How to uninstall Spotify on Windows
This record covers Spotify, registered version 1.3.3.264.gdaf3b824, installed through winget Spotify.Spotify with user scope. Back up the folders below when retaining data.
Close the app
Close the window and tray entry, then check Spotify.exe in Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). Match the executable path before quitting a process.
Data and settings
| Location | Action |
|---|---|
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Spotify |
Inspect and back up settings or data; retain content shared with other apps |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Spotify\GrShaderCache |
Measured separate cache; removable after saving data |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Spotify\ShaderCache |
Measured separate cache; removable after saving data |
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Spotify |
Inspect and back up settings or data; retain content shared with other apps |
Remove with the vendor uninstaller
Find the app in Settings › Apps › Installed apps and uninstall it. Keep the vendor’s data-retention option when saving data; use the uninstaller rather than deleting the program folder.
For the measured winget installation, you can also run this command.
winget uninstall --id Spotify.Spotify --exact
Check the result
Get-Process -Name 'Spotify' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Spotify.Spotify --exact
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Spotify"
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Spotify\GrShaderCache"
No process output means no matching process was observed. A completed installation query with no match means the measured registration is absent; a query error does not prove removal. Test-Path returns True if the folder remains and False if absent. True is expected when retaining data.
What Mole lists
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Spotify listed but unchecked; %LOCALAPPDATA%\Spotify\GrShaderCache selected by default; %LOCALAPPDATA%\Spotify\ShaderCache selected by default; HKCU\SOFTWARE\Spotify listed but unchecked; HKCU\SOFTWARE\Classes\spotify selected by default; HKCU\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{5F86DC52-D653-4CFF-BAC7-C3A406AF8946} selected by default; HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\Spotify selected by default. The program folder and measured shortcuts are handled with the app. Registrations are backed up before removal; files go to the Recycle Bin. Items already removed by the vendor read Missing. The measured install used ordinary user scope. Spotify under Roaming is the program folder; Local data is reviewed separately, rather than treating both as cache.
What this test covered
Recorded in Windows 11 ARM64 source tests on 2026-10-03, uninstall type Unknown. The released download, account sign-in, subscriptions, synced content and other installation channels were not verified.