How to uninstall Quicken on Windows

Back up your Quicken data file before you do anything else: in Quicken, choose File › Backup and Restore › Backup Quicken File, and keep the backup outside Quicken's own folders. Your data file stays wherever you saved it when you uninstall, but a backup is the copy that restores cleanly. This guide covers Quicken installed machine-wide from the Quicken.Quicken winget package, a Windows Installer (MSI) package.

Quit Quicken first

Close your data file and exit Quicken. Check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any qw.exe still listed before you uninstall. It added no startup entry in this test.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

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

winget uninstall --id Quicken.Quicken

A machine-wide install asks for administrator access.

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
Your Quicken data file and its backups	Your accounts and transactions	Keep; nothing in this guide touches them
`%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Quicken`	The program	Removed by the uninstaller; remove what remains once it has finished
`%ProgramData%\Quicken`	Help files and configuration, not your data file	Safe to remove if you will not reinstall; it needs administrator access
`%APPDATA%\Quicken`	Quicken's own `Data` and `Log` folders, not your data file	Keep it if you might reinstall; safe to remove for a clean start
`HKCU\SOFTWARE\Quicken`	Your Quicken settings	Keep it if you might reinstall; safe to remove for a clean start
Start Menu `Quicken` folder and public Desktop shortcut	Shortcuts	Removed by the uninstaller
`HKCU\Software\BugSplat\quicken_2019`	A launch counter from Quicken's crash reporter	Holds nothing you need; the `BugSplat` key above it can belong to other apps, so leave that

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process qw -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Quicken.Quicken
Test-Path "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Quicken"
Test-Path "$env:ProgramData\Quicken"
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\Quicken"

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.
The next two returning True means Quicken's help, configuration and logs are still there, which is expected unless you removed them yourself. Neither holds your data file.

If you installed it with winget

winget uninstall runs the same Windows Installer uninstall Settings › Apps uses and removes the same program files; it does not touch %ProgramData%\Quicken, %APPDATA%\Quicken, HKCU\SOFTWARE\Quicken or your data file.

Account and subscription

Uninstalling does not cancel your Quicken subscription or delete your Quicken ID.

What Mole lists

For Quicken installed machine-wide from winget:

The program folder goes with the app row. The Start Menu Quicken folder, the public Desktop shortcut and a row grouping Windows' own records of when you opened the program are selected by default.
%ProgramData%\Quicken, %APPDATA%\Quicken and HKCU\SOFTWARE\Quicken are listed but not selected. Moving the %ProgramData% folder needs administrator access, which Mole asks for once for the whole batch; the registry key is backed up to a .reg file first.
HKCU\Software\BugSplat\quicken_2019 is not listed.
Your data file and its backups are never part of the list.

What this test covered

Tested on September 27, 2026 with Quicken 27.1.69.29 installed through winget, machine scope; the winget package named 27.1.68.31 and the installer fetched a newer build. Windows Installer removed the shortcuts, and the program folder was still there when Mole's step ran, so Mole moved it to the Recycle Bin. Every listed row was ticked and removed in this test. Not verified: a real data file, a signed-in Quicken ID and cloud sync.