How to uninstall WeChat on Windows

WeChat keeps your chat history only on the devices you are signed into. Tencent's own explanation says a chat exists on your local device unless you delete it, and there is no server copy to fall back on, so a conversation with no other backup is gone once its local copy is removed. Removing the app and deleting your chat history are separate steps; the uninstaller does not touch your chat history. This guide covers WeChat installed machine-wide from the Tencent.WeChat.Universal winget package.

Check where your chats are saved

Open a few recent and older chats on a device you are keeping, and open any received files or images to confirm they contain real data, not just filenames. If a conversation exists only on this PC, keep its local data until you have a working backup or another signed-in device.

Tencent's explanation of where chat history is stored

Quit WeChat first

WeChat has no login item in this test, but it does run a couple of processes while open. Check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for Weixin.exe before you uninstall.

Remove the app with its own uninstaller

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

winget uninstall --id Tencent.WeChat.Universal

Where the data lives

Location	What it holds	What to do
`%USERPROFILE%\Documents\xwechat_files`	Your chat history, received files and media	The uninstaller leaves it; Mole lists it but never selects it. Back it up yourself before you remove anything if you might need it later
`%APPDATA%\Tencent\xwechat`	Sign-in state and the data of WeChat's built-in mini-program browser, including its disk cache	Holds your login. Keep it until you have confirmed your chats are backed up elsewhere
`HKCU\Software\WeChatAppEx`	A registry key WeChat's mini-program component writes	Safe to remove

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:

Get-Process Weixin -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Tencent.WeChat.Universal
Test-Path "$env:USERPROFILE\Documents\xwechat_files"
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\Tencent\xwechat"

No output from Get-Process only means this query observed no matching process; a suppressed error leaves the running state unknown. A listed process means it is still running; quit it before touching its data.
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 True means your chat history is still on this PC. The uninstaller leaves it and Mole removes it only when you tick it yourself, so this is expected unless you did.
The second Test-Path returning True means your sign-in state is still here, which is expected unless you removed it on purpose.

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 your chat history or sign-in data on its own.

Account and sync

Uninstalling does not sign you out of WeChat on your phone or any other device, and it does not delete anything from Tencent's servers. There is no cloud copy of your chat history to restore from; whatever is on this PC's xwechat_files folder is the only copy this PC ever had.

What Mole lists

For WeChat installed machine-wide from winget:

The program folder, Start Menu and public desktop shortcuts are selected by default.
%APPDATA%\Tencent\xwechat, which holds your sign-in state, is listed but not selected.
HKCU\Software\WeChatAppEx is listed but not selected.
Your chat history in Documents\xwechat_files is listed as personal data: never selected, never ticked by a bulk action, removed only if you tick that row yourself. Clean's list of uninstalled apps' leftovers never offers it.
Folders other Tencent apps share are not listed.

What this test covered

Tested with WeChat 4.1.15.13 installed through winget, machine scope. Signing in, chat sync between devices, and moving chat history to a new install were not tested.