Uninstall OpenClaw on Windows Without Shadow Services

Windows doesn’t always fully stop an application after uninstalling it—especially tools like OpenClaw that rely on background services and automation. Scheduled tasks, helper scripts, and cached data can remain, allowing processes to persist or sensitive information to linger.

This guide walks you through a clean uninstall workflow to ensure OpenClaw is completely removed—no hidden services, leftover files, or agent data left behind.

TL;DR

Prep Windows for uninstall

• Captures agent workspaces and session logs for later restores.
• List profiles: note every %USERPROFILE%\.openclaw-<profile> directory so you can remove them individually.
• Inventory connectors: record which Slack, Google, GitHub, or Notion credentials were paired to this Windows machine.

Stop and unregister the gateway task

• gateway uninstall removes the scheduled task entry through the CLI.
• The unified openclaw uninstall command performs the same steps with one flag sequence.

Remove scheduled tasks and scripts

Even after the CLI runs, double-check Task Scheduler:

If you used profiles, repeat for each OpenClaw Gateway (<profile>) task. Then delete the helper script:

For GUI confirmation, open Task Scheduler → Task Scheduler Library and ensure no OpenClaw entries remain.

OpenClaw leftover files cleanup on Windows

1. Roaming and Local AppData: delete %APPDATA%\OpenClaw, %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenClaw, or any folders you manually mounted.
2. Custom workspaces: if you placed workspaces under D:\Agents\..., remove those paths as well.
3. Recycle Bin check: empty the Recycle Bin (or use Clear-RecycleBin -Force) so no scripts can be restored accidentally.

Remove the CLI, desktop app, and PATH entries

1. Desktop installer: open Settings → Apps → Installed apps, search “OpenClaw,” and click Uninstall.
2. PATH hygiene: if you added custom shortcuts (e.g., C:\Tools\openclaw.cmd), delete them and update the PATH environment variable accordingly.

Revoke API keys and Windows permissions

• Revoke any OAuth tokens (Slack, Microsoft 365, Google, Discord, Notion, GitHub) issued for this machine.
• Remove screen capture, microphone, and accessibility permissions via Settings → Privacy & security so Windows forgets OpenClaw’s capabilities.

Verify the uninstall and plan next steps

1. should report “ERROR: The system cannot find the file specified.”
2. Binary check: Get-Command openclaw -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue should return nothing.
3. File system check: Get-Item $env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw* should throw an error.
4. Registry/permissions: optional, but you can run Get-AppxPackage | Select Name | findstr OpenClaw to confirm no AppX packages remain.

When everything returns “not found,” you can safely reinstall or move agents to another host.

FAQ

Can I uninstall without PowerShell?

Yes. Task Scheduler’s GUI plus Settings → Apps remove most components. Still, PowerShell ensures every profile directory and script is deleted.

Does openclaw uninstall remove %APPDATA% folders?

It removes the primary state dir but not custom workspaces or cloned profiles. Delete them manually as shown above.

What if I see Access is denied when deleting scripts?

Close any terminals still running OpenClaw. If needed, start a new PowerShell window “As administrator” to remove stubborn files, then re-run the commands.

Why rotate API keys after uninstalling?

Local removal doesn’t revoke remote tokens. If your machine was compromised or you’re decommissioning it, revoke every key so remote services can’t accept requests from stale credentials.