REMOVAL GUIDE · EPIC GAMES LAUNCHER

Can't uninstall the Epic Games Launcher? It is still running

When the uninstall says the Epic Games Launcher is currently running, Epic's answer is short: open Task Manager, find Epic Games Launcher on the Processes tab, choose End task and try the uninstall again. Epic explains that applications can sometimes hang in the background of Windows, which may prevent Windows from uninstalling them. To uninstall, open Add or Remove Programs, select Epic Games Launcher and click Uninstall. One thing to know first: Epic's reinstall article warns that the process will remove all of your installed games.

Updated 12 November 2026.

AT A GLANCE

Check	What it means	Reversible?
Task Manager, Processes tab, shows no Epic Games Launcher	Nothing is keeping the launcher running	Read-only check
Epic Games Launcher is gone from Add or Remove Programs	The uninstall finished	Yes: download the installer from the Epic Games Store
Your installed Epic games are gone as well	Expected: Epic says the process removes all of your installed games	Not by the uninstall itself

The official way: exit it, end the task if needed, then uninstall

The steps below combine two Epic Games Store support articles: the one for the currently running message, and the Windows part of its reinstall article, which contains the uninstall itself.

Exit the launcher
Legacy Epic Games Launcher: right-click the system tray icon in the bottom-right corner and click Exit. Epic Games Launcher Preview: click the Epic Games logo in the top-left corner, then Exit.
If it still says currently running, end the task
Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager. On the Processes tab look for Epic Games Launcher, right-click it and select End task.
Uninstall from Add or Remove Programs
Click the Windows Start button, type Add or Remove Programs and press Enter. Select Epic Games Launcher from the list of programs and click Uninstall.
If you are reinstalling to fix a problem
Epic's reinstall article places two steps before the uninstall, running Windows' System File Checker and restarting the computer, and one after it: download the latest installer from the Epic Games Store.

What can stay behind, and what to check

Epic's Windows steps do not list leftover folders, services or scheduled tasks, so this guide does not name any. These read-only PowerShell commands show whether a launcher process is still running and which Epic Games programs, services and scheduled tasks are still registered. A name match is a lead, not proof.

Get-Process | Where-Object Name -match 'Epic' | Format-Table Name, Id
Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*',
  'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' |
  Where-Object DisplayName -match 'Epic Games' | Format-Table DisplayName, DisplayVersion
Get-Service -DisplayName '*Epic Games*' | Format-Table Name, DisplayName, Status
Get-ScheduledTask |
  Where-Object { $_.TaskName -match 'Epic Games' -or $_.TaskPath -match 'Epic Games' } |
  Format-Table TaskPath, TaskName, State

Usually safe to act on

The uninstall still says the launcher is currently running: repeat the Task Manager step and try again. That is the whole of Epic's fix.

Your data and settings: keep

Games you want to stay installed: Epic warns that the process removes all of your installed games, so uninstalling the launcher is not a way to tidy up around them.
Your Epic Games account: neither article mentions the account, and none of the steps involves it.

What a restore point does and does not cover

Microsoft describes restore points as snapshots of system files, installed applications, the Windows registry and system settings, taken without affecting personal data. That also means a restore point is not a backup of your files. System Protection is not enabled by default, so on a PC where nobody switched it on, a request for a restore point fails; you turn it on under Create a restore point, Configure. And when an app asks for a restore point while one made in the previous 24 hours already exists, Windows skips the new one and still reports success. For the Epic Games Launcher, do not count on a restore point to bring games back: Epic's own warning is that the process removes all of your installed games, and a restore point is not a backup of your files.

How PC Tweaker Uninstaller helps

It lists each Epic Games entry that Windows registers and says how many other programs from the same publisher are installed. Before anything runs, the brief shows the exact command each entry registered and whether it needs administrator rights, and the Removal Ledger records the method and the result. It runs each entry's own uninstaller. Its leftover scan matches folders, shortcuts and registry keys only when they are named exactly after the program, and pre-selects only items inside the install folder Windows recorded; anything matched by name alone is shown but never pre-selected. It does not list services or scheduled tasks, and because it runs the launcher's own uninstaller, Epic's warning about installed games applies in the same way. Cleaning leftover files and folders is free; cleaning registry keys and startup entries is Pro. Before an elevated removal it asks Windows for a restore point and records the outcome in the Removal Ledger. Because of the 24-hour rule above, Windows sometimes keeps an earlier point instead of making a new one. From version 0.13.8 the receipt says created only when it has verified a new point, and otherwise says that Windows reused the one from a given date; earlier versions could report created in that case.

Keep reading

uninstalling Steam without losing your games — Valve's warning about the steamapps folder, and what to move first.
uninstalling BlueStacks completely — Another gaming program with its own cleaner tool from the vendor.
how to completely uninstall any Windows program — The general order: registered uninstaller first, then leftovers, then what to keep.
finding leftover services, tasks, registry keys and folders by hand — Read-only checks first, and a backup before every deletion.
Windows Installer errors during an uninstall, by number — 1603, 1605, 1612 and the others, with Microsoft's meaning for each.
what PC Tweaker Uninstaller shows before a removal runs — The rating, the command and the permissions, before anything changes.

Common questions

Why does it say the Epic Games Launcher is currently running?

Epic explains that applications can sometimes hang in the background of Windows, which may prevent Windows from uninstalling them. Open Task Manager, find Epic Games Launcher on the Processes tab, select End task and try the uninstall again.

Does uninstalling the Epic Games Launcher delete my games?

Epic's reinstall article says so at the top: the process will remove all of your installed games.

How do I close the Epic Games Launcher completely?

For the legacy launcher, right-click the system tray icon in the bottom-right corner and click Exit. For the Epic Games Launcher Preview, click the Epic Games logo in the top-left corner and click Exit. If the uninstall still says it is running, end the task in Task Manager.

Try PC Tweaker Uninstaller

Single uninstalls are free, for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

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