How to uninstall YY on Windows
This guide covers YY9 9.56.0.0 installed with winget. Back up wanted chat data and settings before deciding whether to remove its two data folders.
Use the app's uninstaller
Quit YY, then uninstall YY9 from Settings › Apps › Installed apps. The vendor shows confirmation and completion windows; save wanted chat data before proceeding.
Data and remaining locations
Enter each complete path in File Explorer. Copy wanted data and settings first; unused caches can be removed. Keep drivers, shared parent folders and shared registrations.
| Location | Result |
|---|---|
%ProgramFiles(x86)%\duowan\yy |
Vendor removed, independently absent |
%APPDATA%\duowan\yy |
explicitly reviewed and recycled after the detection repair |
%APPDATA%\yylive\yy |
explicitly reviewed and recycled |
| Empty vendor parents | Retained |
%APPDATA%\PLogs\20261005 |
Shared SDK log, retained |
HKCU\Software\Classes\yy |
Still points to removed yyrun.exe; detection scope remains unresolved |
Check the result
Get-Process YY,yyldrsvr -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Test-Path "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\duowan\yy"
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\duowan\yy"
Test-Path "$env:APPDATA\yylive\yy"
Test-Path 'HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\YY9'
Get-CimInstance Win32_Service | Where-Object { $_.Name -match 'yyldr' -or $_.PathName -like '*duowan\yy*' }
Get-ItemProperty 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\yy\shell\open\command' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id YY.YY --exact
Test-Path returns True if that exact path exists and False if it is absent; True is expected for data you kept. Resolve query errors before drawing a conclusion. If a process, service or app query lists this product, check its path and installation source. Empty output with suppressed errors alone does not prove removal.
What Mole lists
Both YY data folders are listed but not selected by default; cache children are selected by default. Shared parent folders and SDK logs remain, and the yy link registration was not removed.
What this test covered
Tested on October 5, 2026, in a Windows 11 ARM64 VM with a Mole development build, covering first launch and uninstall. Sign-in or real-chat recovery, other installation channels and the released download were not verified. Automatic detection after an external uninstall was not verified.
Both data folders were individually selected and recycled after the rules were added. The revised review was not verified after another installation. The yy link registration still pointed to the removed program; this gap remains.