How to uninstall Kimi on Windows

Kimi keeps two kinds of conversation. Chat-mode conversations sync with your Kimi account across the web, desktop and mobile, so they survive removing the app. Conversations in Kimi Work mode stay on the computer where you started them, according to Kimi's download page, so copy out any Work results you still need before you delete anything. Kimi also puts two folders straight in your user folder, %USERPROFILE%\.kimi-work and %USERPROFILE%\.kimi-webbridge, which its uninstaller leaves. This guide covers Kimi installed per-user from the installer on kimi.ai.

Quit Kimi first

Quit Kimi, then check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) that no Kimi.exe is still listed; it runs about ten of them at once. Kimi added no startup entry in this test.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find Kimi, and choose Uninstall. The uninstaller removes the program folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Kimi, the shortcuts and its link and file registrations. In this test it left the two folders in your user folder, the app's data folder, the downloaded updates and a settings key under Moonshot.

If you added Kimi's WebBridge extension to Chrome or Edge, remove it from that browser's extensions page; uninstalling the app does not touch the browser.

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%USERPROFILE%\.kimi-work`	Kimi Work's local files and helper programs	Kimi does not say which folder holds Work-mode conversations, so back this folder up before you remove it
`%USERPROFILE%\.kimi-webbridge`	The WebBridge local service used by the browser extension	Remove it once Kimi is uninstalled, unless you want to keep using WebBridge
`%APPDATA%\kimi-desktop`	The app's own data, including the sign-in state and caches	Back it up with `.kimi-work` if you use Work mode, otherwise remove it
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\kimi-desktop-updater`	Downloaded update installers	Safe to remove
`HKCU\Software\Moonshot\Kimi`	A small settings key	Safe to remove once the app is gone
Windows Defender Firewall rules named `kimi.exe`	Rules Windows created if you allowed Kimi through the firewall prompt	They point at a program that no longer exists; remove them yourself as below

These paths are not documented by Kimi; they come from this test.

Firewall rules

If you allowed Kimi through the Windows Security alert, open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security › Inbound Rules as an administrator and delete the rules named kimi.exe.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process Kimi -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Kimi"
Test-Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.kimi-work", "$env:USERPROFILE\.kimi-webbridge", "$env:APPDATA\kimi-desktop"
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\kimi-desktop-updater"
Test-Path HKCU:\Software\Moonshot\Kimi
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "kimi.exe" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object DisplayName, Direction, Action

No output from Get-Process only means this query observed no matching process; a suppressed error leaves the running state unknown. A listed process means it is still open.
The first Test-Path returning False means the program folder is gone; True means files remain there.
The second command prints one True or False per folder, in the order listed. True means that folder is still there, which is expected for the ones you chose to keep.
Test-Path on the updater folder returning True means downloaded updates are still on disk; False means they are gone.
The registry Test-Path returning True means the settings key is still there; False means it is gone.
The last command printing rows means the firewall rules are still there. No matching output from a confirmed successful query means they are gone.

If you installed it with winget

Kimi is also in winget as MoonshotAI.Kimi. winget uninstall --id MoonshotAI.Kimi runs the same uninstaller Settings › Apps uses and leaves the same folders, key and firewall rules.

Your account

Removing the app does not delete your Kimi account, sign out your other devices or end a paid plan. Chat-mode history stays with the account.

Kimi downloads · Kimi WebBridge

What Mole lists

For Kimi installed per-user from kimi.ai:

The program folder goes with the app row. The desktop and Start Menu shortcuts are selected by default.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\kimi-desktop-updater, which holds only downloaded update installers, is selected by default.
%USERPROFILE%\.kimi-work, %USERPROFILE%\.kimi-webbridge, %APPDATA%\kimi-desktop and HKCU\Software\Moonshot\Kimi are listed but not selected. Tick them only after you have saved what you need; the key is backed up to a .reg file before removal.
The kimi:// and kimi-work:// links, the Kimi document type and the Open with entry for Kimi.exe are selected by default and backed up to a .reg file first, when the uninstaller has left them; in this test it had already removed them.
A row grouping Windows' own records of when you opened the program is selected by default.
The kimi.exe firewall rules are named in the result and not removed.

What this test covered

Tested on September 30, 2026 with Kimi 3.2.14 from the installer on kimi.ai, per-user scope, installed from an elevated session on an ARM64 virtual machine. The uninstaller is NSIS and ran silently. Every listed row was ticked and removed in this test; the firewall rules stayed. An earlier run did not list the two folders in your user folder or the Moonshot key; they are listed now, as described above. Not verified: signing in, Work mode, and the browser extension.