How to uninstall Node.js LTS on Windows

Node.js itself keeps almost no data of its own; what usually matters after removing it is npm's global packages and cache, and your own project folders with their node_modules, none of which the uninstaller touches. This guide covers the Node.js LTS line installed machine-wide from the OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS winget package.

Close anything using Node first

Close any terminal, editor or build tool with a running node, npm or npx process, since a locked file can stop the uninstaller partway through. Check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for node.exe before you uninstall.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find Node.js, and choose Uninstall, or run:

winget uninstall --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

This uses an MSI installer and asks for administrator access, since Node.js installs machine-wide.

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%USERPROFILE%\.node_repl_history`	Commands you typed in the interactive `node` shell	Personal history, not touched by the uninstaller; delete it yourself if you want it gone
`%APPDATA%\npm`	Global packages installed with `npm install -g`	Reinstall these after a clean install, or back up the folder if you want to keep them as-is
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\npm-cache`	npm's download cache	Safe to remove; npm rebuilds it as needed

The last two locations are npm's own documented default paths, not something this test measured directly; the uninstaller does not touch either of them.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes, ideally from a new terminal window:

node --version
winget list --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS
Test-Path "$env:ProgramFiles\nodejs"
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\npm"

node --version failing with "not recognized" means Node.js is gone from your PATH; printing a version means either the uninstall did not finish or another Node.js install is still on your machine.
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 "$env:ProgramFiles\nodejs" returning False means the program folder is gone; True means files remain there.
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\npm" returning True means your globally installed packages are still there, which is expected unless you removed them yourself.

If you installed it with winget

winget uninstall runs the same MSI uninstaller Settings › Apps uses and removes the same program files; it does not touch %APPDATA%\npm, %LOCALAPPDATA%\npm-cache or your project folders.

What Mole lists

For Node.js LTS installed machine-wide from winget:

The Start Menu folder is selected by default.
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Node.js is listed but not selected.
In this test, the MSI uninstaller had already removed both of these on its own by the time Mole's review reached them.
%USERPROFILE%\.node_repl_history is not currently listed, since it holds a personal command history rather than app or cache data.

Your project folders and their node_modules, and npm's own global packages and cache, are not part of this list.

What this test covered

Tested with Node.js LTS 24.19.0 installed through winget, machine scope, MSI, elevated. No global npm packages were installed during the test, so the npm folders above were not exercised.