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Uninstalling

Applies to
Windows
MacOS
Linux

This page describes what happens when your application is uninstalled, what gets removed, and what survives.

What triggers an uninstall​

  • Windows: the user uninstalls from Apps & features / Programs and Features, which invokes Velopack's uninstall routine. (If the app was installed via MSI, uninstall is handled by msiexec instead.)
  • macOS: there is no separate uninstaller — the user deletes the .app bundle (e.g. dragging it to the Trash).
  • Linux: the user deletes the .AppImage (or removes the package via their package manager, depending on how it was distributed).

Windows​

On Windows the uninstaller performs the following steps:

  1. Runs your uninstall hook (--veloapp-uninstall {version} on the command line, or the C# OnBeforeUninstallFastCallback) so your app can clean up before removal.
  2. Removes all shortcuts that point into the install directory.
  3. Removes the entire install directory — the whole %LocalAppData%\{packId} folder (app, current, packages, Update.exe, everything inside it).
  4. Removes the app's temporary working directory.
  5. Removes the entry from the Windows uninstall registry.

Because the whole {packId} folder is deleted, anything you stored inside it — including settings or logs next to your binary — is lost. See Preserving Files & Settings for where to put data you want to keep.

warning

The uninstall hook is a FastCallback. It must show no UI and exit quickly, and there is no way to cancel the uninstall from it. See App Hooks.

macOS & Linux​

On these platforms the application is a single self-contained bundle (.app / .AppImage). "Uninstalling" simply means deleting that bundle, so only the files inside it are removed. There is no Velopack uninstall command and the uninstall hook is not invoked (FastCallbacks are Windows-only).

What survives​

Anything stored outside the install directory survives an uninstall — for example settings in %AppData%\{packId} (roaming) on Windows, or files under ~/Library/Application Support on macOS or in the user's home directory on Linux. Use the locator paths described in Preserving Files & Settings to decide what is and isn't removed.