How to uninstall PowerToys on Windows

PowerToys keeps every utility's own settings in one place: FancyZones layouts, keyboard remapping, hotkeys, Advanced Paste history and the rest of each module's saved state. Back up the settings you want to keep for a later reinstall. This guide covers PowerToys installed per-user through the Microsoft.PowerToys winget package; the official installer offers the same choice between a per-user and a machine-wide install.

Quit PowerToys first

PowerToys runs from the tray as PowerToys.Runner, and it also registers a scheduled task that restarts it at sign-in. Mole treats that Microsoft-authored task as protected; turn off "Run at startup" in PowerToys' own settings before you uninstall, as described in Microsoft's settings guide. Quit the tray icon, then check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any PowerToys.Runner process still listed.

PowerToys also installs Command Palette, its command launcher, as a separate app from the same download. It comes off with PowerToys; you do not need to remove it on its own.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find PowerToys (Preview), and choose Uninstall, or run:

winget uninstall --id Microsoft.PowerToys

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys`	Settings for every utility: FancyZones layouts, keyboard remapping, hotkeys, Advanced Paste history and each module's own state	Safe to remove once you are done with PowerToys
`HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerToys`	A handful of settings values the uninstaller does not clear on its own	Safe to remove
Per-extension `Classes\.<ext>\shellex` keys	Preview-handler registrations Windows keeps for file extensions in general, not only the ones PowerToys added	Shared with other apps and Windows itself; leave alone
PowerToys' entry under `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Package Cache`	The installer's own copy, kept so Windows can repair or fully uninstall the app later	Leave alone until the uninstall finishes

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process PowerToys* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Microsoft.PowerToys
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\PowerToys"
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\PowerToys"
Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName "PowerToys*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

No output from Get-Process only means this query observed no matching process; a suppressed error leaves the running state unknown.
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:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\PowerToys" returning True means your utility settings are still there, which is expected unless you removed them yourself.
If Get-ScheduledTask succeeds without suppressed errors, no match means the startup task is gone with the app; a result means it is still registered.

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 %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys or its registry key on its own.

What Mole lists

For PowerToys (Preview) installed per-user from winget:

The program folder and the Start Menu shortcut "PowerToys (Preview)" are selected by default.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys, which holds your settings, is listed but not selected. It is the one folder Mole opens inside the shared Local\Microsoft location; nothing else there is offered for any app.
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerToys is listed but not selected.
Command Palette, installed alongside PowerToys, is removed with it.
The preview-handler registrations under each file extension and the installer's package cache are not listed: the first sit in a place every file type shares, the second is needed to repair or uninstall.

What this test covered

Retested on October 3, 2026 with PowerToys (Preview) 0.101.2362.0 (ARM64) installed through winget, per-user scope, on a VM. All review rows were selected; the settings folder and registry key were removed, and the startup task disappeared with the app. One firewall rule was reported and retained. Not verified: a machine-wide install and real hardware.