How to uninstall Rufus on Windows
Rufus is a portable single-file tool; winget still tracks it as a package and can remove it, and there is no vendor uninstaller to run. This guide covers Rufus installed as a portable package through the Rufus.Rufus winget package.
Quit Rufus first
Close the Rufus window and check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any rufus.exe still listed before you uninstall.
Remove the app
Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find Rufus, and choose Uninstall, or run:
winget uninstall --id Rufus.Rufus
Rufus has no installer or uninstaller of its own; winget removes the cached copy of the program it downloaded.
Where the data lives
| Location | What it holds | What to do |
|---|---|---|
HKCU\Software\Akeo Consulting\Rufus |
Rufus's own settings, such as recently used devices and options. Mole does not list this key in this test | Check it in Registry Editor and remove it yourself if you want a clean start; leave the Akeo Consulting key alone if anything else is under it |
Check the result
Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:
Get-Process rufus -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Rufus.Rufus
Get-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Akeo Consulting\Rufus" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
- No output from
Get-Processonly means this query observed no matching process; a suppressed error leaves the running state unknown. A listed process means it is still open. - A completed
winget listquery with no match means the package record is gone; a matching row means the uninstall did not finish. Get-ItemPropertyreturning values means the settings key is still there; an error saying the path does not exist means it is gone.
If you installed it with winget
For a portable package like Rufus, winget uninstall on its own removes the cached copy winget downloaded. Add --purge to also clear out winget's own package-root folder for it, which winget documents for portable packages:
winget uninstall --id Rufus.Rufus --purge
Neither form touches HKCU\Software\Akeo Consulting\Rufus, which Rufus itself writes when it runs, not winget.
What Mole lists
For Rufus installed as a portable package through winget:
- The cached program folder rides on the app's own row and is selected by default.
HKCU\Software\Akeo Consulting\Rufusis not listed, since Rufus was removed through winget's own portable-package path rather than a vendor uninstaller Mole recognizes.
What this test covered
Tested with Rufus 4.15 installed through winget as a portable package. The cached program folder was removed in this test; the registry key above was found on disk afterward and left for the reader to remove by hand. Not verified: creating a bootable drive with Rufus before uninstalling.