Remove Visual Studio
If you experience a catastrophic error and can't repair or uninstall Visual Studio, you can run the InstallCleanup.exe tool to remove installation files and product information for all installed instances of Visual Studio 2017, Visual Studio 2019, or Visual Studio 2022.
Warning
Use the InstallCleanup tool only as a last resort if repair or uninstall fail. This tool might uninstall features from other Visual Studio installations or other products, which then might also need to be repaired or reinstalled.
Run InstallCleanup.exe
You can use either of the following command-line switches with the InstallCleanup.exe tool:
| Switch | Behavior |
|---|---|
-i [version] |
This switch is the default if no other switch is passed. It removes only the main installation directory and product information. Use this switch if you intend to reinstall the same version of Visual Studio after you run the InstallCleanup.exe tool. If a [version] value is specified, only products with a version that start with this string value will be removed. |
-f |
This switch removes the main installation directory, product information, and most other features installed outside the installation directory, that might also be shared with other Visual Studio installations or other products. Use this switch if you intend to remove Visual Studio without reinstalling it later. |
Here's how to run the InstallCleanup.exe tool:
Close the Visual Studio Installer.
Open an administrator command prompt. To open an administrator command prompt, follow these steps:
- Type cmd in the "Type here to search" box.
- Right-click Command Prompt, and then choose Run as administrator.
Enter the full path of the
InstallCleanup.exetool and add the command-line switch you prefer. By default, the path of the tool is as follows. The double quotes enclose a command containing spaces:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer\InstallCleanup.exe"Note
If you can't find
InstallCleanup.exeunder the Visual Studio Installer directory, which is always located at%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio, here's what to do next. Follow the instructions to install Visual Studio. Then, when the workload selection screen is displayed, close the window and follow the steps on this page again.
Get support
Sometimes, things can go wrong. If your Visual Studio installation fails, see Troubleshoot Visual Studio installation and upgrade issues for step-by-step guidance.
We also offer an installation chat (English only) support option for installation-related issues.
Here are a few more support options:
- Report product issues to us via the Report a Problem tool that appears both in the Visual Studio Installer and in the Visual Studio IDE.
- Suggest a feature, track product issues, and find answers in the Visual Studio Developer Community.
- Use your GitHub account to talk to us and other Visual Studio developers in the Visual Studio conversation in the Gitter community.