Removing apps from your PC is generally a straightforward task, but some programs can prove more difficult to locate and delete. Usually, when you want to free some space or get rid of the useless apps, you would go to Control Panel to have the problem solved—for most cases it works.

However, what do you do if programs won’t uninstall from Control Panel? Or if you just cannot find the target on the list? This article might help you in uninstalling stubborn programs.

Method 1 Find Hidden files and folders

If the program won’t uninstall from Control Panel, then you have no other choice but to remove it manually. The uninstallation file of the apps might be hidden by the developers whose design aims to stay on the system as long as possible. So the first thing you should do is to make sure that you can access hidden files and folders.

Windows XP

->In the Start menu click My Computer.

->Choose Tools and then go to Folder Options.

->Click the View tab, go to the Advanced Settings and check Show hidden files and folders.

Windows Vista/7

->Open Control Panel.

->Choose Appearance and Personalization> Folder Options.

->Click the View tab, go to the Advanced Settings and check Show hidden files and folders.

Windows 8/8.1/10

->Go to the Control Panel, in the search bar input folder.

->Click the Show hidden files and folders line.

->Click the View tab, go to the Advanced Settings and check Show hidden files and folders.

Now you need to find the components of the program and remove them. You may search them on local drives and in Windows Registry Editor (to launch press Win+R on the keyboard, then type regedit and hit Enter).

Method 2 Use Safe Mode

Sometimes program won’t uninstall when its process is running in the background. Safe Mode is one of the best choices to stop the side processes. To reboot into the Safe Mode:

Windows XP/Vista/7

->Restart the computer

->While the system is loading, keep pressing the F8 button

->Using the arrow keys choose Safe Mode and hit Enter

Windows 8/8.1/10

->Go to Windows login screen and click the Power button.

->Hold the Shift button and click Restart at the same time.

->In next page, Choose Troubleshoot, go to the Advanced Options and then to Startup Settings and choose Enable Safe Mode.

After the system loads on Safe Mode, you can try to uninstall the program again or to remove its files and folders.

Method 3 Restore system condition

If the application has been installed recently, then you can restore your system condition to the date before the installation.

Restoring your computer to a previous point in time when it was working normally can help this situation. Also, it is an effective solution for many stubborn programs. To perform this step, do the following:

1. Open Neptune SystemCare Ultimate, on the top of the interface, you can see a list of buttons.

2. The second button is for creating a restore point. Click on it and Create a system restore point. You can save the file to an external storage drive.

3. The third one is for recovering from the restored version. You can click on it and choose the version/time you want to recover.

Method 4 Handy Uninstaller Programs

There are nice uninstaller programs developed precisely for removing programs that won’t uninstall. You may download Uninstaller to help you to delete a stubborn program. It can be safer to remove the registry keys related than you do.