How to uninstall KiCad on Windows
Keep complete KiCad projects and custom libraries before uninstalling. A rendered board image or Gerber export does not replace the editable schematic, board and project configuration.
Save your data and quit
Save and close the project manager and every editor. Copy each complete project folder, including .kicad_pro, .kicad_sch and .kicad_pcb files, project-specific libraries and backups. Check both project and global library tables for custom symbol, footprint and 3D-model locations; a project archive without external dependencies may not reopen correctly.
Uninstall the tested package
In Windows 11, open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find KiCad, 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 KiCad.KiCad --exact
If the successful query shows the intended installation, remove that package:
winget uninstall --id KiCad.KiCad --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 |
|---|---|
| sym-lib-table and fp-lib-table | Record custom library references and copy the referenced libraries you own; a table alone is not the library content. |
| Project folders and custom 3D models | Keep complete copies and verify a project opens in the intended replacement version before deleting originals. |
See KiCad’s official documentation.
Check the outcome
winget list --id KiCad.KiCad --exact
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. 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 tested cleanup included owned file-type registrations whose names contain underscores. Shared file extensions and empty vendor parents were retained. Cleaning an application’s Open With registration is different from deleting a schematic or board file.
What this test covered
The Windows installation was removed. The remaining registry entries were scanned, backed up and removed using the corrected handling, then read again to confirm the result. Version upgrading and recovery of every external library or production board project were not tested.
These results are from a development build of Mole. Other released builds were not individually tested.