How to uninstall MobaXterm on Windows

MobaXterm keeps saved sessions, bookmarks and connection settings in your user profile, separate from the program files. Back that up first if you want the same sessions after reinstalling. This guide covers MobaXterm installed machine-wide from the Mobatek.MobaXterm winget package, which uses a Windows Installer package; because it installs for every account on the machine, removing it asks for administrator permission, which is normal for this install and not specific to any test.

Quit MobaXterm first

Close every MobaXterm window and any open session inside it. MobaXterm can also start a small embedded X server process for graphical forwarding; check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any leftover MobaXterm process before you uninstall.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

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

winget uninstall --id Mobatek.MobaXterm

Uninstalling asks for administrator permission because MobaXterm is installed for the whole machine.

Back up before you remove data

Copy %APPDATA%\MobaXterm before you remove it if you want to keep your saved sessions and bookmarks for a later reinstall.

Where the data lives

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process MobaXterm -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Mobatek.MobaXterm
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\MobaXterm"
Get-ItemProperty HKCU:\Software\Mobatek\MobaXterm -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

• 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 a window or its embedded X server is still open.
• A completed winget list query with no match means the package record is gone; a matching row means the uninstall did not finish.
• Test-Path returning True means your sessions and bookmarks are still there, which is expected unless you removed them yourself; False means the folder is gone.
• Get-ItemProperty returning values means the key is still there; an error saying the path does not exist means it is gone.

If you installed it with winget

winget uninstall runs the same Windows Installer package Settings › Apps uses and removes the same program files; it does not touch %APPDATA%\MobaXterm on its own.

A firewall rule for its X server stays

MobaXterm's installer adds a Windows Defender Firewall rule for its embedded X server. Mole reports this rule after the uninstall but does not remove it; if you want it gone, delete it yourself in Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.

What Mole lists

For MobaXterm installed machine-wide from winget:

• %APPDATA%\MobaXterm is listed but not selected, since it holds your sessions and bookmarks.
• The Start Menu folder and the public desktop shortcut are selected by default.
• HKCU\Software\Mobatek\MobaXterm is listed but not selected.

What this test covered

Tested with MobaXterm 26.5.0.5542 installed through winget, machine-wide scope. Every row in the review was selected and removed in this test. Not verified: a saved session with a real remote connection, and X11 forwarding to another display.