If you’ve installed multiple versions of Python on your PC or run into issues with broken environments, uninstalling Python completely might be the easiest way to start fresh. Python is a great programming language, but having several installations, especially from the Microsoft Store and official installer can sometimes cause version conflicts or path errors.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to completely uninstall Python from Windows 11, including removing leftover files, environment variables, and registry entries. Whether you installed Python manually or through the Microsoft Store, we’ll cover both methods step-by-step.
Why You Might Need to Uninstall Python
Here are a few common reasons you might want to remove Python from your system:
- Multiple installations — You have different Python versions installed (like 3.8, 3.9, 3.11), causing path conflicts.
- Corrupted environment — Pip or virtual environments stop working properly.
- Reinstalling for a clean setup — You want to start fresh to fix errors or switch to WSL for development.
- Low storage space — Python packages and virtual environments can take up a few GBs over time.
- Leftover junk — Unused scripts or old dependencies slowing down your PC.
Whatever the reason, here’s how to completely remove Python from Windows 11.
How to Check Which Python Versions Are Installed
Before uninstalling, let’s first find out how many Python versions are currently installed.
1. Open Command Prompt and type:
python --version2. If it returns something like Python 3.14.3, you have it installed.
3. To check for multiple versions, type where python. This will show all the installation paths. However, if you have only one version of Python installed, it will display just one path.
Take note of these directories, you’ll remove them later to complete remove python from the system.
How to Remove Uninstall Python on Windows 11
You can either uninstall it from Settings or use the traditional method via the Control Panel. Let’s go through both methods:
1. Using Settings
The simplest way to uninstall Python is through Windows Settings.
1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Apps and select Installed apps.
3. Search for Python, click the three dots (⋯) next to it and select Uninstall.
Note: If you have multiple Python versions listed (like Python 3.10 or Python 3.11), uninstall each one separately.
This removes the main files, but some residual folders may still be left behind—so let’s clean those up next.
2. Using Control Panel
If you prefer the traditional method, you can uninstall Python using the Control Panel.
1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Then type control and press Enter to open the Control Panel.
3. Click on Programs, then select Programs and Features.
4. In the list of installed programs, find Python installation.
5. Right-click on the Python version you want to remove and select Uninstall, or simply double-click it.
Note: Just like with Settings, if multiple versions of Python are installed, make sure to uninstall each one individually.
This method removes Python from your system, but you may still need to delete leftover files or environment variables for a complete cleanup.
How to Remove Python from the Microsoft Store
If you installed Python from the Microsoft Store, uninstalling it is even easier:
1. Open the Start menu.
2. Search for Python, right-click the Python app, and select Uninstall.
3. Alternatively, go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Python (Microsoft Store) and click Uninstall.
Note: Store-based installations sometimes leave a small launcher file in:
C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsAppsYou can safely delete the python.exe or python3.exe shortcut files if they remain.
How to Delete Leftover Python Folders
Even after uninstalling, some Python-related files might remain on your system. To fully clean them up:
1. Open File Explorer and go to:
C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Programs\2. Look for a folder named Python or Python3x (like Python311) and delete it.
3. To delete Python cache and temporary files, press Windows + R, type %temp%, and hit Enter. Then, delete any temporary Python-related files if you find any.
How to Remove Python Environment Variables
Removing environment variables ensures that Windows doesn’t reference uninstalled Python paths anymore.
1. Press Windows + S, search for Environment Variables, and open Edit the system environment variables.
2. In the System Properties window, click Environment Variables.
3. Under User variables, look for entries such as PYTHON_HOME, PYTHONPATH, and any Path entries that include references like Python311 or Scripts.
4. Select it and click on edit.
5. Select and Delete those entries.
6. Click OK to save and close.
Now your system won’t mistakenly point to removed Python paths.
How to Verify Python Is Fully Removed
After uninstalling and cleaning up, you should confirm that Python is completely removed from your system.
To do this, open Command Prompt and type python or py. If you see the message “’python’ is not recognized as an internal or external command”, that means Python has been fully removed.
However, if it still launches, you should recheck your Path environment variable and make sure there are no leftover folders remaining on your system.
Wrapping Up
Uninstalling Python on Windows 11 is simple, but doing it completely ensures that no old files or paths interfere with future installations. By following these steps, uninstalling via Settings, deleting leftover files, and cleaning up environment variables, you can ensure a clean system ready for a fresh Python setup.
If you plan to reinstall Python, always use the official installer from Python.org instead of the Microsoft Store for full control and compatibility with tools like pip, IDLE, and virtual environments.
Now that your system is clean, you can start fresh with a new version of Python, follow that follow our guide on installing Python on Windows 11.
