How to uninstall LM Studio on Windows

Downloaded models are the first thing to think about. LM Studio keeps them, together with its runtimes and settings, in %USERPROFILE%\.lmstudio, a folder that can grow to many gigabytes and that the uninstaller leaves in place. If you plan to reinstall, keep that folder or move the models you want to a backup drive before you remove anything. This guide covers LM Studio installed per-user from the ElementLabs.LMStudio winget package.

Quit LM Studio first

In LM Studio, unload any loaded model and stop the local server, then quit the app. It runs as several LM Studio.exe processes, so check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any still listed before you uninstall. The test found no startup entry.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find LM Studio, and choose Uninstall, or run:

winget uninstall --id ElementLabs.LMStudio

The uninstaller removes the program folder in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\LM Studio. It does not touch %USERPROFILE%\.lmstudio.

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%USERPROFILE%\.lmstudio`	Downloaded models (in `models` by default), runtimes and settings	Keep it, or move the models you want elsewhere, if you might reinstall; remove it only when you no longer need the models
`%USERPROFILE%\.lmstudio-home-pointer`	A tiny file that records where the data folder is	Keep it while you keep `.lmstudio` or a relocated data folder
`%APPDATA%\LM Studio`	App state and caches	Safe to remove for a clean start
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\lm-studio-updater`	Downloaded update installers	Safe to remove

If you pointed LM Studio at a different models folder, that folder is separate and needs its own decision.

The lms command

LM Studio adds %USERPROFILE%\.lmstudio\bin, home of the lms command, to your user PATH. The uninstaller left that PATH entry in this test. Once you no longer use lms, remove the entry in Settings › System › About › Advanced system settings › Environment Variables, under your user's Path.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process "LM Studio" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id ElementLabs.LMStudio
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\LM Studio"
Test-Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.lmstudio"
[Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User") -split ";" | Select-String lmstudio

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 something is still running.
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:USERPROFILE\.lmstudio" returning True means your models, runtimes and settings are still on disk, which is expected if you kept them. False means they are gone.
The last command printing a line means the lms PATH entry is still there. No matching output from a confirmed successful query means it was removed.

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 .lmstudio, the pointer file or the PATH entry.

What Windows apps leave after uninstalling also covers leftover data and background processes.

What Mole lists

For LM Studio installed per-user from winget:

The program folder goes with the app row.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\lm-studio-updater, which holds only downloaded update installers, is selected by default.
%APPDATA%\LM Studio is listed but not selected.
%USERPROFILE%\.lmstudio is listed but not selected. Ticking it, yourself or with Also remove data, sends your downloaded models to the Recycle Bin with it, and a large models folder may be too big for the Recycle Bin, in which case Windows asks before deleting it for good.
The lmstudio:// link registration and a row grouping Windows' own records of when you opened the program are selected by default; the link is backed up to a .reg file before removal.
%USERPROFILE%\.lmstudio-home-pointer is listed but not selected. Removing it does not follow the pointer or remove a relocated model folder. The lms PATH entry remains a manual check.

What this test covered

Tested on September 29, 2026 with LM Studio 0.4.25 installed through winget, per-user scope, from an elevated session; a normal per-user install needs no administrator access. The uninstaller is NSIS and ran silently. Every listed row was ticked and removed in this test. The uninstaller left %USERPROFILE%\.lmstudio, the pointer file and the lms PATH entry in place. No model was downloaded, no custom models folder was set and the lms command was not used, so removing a large model library was not verified.

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.