Clean Uninstall of Autodesk Products

I would like to show you how to perform a clean uninstall of Autodesk products in Windows.  You can use the Control Panel – Programs and Features option to uninstall your product, but there are still many residual files the uninstaller doesn’t clean up.  I will go through step by step on how to clean up files, folders and registry keys.

Here are the basic steps.  See below for more details on each step.

• Uninstall the product
• Delete residual files and folders (optional)
• Delete registry keys (optional)
• Restart the computer

(Steps 2 and 3 are optional but if you really do want a “CLEAN” uninstall, these steps are recommended)

Before you begin, make sure you are logged on as a user with ADMINISTRATOR privileges. 

1 - Uninstall the Product

There are a few ways to uninstall your Autodesk product.  You can use the Control Panel-Programs and Features, 3^rd party uninstallers, or Autodesk’s uninstall tool.  My preferred method and recommendation is Autodesk’s uninstaller.

Go to START menu – PROGRAMS – AUTODESK – UNINSTALL TOOL

The actual executable file is located here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\Uninstall Tool\R1

I prefer the Autodesk installer because I can uninstall multiple products at once.  (If you are using the Control Panel option, you can only select one component at a time.) Select the root node, or the individual components below it…then select UNINSTALL.  The uninstall could take some time so I would uninstall before lunch or at the end of the day.

2 – Delete Residual Files and Folders (optional)

Most users don’t bother with this step, or even know about these folders because they are normally HIDDEN.  But for those OCD types like myself, Felix Unger or Monica Geller (Google them!) you will want to do this.

1. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Autodesk. Find the product(s) you uninstalled in step 1 and delete those folder(s).
2. For these next few steps you will have to SHOW HIDDEN ITEMS.
   
3. Copy and paste the following in Windows Explorer C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk - Find the product(s) you uninstalled in step 1 and delete those folder(s).
4. Copy and paste the following in Windows Explorer C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Autodesk - Find the product(s) you uninstalled in step 1 and delete those folder(s).
5. Navigate to C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk - Find the product(s) you uninstalled in step 1 and delete those folder(s).
6. Navigate to C:\ProgramData\Autodesk - Find the product(s) you uninstalled in step 1 and delete those folder(s).

3 – Delete Registry Keys (optional)

Now if you really want to go the extra mile….This last step can be VERY, VERY dangerous if you are not careful.  Let me say that again.  This last step can be VERY, VERY dangerous if you are not careful.  Yes, the first 2 steps can be dangerous also, but you can always reinstall or repair your installation.  However, if you delete the wrong registry key, you can do permanent damage to your computer.  So I recommend backing up your registry first. 

1. To launch the registry editor: WINDOWS Key + R
2. Backup/Export the current registry – FILE - EXPORTNavigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk - Find the product(s) you uninstalled in step 1 and delete those folder(s) that contain the registry key(s). In my example below I would be deleting the Nastran 2017 folder/registry key.
   
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk - Find the product(s) you uninstalled in step 1 and delete those folder(s) that contain the registry key(s). In my example below I would be deleting the Autocad LT folder/registry key.
   
4. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk - Find the product(s) you uninstalled in step 1 and delete those folder(s) that contain the registry key(s). In my example below I would be deleting the Autocad LT folder/registry key.
   

4 – Restart your computer

Q.E.D.