How to uninstall Steam on Windows

Save game progress, check Steam Cloud sync, and back up local saves using each game's own instructions before you remove Steam. Games in the default library live inside the Steam folder under steamapps, so before removing that folder, move any library you want to keep, or add a second library on another drive from Steam's settings and move the games there. This guide covers Steam installed machine-wide from the Valve.Steam winget package, which installs to %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Steam.

Quit Steam first

Steam adds a startup entry that opens it at sign-in. Finish or pause downloads, close any game, then choose Steam › Exit from the client or its tray icon. Check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any steam.exe or steamwebhelper.exe still listed before you uninstall. The uninstaller left that startup entry in this test; if Steam still shows in Settings › Apps › Startup afterwards, turn it off there.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

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

winget uninstall --id Valve.Steam

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Steam`	The client, and in a default install the `steamapps` game library and `userdata`	Move or back up `steamapps` and `userdata` before uninstalling if you want to keep them
`HKCU\Software\Valve\Steam`	Client settings for your Windows account	The uninstaller removed it in this test
`HKCU\Software\Classes\steam` and `steamlink`	The `steam://` and `steamlink://` link registrations	Safe to remove once the app is gone
Start Menu `Steam` folder and the public desktop `Steam.lnk`	Shortcuts	Left by the uninstaller in this test; remove them
Windows Defender Firewall rules for Steam	Rules allowing the client through the firewall	Left by the uninstaller; remove them in Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security if you like, which needs an administrator

Game saves outside the Steam folder, in Documents or %APPDATA%, belong to each game and are not touched by uninstalling Steam.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process steam, steamwebhelper -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Valve.Steam
Test-Path "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Steam"
Test-Path HKCU:\Software\Valve\Steam
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Steam*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object DisplayName, Enabled

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 Steam folder is gone; True means files remain there, which may include a library you kept.
Test-Path HKCU:\Software\Valve\Steam returning True means the client settings key is still there; False means it is gone.
Rows from Get-NetFirewallRule are firewall rules still named for Steam. No matching output from a confirmed successful query means none are left.

If you installed it with winget

winget uninstall runs the same uninstaller Settings › Apps uses, with the same result. In this test the uninstaller left the Steam folder, its shortcuts, the link registrations and the firewall rules.

Account and purchases

Uninstalling the client does not close your Steam account or remove your purchases. Your games stay in your library and can be downloaded again after a reinstall.

What Mole lists

For Steam installed machine-wide from winget:

The program folder goes with the app row, together with a row grouping Windows' own records of when you opened the program, selected by default. In a default install that folder holds your games, so move any library you want to keep before you uninstall.
The Start Menu Steam folder and the public desktop shortcut are selected by default.
HKCU\Software\Valve\Steam is listed but not selected.
The steam:// and steamlink:// links and the sign-in entry that still points at the removed program are selected by default and backed up to a .reg file before removal.
The firewall rules are reported after the uninstall but not removed.
The link registrations Steam writes for all users under HKLM are not listed.

What this test covered

Tested on 2026-09-28 with the Steam client 2.10.91.91 installed through winget, machine scope, on an ARM64 virtual machine. Only the small client was installed; no game was downloaded and no account signed in, so removing a real library was not verified. The uninstaller ran silently and left the Steam folder, which the app row then removed. Every listed row was ticked and removed in this test.