IObit Uninstaller is one of the best free software uninstallers for Windows, with batch uninstall functionality, installation monitor, support for most Windows versions, and quick installation itself.
Every part of the application is searched and completely removed, leaving no useless junk files behind. You can use IObit Uninstaller to uninstall software in a few different ways, depending on your situation, such as using the force uninstall or easy uninstall features.
This review is for IObit Uninstaller version 13.5, which was released on May 7, 2024. Please let us know if an updated version is available for review.
There's a lot to like about it:
what we likeInstallation is really quick.
Create a system restore point before removing software.
Support batch uninstall.
Remove updates installed with Windows Update.
Explain which installed applications can be updated to newer versions.
Several ways to delete a program.
Also includes folder and file shredder.
There is no option to remove a program entry from the list of installed software.
Ads always appear at the bottom.
Other programs are required to be installed during the installation process.
Does not allow you to remove all parts of the bundle (only tells you the relevant information).
Pop-up ads occasionally appear even when the program is closed.
IObit Uninstaller has everything a good uninstall tool should have:
- Available for Windows 11, 10 and earlier versions of Windows operating systems
- Integrates itself into the File Explorer right-click context menu, meaning you can remove programs from your desktop or any other folder without opening IObit Uninstaller first
- It automatically monitors other software installations so that when you decide to remove one of the monitored programs, it knows exactly which files/folders to delete to completely uninstall it without leaving any traces
- You can sort the list of installed programs by name, size, installation date, or version number
- After uninstalling a program, IObit Uninstaller searches for and deletes any files that may have been left in the registry and file system after the uninstallation, and tells you how much free space was recovered. This doesn't apply to all programs you remove, as it's reserved for pro users, but it does seem to apply to some uninstalls
- Force uninstall (more on that below) is a feature that removes programs that cannot be uninstalled through normal means
- Residual File Cleaner can remove Windows patch cache files, invalid shortcuts, and unused files in the Downloads folder to restore more storage space on your hard drive
- You can see a list of programs that you use infrequently and those that take up a lot of disk space
- IObit Uninstaller lists default installed Windows applications as well as 3rd party applications, you can remove any of them
- Files that cannot be deleted while Windows is running are scheduled to be deleted when you restart your computer
- You can find more information about any installed program by right-clicking on it and selecting Find the program in Windows Explorer, open it in Registry Editor, or search online
- Keeps a history of everything you delete so you can see exactly which files and registry keys were deleted
- Startup programs can be disabled or completely removed, and the startup process can be immediately killed or removed from startup
- The Software Updaters section is a list of installed programs that can be updated to newer versions. You can then go directly to the download page to get the latest version.
- The program's official uninstall tool will be detected (if one exists) and downloaded for you to ensure the program files are removed correctly
- Also removes system restore points, toolbars, browser extensions, browser plug-ins, browser help objects, and 3rd party programs that have been injected into the browser
IObit Uninstaller provides multiple ways to remove programs. The method you choose should depend on your specific situation.
Open the Programs screen on the left side of the software to view all uninstall options. You can view a list of installed programs, a list of bundled software (if multiple applications are installed at the same time), a list of logged software, a list of recently installed programs, a list of programs taking up the most space on your hard drive, and a list of software you almost never use.
If these criteria are the best way for you to uninstall the program, then you will need to open IObit Uninstaller this way and use one of these areas of the program to remove the offending application.
A quick way to uninstall software using this tool is to right-click on the program's shortcut and click Power Uninstall . This will automatically open IObit Uninstaller and prompt you to remove the program.
This method is faster than opening the IObit program first and may be required if the program is not listed in the IObit uninstaller.
Another way to access Powerful Uninstall is if you open Programs and Features from Control Panel (which is the normal uninstall method in Windows). Click on any program you want to remove and click the button to remove it using the powerful uninstall feature.
The Easy Uninstall feature is a little green dot that you can drag and drop onto a program to tell IObit Uninstaller to uninstall it. This is useful if the program you want to remove is open and running, but you're not sure how it got there or how to remove it.
To use this feature, open the IObit Uninstaller tools menu at the top of the program and find Easy Uninstall . Drag the green dot onto the program window or desktop shortcut and select Uninstall to start the uninstallation process, Open file location to learn more about where the program is stored on your computer, or End process to Close the process immediately.
If your computer shuts down or crashes while trying to install or uninstall a program, the program may not show up as an installed application in IObit Uninstaller, even though the program is still present. This is where the forced uninstall function comes in handy.
Simply drag a program's shortcut or any file related to that program into the Force Uninstall window (reached via the Tools menu in the upper right corner) and IObit Uninstaller will scan your computer for anything related to that file or shortcut. When it finds the program in question, it will uninstall all of its files, effectively erasing half of the software installed on your computer.
If the above methods of removing programs are not enough and you know there are some files left behind, this is your best option. Open one of the residual files in this section of IObit Uninstaller to forcefully delete the entire program.
Even with all the above options, some software can be difficult to remove, which is why IObit Uninstaller includes another method: Stubborn Program Remover. It's available from the same Tools menu as some of the options above.
This is achieved by providing you with support from hundreds of programs with stubborn removal tools. Select the program to remove from the list.
Out of all the several free program uninstallers, this one definitely strikes a good balance between a good set of features and an easy-to-use interface.
I explained above the various ways to use IObit Uninstaller to show that it can remove anything and everything no matter the situation. If a malware program is running but you're not sure where it was installed or what its name is, just use that green dot to remove it. Or, if you have a weird shortcut on your desktop that belongs to a program you're not familiar with, just right-click it and use IObit Uninstaller to delete the entire program. You can see how many situations this program can come in handy.
I also like that you can easily view the large installed programs. It shows how much space the program is using on your hard drive so you know which program to uninstall first when you run out of disk space.
Batch uninstaller will be very helpful. If you have used a similar software uninstaller, it might launch all the uninstall wizards for each program included in the batch process at the same time , which can be difficult to keep track of. IObit Uninstaller is different in that it doesn't open the next uninstall wizard until the current one is closed, which is nice.
Additionally, during batch uninstallation residual registry and file system scans are started only after all programs have been removed, which saves a lot of time so leftover items are not looked for after each uninstallation.
IObit's program will alert you if you accidentally install bundled software. Additionally, even if you uninstall a program without using IObit Uninstaller, the tool will prompt you to delete any residual files left by other uninstallers - that's cool!
The file shredding tool can be used not only with the force uninstall feature, but also independently of the force uninstall feature. This means you can turn on File Shredder to permanently delete any file or folder, not just the junk left behind after uninstalling. This makes data recovery programs less likely to recover deleted files.
I highly recommend you give this software a try before trying any other uninstall tool.
You can get the portable version of IObit Uninstaller at PortableApps.com, but it does not reflect the latest version, so keep that in mind.
