How to uninstall Power Automate for desktop on Windows

Save your desktop flows and the files they use, and check with the machine's administrator before removing a client used by scheduled automation. This guide covers the machine-wide installer of Power Automate for desktop from winget. The Microsoft Store edition is a separate installation method in Microsoft's installation guide.

Stop your work and run the uninstaller

Finish or stop active flows, close Power Automate and check Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc. The test observed Power Automate processes together with UIFlowService, UpdateService, LauncherService and LogShipper. Closing the main window is not proof that these components stopped; let the vendor uninstaller handle its services. No startup entry was listed in this run.

Open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find Power Automate for desktop and choose Uninstall; Windows 10 uses Apps & features. Microsoft's guide uses this Windows removal path. For the tested winget package:

winget uninstall --id Microsoft.PowerAutomateDesktop --exact

winget runs the registered vendor uninstaller. In the test, its quiet uninstall completed and the app registration disappeared, but the folders below remained. Removing the desktop client does not cancel a subscription or delete cloud flows. A registered machine is managed separately in the Power Automate portal.

What remained in this test

The paths below were observed after uninstalling, not copied from a vendor cleanup list. Back up wanted configuration before handling leftovers. Keep uncertain items and shared Microsoft folders; do not delete a folder just because its name contains Power Automate.

Location	What the test found	What to do
`%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Power Automate Desktop`	A `dotnet` component directory and four proxy configuration files	Retain until you have checked any remaining machine-runtime use and saved wanted configuration; do not treat its `dotnet` child as an independently installed shared runtime
`%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Power Automate`	App-owned data still present	Inspect and back up before deciding whether this exact folder is no longer needed
`%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Power Automate update service`	Update-service data still present	Check retained components before removing this exact leaf
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Power Automate Desktop`	Local app data still present	Save wanted settings before removal
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PAD.Console.Host_StrongName_idm2324hz42cchqxu2bsscfph0cxwlo1`	A console-host configuration directory	Back up wanted settings; this recorded name may differ with another build
`HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Power Automate Desktop`	App settings still present	Keep or export the exact key before any manual change

The four files inside the program folder were Microsoft.Flow.RPA.LogShipper.Proxy.config, Microsoft.Flow.RPA.UpdateService.Proxy.config, PAD.Proxy.config and UIFlowService.Proxy.config. Their survival does not prove any service is still running.

The test also found these registrations, which Mole did not remove:

Under HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID, {1d9cd66a-0583-465a-bbba-1fe4d9e71f03} pointed to PAD.Console.Host.exe, and {23B3E3D8-C162-4A8B-AB0C-0905DCB1DF19} pointed to the app's dotnet\RDP\DVCPlugin\x64\Microsoft.Flow.RPA.Desktop.UIAutomation.RDP.DVC.Plugin.dll.
com.microsoft.pad.messagehost browser-host registrations were found for Firefox and Chrome, including HKCU\Software\Mozilla\NativeMessagingHosts\com.microsoft.pad.messagehost and registrations under the current user's Wow6432Node browser keys. The Chrome extension registration ljglajjnnkapghbckkcmodicjhacbfhk also remained.
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default is shared. Its AddIns\Microsoft Power Automate child is the app-related entry; keep the parent.

Leave these registrations for the vendor's repair or support procedure if you cannot establish whether a retained component uses them. Do not delete the CLSID, Chrome, Mozilla or Terminal Server Client parents. The five separate .NET 10.0.13 x86 runtime registrations and Burn's Package Cache were retained; they are not dead Power Automate app entries.

Check the result

winget list --id Microsoft.PowerAutomateDesktop --exact
Test-Path -LiteralPath "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Power Automate Desktop" -ErrorAction Stop
Test-Path -LiteralPath "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\Power Automate Desktop" -ErrorAction Stop
Test-Path -LiteralPath 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Power Automate Desktop' -ErrorAction Stop

A winget row means the package remains listed. Empty output or a source error alone does not prove it was removed; check Installed apps too. Each True confirms the named folder or key still exists, while False without an error means that particular target is absent. An access error leaves the check unresolved. A surviving folder says nothing about whether its service is running.

What Mole lists

In the recorded build, Mole listed no leftover rows for this installation. It ran the vendor uninstaller and confirmed the app registration disappeared, but it did not list or remove the folders and registrations above. The program directory was not identified from this installer registration, and automatic cleanup of these leftovers remains unresolved. An empty review or cleanup scan is not evidence that the files are gone.

What this test covered

Power Automate for desktop 2.73.00155.26278 was installed machine-wide through winget and uninstalled on October 21, 2026, in a Windows 11 ARM64 VM, using a development build of Mole. The package used a WiX Burn uninstaller. A separate winget uninstall also removed the registration, but the program and local-data directories remained even though cleanup scans showed no related rows. Signed-in flows, automation after reinstalling, real upgrades and the downloadable Mole package were not verified.