How to uninstall Ollama on Windows

Stop running models before removing the app. Downloaded models sit in %USERPROFILE%\.ollama\models, and they are often much larger than the app itself; decide whether to keep them before you delete anything. This guide covers Ollama installed per-user from the Ollama.Ollama winget package.

Check what is loaded first

Open PowerShell and run these read-only commands. The first lists downloaded models, the second lists models currently loaded in memory.

ollama list
ollama ps

If a command cannot connect, open Ollama first. A connection error does not mean your models are gone.

Quit Ollama first

Exit Ollama from its tray icon. It also starts with your sign-in through a shortcut in the Startup folder (Settings › Apps › Startup); check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for ollama app and ollama before you uninstall.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

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

winget uninstall --id Ollama.Ollama

Back up your models first

Downloaded models can be several gigabytes each. Copy %USERPROFILE%\.ollama\models if you want to keep them without re-downloading after reinstalling.

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%USERPROFILE%\.ollama`	Downloaded models and this install's own key pair	Back it up first if you have models you want to keep
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Ollama`	Program files	Removed with the app
Startup folder shortcut	Starts Ollama at sign-in	Removed with the app
User `PATH` entry for the program folder	Lets you run `ollama` from any terminal	Left in place; Ollama shares this with other developer tools Mole does not edit environment variables for

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process "ollama app" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Get-Process ollama -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Ollama.Ollama
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Ollama"
Test-Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.ollama"

If both Get-Process queries succeed without suppressed errors and return no match, this means Ollama is not 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 %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Ollama path returning False means the program folder is gone; True means files remain there.
%USERPROFILE%\.ollama returning True means your models and key pair are still there, which is expected unless you removed them yourself.

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 %USERPROFILE%\.ollama on its own.

What Mole lists

For Ollama installed per-user from winget:

The program folder, the Start Menu folder and shortcut, the Startup folder shortcut, and the ollama link registration are all selected by default.
%USERPROFILE%\.ollama, where your downloaded models live, is listed but not selected.
The Startup folder shortcut also shows in Settings › Apps › Startup while Ollama is installed.
%APPDATA%\ollama app.exe is listed as personal data, unchecked and excluded from bulk selection.

What this test covered

Ollama 0.34.4, per-user scope, was retested in the source QA VM on 2026-10-04. %USERPROFILE%\.ollama appeared as Review and was not selected by default. This run removed only default selections: the registration and program folder disappeared while the model folder remained. The row currently lacks a personal-data marker, so selecting “Also remove data” may select it; default retention does not prove protection from bulk selection.

The uninstaller from the earlier elevated installation required administrator access, and this retest used elevation again. UAC behavior for a normal user installation was not verified. No models were downloaded and deleting a large model library was not tested. %APPDATA%\ollama app.exe\EBWebView remained without an offered row. These source results have not been verified in a released package.

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.