Uninstall portable programs in Windows 10 and remove all traces

Over time, in Windows 10 we install and uninstall many applications, something that sometimes leaves certain remains in the operating system itself. That is why many prefer to use online programs , or portable applications.

In fact here we are going to talk about this second type, portable applications , programs that by definition do not need installation in the system. These are proposals that, as we have mentioned several times, can be run as separate files. Keep in mind that despite their portable nature, that does not mean that we can execute them without administrator rights.

With everything and with it, in many occasions it is probably not necessary to install these portable applications, but still they create some files in the system when they are executed. This is somewhat similar to what happens with temporary files that are created in Windows 10.

Moreover, in some cases they can create more than one folder , so this can lead to the creation of residual files that remain on the disk after the program has been deleted. That is why we will show you how we can get rid of them.

Uninstall a portable application completely

To begin we will tell you that the key to uninstalling a portable application is simple, we just have to exit it and delete the executable file. And even if the residual files remain, they cannot be executed in the absence of the EXE. So what we have to do now is to delete the junk files from the system. Say that when we run a portable application, it is located in a folder, like any other system file.

Memoria USB

This can be on the desktop , in the Downloads, or in any other location, such as the one where we originally copied the application. Therefore this is the first place to look for these residual files to which we refer.

Thus, if we see any file or folder related to the portable software in question, we delete everything. At the same time, we should know that there are portable applications ready to start next to the system startup, but when they are deleted, their startup folder entries remain.

But of course, being portable, the corresponding entry to the home folder will be made only for the user who has used it. Therefore, to check and remove this junk entry, we open the Windows dialog box with the Win + R key combination. In this we enter the shell: startup command. Thus, in the folder that appears, we look for the shortcuts to the portable application previously deleted.

Other methods to completely eliminate portable applications

Another possible solution that we can use if necessary, is the one described below. Say that more complex portable applications, such as browsers, create content within the AppData folder. Again, when we run that software for the first time, we may be asked where you can create a folder to run and store essential files.

AppData Windows 10

Otherwise and if we suspect that there are still application files , we open the dialog with Win + R again and type% appdata%. Therefore this is where we must verify that those portable applications that we are no longer going to use, have not left unusable remains. If we see folders that correspond to these, we have only to delete them.