unpair the PC from your phone first, since removing the app does not tell the phone; back up %LOCALAPPDATA%\kdeconnect only if you want to keep the same identity after reinstalling. Files you received stay in the folder you chose. This guide covers KDE Connect installed per-user from the KDE.KDEConnect winget package.

Quit KDE Connect first

KDE Connect starts at sign-in through a shortcut in your Startup folder (Settings › Apps › Startup lists it) and runs several processes: kdeconnect-app.exe, the background service kdeconnectd.exe, the tray icon kdeconnect-indicator.exe and dbus-daemon.exe. Quit it from the tray icon, then check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) that none of them is still listed before you uninstall.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find KDE Connect, and choose Uninstall, or run:

winget uninstall --id KDE.KDEConnect

The uninstaller also removes the Startup folder shortcut.

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\KDE Connect`	Program files	The uninstaller removes it
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\kdeconnect`	This PC's certificate and private key, paired devices and their settings	Unpair first; keep it only if you want the same identity after reinstalling, otherwise remove it
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\kdeconnect.app`	The app window's own data and cache	Safe to remove once KDE Connect is gone
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\State\kdeconnect.appstaterc`	Window state	Safe to remove
`HKCU\Software\KDE e.V.\KDE Connect`	Installer settings	Safe to remove; the `KDE e.V.` key above it may be left empty
Two Windows Defender Firewall rules for `kdeconnectd.exe`	Let paired devices reach the service	Remove them in Windows Defender Firewall › Advanced settings if you want; they do nothing without the program
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\ConnectedDevicesPlatform`	Windows' own data for its cross-device features, not KDE Connect's	Leave it alone

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process kdeconnect*, dbus-daemon -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id KDE.KDEConnect
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\KDE Connect"
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\kdeconnect"
Test-Path "HKCU:\Software\KDE e.V."

No output from Get-Process only means this query observed no matching process; a suppressed error leaves the running state unknown. A dbus-daemon another KDE app started is not KDE Connect's.
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 False means the program folder is gone; True means files remain there.
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\kdeconnect" returning True means the pairing identity is still there, which is expected unless you removed it yourself.
Test-Path "HKCU:\Software\KDE e.V." returning True means the vendor key is still there; it is safe to remove when no other KDE app is installed.

What Mole lists

For KDE Connect installed per-user from winget:

The program folder goes with the app row. The desktop shortcut, the Start Menu folder and shortcut, the Startup folder shortcut, a COM class registration that points at the removed program and a row grouping Windows' own records of when you opened the program are selected by default; the registration is backed up to a .reg file before removal.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\kdeconnect, %LOCALAPPDATA%\kdeconnect.app and HKCU\Software\KDE e.V.\KDE Connect are listed but not selected. The Cache inside kdeconnect.app is listed on its own and selected.
In this test the review also listed %LOCALAPPDATA%\ConnectedDevicesPlatform, unselected. It is Windows' own folder; leave it unticked.
The two firewall rules are reported after the uninstall and never removed.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\State\kdeconnect.appstaterc is not listed.

What this test covered

Tested on 2026-09-28 with KDE Connect 26.08.1 installed through winget, per-user scope. The test installed it from an elevated session, so its uninstaller asked for administrator access; a normal per-user install does not. No phone was paired. Every listed row was ticked; all were removed except ConnectedDevicesPlatform, which Windows held open.