How To Uninstall Vpn Client From Windows 7
How to completely uninstall a VPN
Fully remove a VPN and clean upwards afterwards on your Windows PC
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Most VPN providers make big claims near their 'no logging' policy, and how they don't maintain the slightest trace of anything you do online.
What these companies don't ever explain is that VPNs (including free VPNs) can keep detailed logs on your PC, often including business relationship details, session connect and disconnect times, and the names of whatsoever servers you've accessed.
Often there's no automated mode to remove this information. Even uninstalling the VPN will ordinarily leave at least some traces behind, and in that location are plenty more clues to your activities in Windows' various network histories. About could remain on your system for years.
Whether this is any kind of privacy gamble depends on your situation. If others have admission to your PC, or maybe you're running a VPN on a work estimator, maybe; if it'southward your ain system, probably non.
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Whatever your circumstances, it'southward interesting to see what a PC might concord regarding your VPN history. Deleting aboriginal network remnants brings benefits of its ain, also, freeing up resources, simplifying your network settings and maybe reducing the chance of issues occurring with other networking software.
Comport in heed that there are risks involved with this kind of depression-level clean-up. Accidentally deleting something important could cripple your PC. Be very careful, and don't wipe anything unless your system is fully backed up, and you've got the tools and feel to recover the computer if anything goes incorrect.
And then, permit'south wait in detail at how to become about uninstalling your VPN software and after cleaning up after that process. Note that you don't accept to follow all these steps, at least across the kickoff and main uninstallation procedure. You lot can be equally thorough – or not – equally you lot like.
And if yous're not confident with some of the more involved elements – like editing the Registry – then it's probably best to skip these steps. Furthermore, some of the latter steps volition only really use to those who are extremely privacy-conscious, equally you'll see when you read through.
Uninstall VPN clients
The first pace in removing a VPN is to clear away its client.
Start by finding where the program files are stored on your hard drive. Open up a client window, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch Task Manager, right-click the app name and select Open File Location. Make a note of the binder name – you'll need it afterwards.
Close the client completely (don't but minimize it), then effort to uninstall it from the regular Control Panel applet (Control Console > Programs and Features > Uninstall a Programme).
The installed programs listing might also include a TAP driver (a virtual network adapter) for your VPN provider. If the list is sorted alphabetically, scroll to the T'due south and wait for items beginning 'TAP-' (our test system included TAP-NordVPN and TAP-ProtonVPN). Remove these by correct-clicking and selecting Uninstall.
If you lot don't observe anything, search your system for the VPN proper noun and wait for an Uninstall shortcut.
One time y'all've run the regular uninstaller and removed whatsoever associated TAP files, reboot your PC to make sure Windows is able to delete locked program files.
Remove local logs
Uninstalling a VPN won't necessarily remove all of its files. There are often plenty of leftovers, ranging from stray DLLs to detailed logs of all your recent VPN connections.
Open up the client folder you noted in the previous step, if it still exists, and search your system for folders with like names. Investigate these to come across what's left, and whether the folders can safely exist deleted.
Yous could also manually browse for files in the nearly likely locations: \Plan Files, \Program Files (x86), \ProgramData, \Users\<username>\AppData\Local, \Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming.
If you don't run into the ProgramData or AppData folders, launch Command Panel, go to File Explorer Options and make sure 'Evidence hidden files, folders and drives' is selected.
It's amazing what you lot can discover. Even later on uninstalling VPNs, we've found folders left behind in ProgramData, with connexion information, including BullGuard VPN\logs, Encrypt.me\Logs, Hotspot Shield, NordVPN, PrivateVPN, SafeVPN\logs, SurfEasyService, Surfshark, UltraVPN\logs and VPNArea\Logs.
Depending on your setup, you might have a divide installation of OpenVPN, the open source client used by many pieces of VPN software to manage their connections. Look for a \Users\[Username]\OpenVPN\Log folder and delete whatever log files you don't demand. Which can be all of them, if you like – the files are simply for troubleshooting, and it'southward safe to remove them.
Registry references
Windows VPN clients often store at to the lowest degree some of their settings in the Windows Registry. At least some of these may survive the uninstaller, and they can sometimes give away details of your account or connection history.
Another quick warning here: always be very careful when editing the Registry.
To brainstorm, launch REGEDIT and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE. Coil through each gear up of keys, looking for anything relating to VPNs that you have uninstalled.
Typically you won't notice very much. Our examination system had leftover keys relating to ExpressVPN, IPVanish, IVPN, ProtonVPN, SecureVPN and VyprVPN (Gold Frog), merely these were all either empty or contained naught of interest.
Others may be more than significant. NordVPN had some IP addresses, Windscribe left all our settings and the terminal external IP address, and FrootVPN and Anonine left data including our usernames and encrypted password.
Whatsoever you observe, if you're sure it's no longer necessary then you can remove it by right-clicking the key in the left-hand pane and selecting Delete. As we already mentioned, when editing the Registry, be cautious – accidentally deleting the wrong item could cause all kinds of problems. If you're at all unsure most anything, leave it alone.
Network adapters
Windows VPN clients work by setting up virtual network adapters for your other applications to use. These are often left behind when you uninstall a VPN, unfortunately, cluttering your network settings and occasionally conflicting with other software.
Launch Device Manager (press Win+R, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter) and click the arrow to the left of 'Network adapters' to display everything installed on your system.
VPN-related adapters ordinarily include TAP in the name (a virtual network adapter standard) and the service name, which makes them easy to spot. Our test arrangement had 'ibVPN Tap Adapter', 'SwitchVPN Tap Adapter' and 'TAP-NordVPN Windows Adapter V9', for example.
Our system also had the more vaguely named 'VPN Client Adapter - VPN'. If you're not sure where a network adapter has come from, double-click it, choose the Driver tab and look at the Driver Provider and Digital Signer items. These typically show the proper noun of the service and the company backside it.
As a cross-cheque, select the Events tab and scroll to the lesser of the list. If the last event was a long time ago this might indicate that the adapter is no longer used, although this isn't guaranteed.
If you're confident an adapter is no longer necessary, and you lot're also happy you know how to prepare the problem if you're wrong (reinstall information technology, use a arrangement restore point, or something else), right-click information technology, select Uninstall Device and bank check the box to 'Delete the driver software for this device.'
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Mike is a atomic number 82 security reviewer at Future, where he stress-tests VPNs, antivirus and more to discover out which services are sure to keep you safe, and which are best avoided. Mike began his career as a lead software programmer in the engineering earth, where his creations were used by big-name companies from Rolls Royce to British Nuclear Fuels and British Aerospace. The early PC viruses caught Mike's attending, and he developed an interest in analyzing malware, and learning the low-level technical details of how Windows and network security work under the hood.
Source: https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-uninstall-a-vpn-the-correct-way
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