How to uninstall Zoom on Windows
Zoom keeps local recordings and downloaded files in your Documents folder, separate from the app itself, so uninstalling does not touch them. Copy anything you need out of that folder first if you plan to clear it yourself later. This guide covers Zoom installed machine-wide from the Zoom.Zoom winget package.
Quit Zoom first
Leave any active meeting, then quit Zoom from its tray icon or window. Check Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) for any Zoom.exe still listed before you uninstall.
Remove the app with its own uninstaller
Go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find Zoom Workplace, and choose Uninstall, or run:
winget uninstall --id Zoom.Zoom
This package installs machine-wide, so both routes ask for administrator access through a UAC prompt; that is expected for a machine-wide install, not a sign of anything wrong.
Where the data lives
| Location | What it holds | What to do |
|---|---|---|
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Zoom |
Local recordings and files you saved | Keep it; copy anything you need elsewhere first if you plan to clear it |
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Zoom |
Sign-in and meeting settings | Keep it if you plan to reinstall and want your settings back; remove it for a clean start |
Check the result
Run these read-only commands after the uninstall finishes:
Get-Process Zoom -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
winget list --id Zoom.Zoom
Get-ItemProperty HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Zoom -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Get-ChildItem "$env:ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Zoom" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
- No output from
Get-Processonly means this query observed no matching process; a suppressed error leaves the running state unknown. - 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 entry remains. With no output, check for permission or other query errors before deciding that it is absent.- An empty
Get-ChildItemresult does not prove the Start Menu folder is gone; it may be empty or unreadable. Check the folder itself before deciding.
If you installed it with winget
winget uninstall runs the same installer's silent removal Settings › Apps uses and removes the same program files; it does not touch %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Zoom or HKCU\SOFTWARE\Zoom on its own.
Account and subscription
Uninstalling does not cancel a paid Zoom plan or sign you out of your Zoom account. Manage those from your account on the Zoom website.
What Mole lists
For Zoom installed machine-wide from winget:
- The Start Menu folder and the public desktop shortcut are selected by default; in this test the installer's own removal had already deleted both by the time Mole's review ran.
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Zoom, which holds your sign-in and meeting settings, is listed but not selected. Mole backs it up to a.regfile before removing it if you select and remove it.%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Zoomis never listed, since it may hold your own recordings.
What this test covered
Tested with Zoom 7.2.48556 installed through winget, machine scope. No meeting was recorded and no account was signed in.