Uninstalling Autodesk products through the Windows Control Pane is straightforward; however, clearing out leftover files and folders requires a bit of extra effort. Below are the steps to uninstall an Autodesk product.
Uninstall the Product
First, log in to your computer with an account that has administrator privileges. Then, you are ready to go:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type appwiz.cpl and hit Enter.
- Find your Autodesk product in the list, right-click on it, and select Uninstall. Follow the on-screen instructions until it's fully uninstalled.
Remove Residual Files and Folders
After uninstalling, it’s important to clear out leftover files and folders to ensure your system is tidy. Here’s how:
- Open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Program Files\Autodesk. Find <the Autodesk product> you uninstalled earlier and delete it. Note: If you have multiple AutoCAD versions and verticals installed, open the Autocad <year> folder and be careful to delete only the folder for the version you’re currently uninstalling. For example, the Acade folder is Autocad Electrical and Acadm is Autocad Mechanical.
- Show hidden items to access additional locations. In any folder (Windows 10 or 11), select “View” then “Hidden Items”.
- In Windows Explorer, copy and paste each of the locations below then find <your Autodesk product> you uninstalled earlier and delete the folder.
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Autodesk
C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk
C:\Users\All Users\Autodesk
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk
C:\Program Files\Autodesk
- Delete all files and folders in your temp folders
- Press Windows key + R
- type %temp%
- Ctrl + A to select all files and folders press DELETE on your keyboard
- Some files may not delete because they are in use by the system or an application. You can select SKIP for these files.
- Press Windows key + R
- type temp
- Ctrl + A to select all files and folders press DELETE on your keyboard
- Some files may not delete because they are in use by the system or an application. You can select SKIP for these files.
- Restart your workstation and you are done!
What about the registry?
You might be wondering— “Do I need to delete registry keys?” For most users, it's fine to leave them as-is. Registry editing can get tricky, especially if you have multiple Autodesk products installed. Plus, accidentally deleting the wrong key can cause system issues, so we recommend skipping this step unless you're a seasoned pro. 😉