Fix: Chromium Won’t Uninstall On Windows

Can't uninstall Chromium from your PC? The, check out these easy-to-follow methods on how to fix Chromium that won't uninstall on Windows.

There are some situations when computer programs with a high safety reputation start behaving like malware and give users trouble. One of the examples of this is the Chromium browser problem that users report when they cannot uninstall it from their computers.

In this guide, we’ll be helping you solve that problem and successfully uninstall Chromium through easy-to-follow methods.

Are you already familiar with the problem where you can’t get rid of Chromium? Here’s what you need to know.

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The Problem Explained

Chromium is an open-source browser built to provide users with a much safer, faster, and more stable internet browsing experience. It’s a part of The Chromium Projects along with the Chromium OS.

A significant part of this project’s code is used in Google Chrome, arguably the world’s most popular and widely used browser.

Windows Chromium

Ultimately, Chromium is developed and maintained by Google, which is more than enough proof that it’s not malware or harmful software in any way.

However, things get interesting when we consider what we already mentioned about the Chromium browser, the fact that it’s an open-source project.

So, what does this mean?

Open-source means that the code used for building the software is available on the internet for free, which is always great for transparency and security reasons. At the same time, it’s a double-edged sword, meaning that anyone can “grab” that code, modify it, and then re-upload their version on the internet for other users to download or bundle it in the installer for separate software.

Windows Chromium user

With that said, many users who reported having issues and being unable to remove Chromium from their computers also mentioned they didn’t download the files from the official website.

That means they most likely downloaded an unofficial version of the Chromium browser that could potentially possess a malevolent script created by a third-party user.

Now, they cannot remove Chromium, and the problem requires urgent attention since the longer the harmful files are in their computer, the higher the security risk.

Fortunately, we know how to solve the issue, and we’ll show you how to uninstall Chromium from your system quickly and efficiently.

Fix 1: Uninstall Chromium Windows 10 – Conventional Way

Uninstall

To perform a clean Windows 10 chromium uninstall, we recommend performing the actions in the exact order as shown in the following steps below:

  1. Press Windows + S on your keyboard simultaneously to open the Windows search bar. Then, type in Apps & Features and press Enter on your keyboard.
  2. Once the panel opens, scroll down until you find Chromium on the list of installed programs, then click on it and choose Uninstall.
  3. Confirm the action in the dialog box and wait briefly until the process is complete.

To ensure there are no leftover files, we also recommend doing the following:

  1. Press Windows + S on your keyboard again, then type in “%AppData%” and press Enter on your keyboard. Doing so will open the hidden windows AppData folder where apps store files such as configurations, settings, user profiles, cache, and more.
  2. Within the AppData folder, find the Chromium folder and delete it by right-clicking it with your mouse cursor and then choosing Delete.
  3. Finally, open your Recycle Bin to delete the files from there and ensure your computer no longer has anything associated with the Chromium app in its storage.

Lastly, we recommend restarting your computer after completing the steps listed above.

By now, you should have successfully removed Chromium, although some users reported having trouble with this method. That is why we created another section below using a slightly more “complicated” process involving booting your computer in Safe Mode. Check it in case the chromium browser won’t uninstall using the steps above.

Fix 2: How To Uninstall Chromium Windows 10 Using Safe Mode

Settings

If you’re reading the content in this section, you’ve probably already tried to remove Chromium from your computer the conventional way, but it likely didn’t work.

Users who experienced this problem also reported that Chromium is missing from the programs list or that the uninstall button doesn’t work as intended for this specific program.

This is likely due to the malware associated with the Chromium version installed on your computer, and to overcome the problem, you’ll have to boot your computer into Safe Mode.

Not familiar with the process? Worry not, as we have a step-by-step tutorial that guides you through the entire procedure.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Press Windows + I on your keyboard at the same time. This will open the Windows 10 settings panel. Within it, click on Update & Security, and then choose Recovery from the left-side menu.
  2. Under the Advanced Startup section, click the Restart Now button.
  3. Now your computer will restart and show you the “Choose an option” screen. Within it, click on Troubleshoot, Advanced Options, Startup Settings, and finally, Restart.
  4. When your PC reboots, you will see a list of options, and the one for booting into Safe Mode will be under number four (4). Press 4 on your keyboard to start your PC in Safe Mode.

Now you need to open the Apps & Features panel and search for Chromium within the list of installed programs. Upon finding it, simply click on Chromium and choose Uninstall.

When the process is complete, restart your computer, and it will no longer be in Safe Mode.

The reason some users must use the safe mode method is that most malware-infected chromium files will automatically start specific processes related to the browser, therefore, the user cannot uninstall the browser because active (associated) processes are running in the background. These can often be hidden, and the browser could also be set to run on startup, which not all users know how to disable.

When booting your computer in safe mode, Windows only starts the crucial features required for it to run, meaning everything else is excluded, such as the malicious processes associated with the corrupted chromium version on your computer.

Hopefully, this helps you understand more about the infamous Chromium will not uninstall windows 10 issue that many users report.

Signs You Have A Corrupt Chromium Browser Installed

Corrupt Software or Data

As mentioned above, users can often find they have the chromium browser or a chromium-based browser installed on their systems without them recalling making such a decision.

This is the result of such browsers being bundled in the installer setups for different programs and users unknowingly accepting them being installed on their computers while installing something else.

So, one of the first signs you may have a malicious version of Chromium installed on your computer is seeing the browser installed without your permission.

Another sign is seeing multiple different ads and pop-ups while browsing, specifically on pages where you’ve never seen them before.

It also often happens for a user to open their browser as usual and then get redirected to a different homepage, one that they haven’t set as a homepage themselves. That’s another sign of an infected browser.

Finally, if you notice that your search engine has changed without your permission, that’s also a sign of a malware-infected browser.

How To Avoid Downloading An Infected Chromium Browser

Download

So that you don’t have to deal with removing chromium malware in the future, we recommend sticking to the following recommendations for safety while browsing the internet and installing files on your system:

  • Download the installation files for any software only from the developer’s / manufacturer’s official website. In this specific case, the official website where you can find a link for the safest and most up-to-date version of Chromium is Chromium.org, and the download location (as listed on the website) can be found here.
  • Always double-check what you’re agreeing to while going through an installation setup for any app, as quite many of them have sections where it’s very discretely written that by proceeding, you’re accepting to install X or Y software along with the one you’re mainly within the setup for.
  • Read reviews and forum posts on a specific chromium-based browser before deciding to download them. It sometimes takes just one or two comments from a concerned user to see the red flags about a specific product. We recommend reading such information on forums and boards instead of websites that may be partnered or affiliated with the product. Getting an opinion from an independent individual who has no real gain from promoting the product will give you the best picture of its quality and, most importantly, its security.

This should be enough information to help you stay safe from potentially infected versions of the Chromium browser or any other chromium-based browsers that exploit the transparency of the Chromium open-source code and use it for malicious intentions.

Conclusion

The queries “how to remove chromium windows 10” and “reasons for chromium uninstallation problems” are frequently searched when referring to the Chromium browser, and this guide addresses all the factors behind them.

If you recently started dealing with the same problem, you should now know how to remove Chromium from windows 10 using safe and effective methods.

Hopefully, the information provided above was helpful, ensures you get rid of the malicious Chromium browser version on your computer, and helps you stay away from other potentially dangerous ones in the future.

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Bojan Veselinovikj
LinkedIn

Bojan is a video-game developer and a tech enthusiast. Combining these two passions allow him to keep you informed on everything that's new in this fast-paced digital world.