Question
Issue: How to Uninstall VLC Media Player on Windows?
Solved Answer
As stated by its developer, VLC Media Player is one of the best media players on the market. It is praised for supporting a wide range of formats, including MKV, WMV, MPEG, MP4, MOV, AVI, DIVX, XVID, FLV, FLAC, WAV, REAL, VOB, and many others. Users note that it is very simple to use it. You will be able to enjoy the best VLC Media Player performance when using version 2, for it has been improved in terms of interface and file supporting. On top of that, this player also works as a video channel streaming software, what means that it provides access to channels like National Geographic, Reuters, and many more. All in all, this media player is certainly one of the best players that you may find. However, it has some cons due to which some of the users decide to remove VLC Media Player. For example, some users complain that it features too basic user interface.
Despite all the pros that we’ve just listed, there are some issues that can make you decide to delete VLC Media Player from your PC. Recent research showed that this program causes errors, which is why you may start seeing pop-up messages like “VLC is closed with no reason” or “VLC can’t play MKV, MOV, MP4, DVD”. According to specialists, VLC Media Player error may appear due to inappropriate synchronization of video and audio files in the player itself. Lastly, it is sometimes worth not keeping this player as it takes up lots of space and use lots of resources, which is why other programs may start responding slowly or the entire system may significantly slow down.
In a nutshell, if regardless of all positive features that this tool has you still seek to remove VLC Media Player, you should do that right now. For this purpose you can either use Perfect Uninstaller software that will help you to remove it automatically or take your time and uninstall VLC Media Player manually by your own hands. We have prepared a detailed guide how to do that:
How to remove VLC Media Player?
We can guess that you are one of the users who always thought that removing a program means clicking on its icon and selecting Delete. Yes, that’s partially true, but by performing this simple step you don’t remove an unwanted app completely. Thus, if you want to get rid of VLC Media Player permanently, you should go through these steps one-by-one:
Instructions for Windows 7 users:
Turn your computer on, or, if it is already on, restart it. Before the screen with Windows 7 logo appears, press F8 key repeatedly. Then you will see Advanced Boot Options menu. Choose one of the following:
- Safe Mode
- Safe Mode with Networking
- Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
Once the computer is ready to use, open Start menu by clicking the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Then go to Control Panel -> Uninstall a Program.
In the list of programs, find VLC Media Player, click on it and select Uninstall button. If a message asking whether you want to restart your computer appears, click on Later/No.
Furthermore, delete all additional files that belong to this tool:
- Open Start menu again, type ‘regedit’ and press Enter key.
- This will open Windows Registry Editor. Now you have to locate HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/ folder and find a folder that belongs to VLC Media Player. Delete them by right-clicking on it and selecting Delete.
- Reboot your computer.
Instructions for Windows 8/8.1 users:
- Move the cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen to open charms bar. Click Search and then type msconfig. Press Enter keys, then click on Boot tab, select Safe boot option (in the Boot options section) and then click OK.
- Again, move your cursor to the bottom left corner of the screen to open charms bar. Click Search, type in: control panel and hit Enter key. Then select Uninstall a Program in the Programs column.
- In the list of all programs that are installed on your computer, find VLC Media Player, select it and click Uninstall.
- Refuse to reboot your computer immediately by selecting Later/No option.
- As we have explained above, open charms bar again. Select Search, type regedit and press Enter Key.
- Locate where HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software folder is, and delete VLC Media Player folder. To do that, right-click on it and select Delete.
- Reboot your computer.
The same instructions apply to other Windows versions. Nevertheless, you may find the buttons named in a slightly different way, but this should not pose difficulties for you in VLC Media Player removal. If, however, after doing the steps indicated above this player still appears as a default media player, we would recommend removing it automatically with the help of Perfect Uninstaller.
Get rid of programs with only one click
You can uninstall this program with the help of the step-by-step guide presented to you by ugetfix.com experts. To save your time, we have also selected tools that will help you carry out this task automatically. If you are in a hurry or if you feel that you are not experienced enough to uninstall the program by your own, feel free to use these solutions:
Protect your online privacy with a VPN client
A VPN is crucial when it comes to user privacy. Online trackers such as cookies can not only be used by social media platforms and other websites but also your Internet Service Provider and the government. Even if you apply the most secure settings via your web browser, you can still be tracked via apps that are connected to the internet. Besides, privacy-focused browsers like Tor is are not an optimal choice due to diminished connection speeds. The best solution for your ultimate privacy is Private Internet Access – be anonymous and secure online.
Data recovery tools can prevent permanent file loss
Data recovery software is one of the options that could help you recover your files. Once you delete a file, it does not vanish into thin air – it remains on your system as long as no new data is written on top of it. Data Recovery Pro is recovery software that searchers for working copies of deleted files within your hard drive. By using the tool, you can prevent loss of valuable documents, school work, personal pictures, and other crucial files.
Jake Doe is the news editor at UGetFix. Since he met Ugnius Kiguolis in 2003, they both launched several projects that spread awareness about cybercrimes, malware, and other computer-related problems.
