Cannot Uninstall WinRAR Completely? Get A Help Here! – WinRAR Removal Guide

WinRAR is an 32/64 bit Windows version of archive manager developed by RARLab to decompress RAR, ZIP and other files and to create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format. With an intuitive and streamlined interface, this program offers a full set of features such as create self-extracting archives, repair physically damaged files, and protects compressed files with a password using a 256-bit AES encryption algorithm. To be short, WinRAR is an efficient compression/decompression utility with advanced features, and it gains most users’ recognition.

But this program is not offered for free, so after 40 days of trial, you need to purchase a license to continue using it. And it seems to display ad banners or other types of advertising material during its runtime. Besides, the non-official installer may be bundled with other third-party software that slow down your PC. Wanna uninstall WinRAR now? Users may come across many problems when uninstalling WinRAR, for instance, WinRAR does not show up in Add/Remove Program applet, some of its components cannot be deleted totally, or it still runs in the background after a normal uninstall. In this guide we will present solutions to help you uninstall WinRAR.

Three Simple Steps to Uninstall WinRAR Automatically

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to fully uninstall WinRAR, we highly suggest you to utilize an advanced removal tool to save trouble. Max Uninstaller is a reliable and powerful alternative to the default Windows uninstaller. It comes with a intuitive and user-friendly interface and even novice user can use it to get rid of any unneeded, corrupted, or stubborn programs with a wet finger. Now let’s see how it works to remove all components of WinRAR in three steps.

Step 1. Select Target Program.

– Launch Max Uninstaller after ending all related background processes.
– Select WinRAR on the interface and click on Run Analysis to proceed.

Step 2. Scan for Program Components.

– Click on Complete Uninstall after all the components are scanned out.
– Click Yes in the pop-up dialog and follow the prompts to complete the uninstall.
– Click on Scan Leftovers to conduct a full scan for the program leftover.

Step 3. Perform Complete Uninstall.

– Click on Delete Leftovers and then Yes in the pop-up confirmation dialog.
– After all the leftovers have been removed, click OK to end the process.

So simple and fast, right? All you need to do is to click, click and click, and then all traces of WinRAR will be removed totally from your system. As an alternative to default Windows uninstaller, Max Uninstaller can even remove the program that Add/Remove Programs fails to uninstall. If the program you wanna uninstall does not appear on MU interface, you can click on “Not listed above” button, specify the install directory of target program and click on Scan to perform the force uninstall. For more PUP removal guides:

How to Uninstall CyberGhost 5 without Hassle

Feasible Solutions to Uninstall MegaBackup Thoroughly

Removal Guide – How to Uninstall VIPRE Internet Security

How Can I Remove WinRAR (64/32-Bit) Manually?

To uninstall WinRAR without using third-party software, you can go through the usual Windows method: activate default uninstaller via Add/Remove Programs applet and then delete WinRAR remaining files manually. Now follow the detailed instruction below to ensure a successful and complete uninstall of WinRAR.

1. Terminate related Processes in Task Manager

Before uninstalling any unwanted software, you must turn off target program as well as terminate all associated background processes to avoid incomplete uninstall.

• Right click the taskbar and click Task Manager in the list.

• Select the processes associated with WinRAR in the Processes tab.
• Click on End Task to terminated them one by one.

If you cannot shut down WinRAR forcibly, try to reboot computer into Safe Mode which will prevent any third-party software from being activated. How to do:

• Access the Run dialogue by pressing the Windows + R keys together.
• Type “msconfig” in the Open: field and click on OK.

• Click the Boot tab in the System Configuration and check the “Safe boot” box.
• Click OK and then Restart in the pop-up dialog box to take effect.

2. Uninstall WinRAR from Control Panel/Built-in Uninstaller

• Right click on Start menu and select Programs and Features in the list.

• Scroll down to locate WinRAR in the list of installed program.
• Highlight WinRAR with one single click and then click on Uninstall button.

For the program which has a specialized uninstaller, you can also:

• Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the installation folder of WinRAR.
• Double click the file named uninstall.exe to launch built-in uninstaller.

• Click on “Yes” in this pop-up window to start the uninstallation.
• Reboot your computer after the uninstall process is finished.

You can choose either of them to uninstall WinRAR. If there is no response when you click Uninstall button, or the built-in uninstaller is corrupted, you may need to re-install WinRAR and then perform the aforementioned way to uninstall it again.

More Manual Steps Needed to Remove WinRAR:

Once a program is installed on the system, the associated files and folders will be created in both the hard disk and registry. Users may often neglect the fact that uninstalling a program through Add/Remove Programs applet does not mean you can achieve a 100% uninstall. The main executable files may be removed successfully but those cache files, preference settings and especially registry entries may still be left behind. To fully remove those junk files, you need to do more than that.

3. Delete Invalid Keys/Values in Registry

• (Right) click on the Start icon and then select the Run option.
• Type “regedit” in the box and press Enter key to activate Registry Editor.

• Click Find on the Edit menu in the Registry Editor.
• Type the keyword(s) of target program or its vendor’s name in the search box.

• Enter Find Next (and then hit F3) to locate and delete related keys or values.

Warning: You must be very careful in making any change on the registry keys or values, cause any unintentional mistake might potentially pose dangers to the Windows system. Manually deleting registry entries is not only tedious but also risk-taking. To avoid any unnecessary mis-operation there, you are strongly suggested to apply Max Uninstall for a complete and safe removal of Inkscape components.

4. Delete Associated Files/Folders in Disk

• Click on Start > Control Panel > Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
• Tick Show hidden files and folders and uncheck Hide protected operating system files (recommended) in the Advanced settings.
• Click Apply and then OK in pop-up dialog boxes to save the changes.

• Open File Explore and input the keyword of target program in the Search Bar.
• Go through and delete the matched items in the search results.

This article shows different methods to uninstall WinRAR (64/32-bit). Comparing with Windows conventional way, uninstalling WinRAR by using Max Uninstaller turns out to be more convenient and time-saving, especially for PC beginners. Try on MU now and you will be satisfied with its convenience and effectiveness.

External Knowledge:
WinRAR (from Wikipedia)
How to Open Windows Explorer? (from Wikihow)