How to Completely Uninstall the Opera Browser

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A step-by-step guide for safely uninstalling Opera and Opera GX
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Opera is a frequently downloaded alternative to more mainstream browsers like Safari and Chrome. However, uninstalling it can be tricky, especially in Windows. If you're trying to uninstall Opera, first save your personal data (like your bookmarks), then close all Opera-related windows and processes. If uninstalling it with the usual methods doesn’t work, we’ll explain how to uninstall it manually or using third-party software.

What to Know About Uninstalling Opera

Before uninstalling Opera or Opera GX, quit the app and terminate any related processes. If you can’t uninstall Opera from your computer’s Start menu, Settings, or Control Panel, try a third-party uninstaller or remove associated files manually.

Section 1 of 4:

On Windows 10/11

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  1. 1
    End any active processes related to Opera. Even if you’ve quit Opera or Opera GX, you may have trouble uninstalling it if any related tasks are still running. Open the Task Manager by pressing Control + Shift + Esc , then look for any Opera processes in the processes list. Click the process, then select End Task .
    • You can also force any running processes to end with the taskkill command in the Command Prompt.
  2. 2
    Uninstall from the Start Menu: You may be able to uninstall Opera or Opera GX directly from the Start Menu. Click Start > All apps in Windows 11 or just look through the list of apps in the Start menu in Windows 10. [1]
    • Select Opera or Opera GX from the app list.
    • Right-click the app and select Uninstall .
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  3. 3
    Uninstall from Settings: In some cases, apps can be uninstalled from the Settings menu.
    • In Windows 11, go to Start > Settings > Apps > Installed Apps . Find Opera or Opera GX in the list, then click More ••• > Uninstall .
    • In Windows 10, go to Start > Settings > Apps > Apps & features . Select Opera or Opera GX, then select Uninstall .
  4. 4
    Uninstall from the Control Panel: The Control Panel method might work if you can’t uninstall Opera from Settings or the Start menu. This option works the same way in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
    • To find the Control Panel, type control panel into the search field in the taskbar. Select Control Panel from the results.
    • Select Programs > Programs and Features .
    • Find Opera or Opera GX in the list of programs. Press and hold or right-click on it, then select Uninstall or Uninstall/Change . Follow the prompts to complete the process.
  5. 5
    Uninstall using Opera’s uninstall file. Like many Windows apps, Opera and Opera GX come with their own executable uninstall file. If you can’t uninstall through Windows, running the Opera uninstaller might work.
    • Open Opera’s installation folder. You can usually find this in C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86).
    • Look for a file called uninstall.exe or something similar (e.g., uninst000.exe ).
    • Double-click the file to run it. Follow the prompts on the screen to complete the uninstall process.
  6. 6
    Uninstall using the Run dialog. You can also try using the uninstall string in Run. To access this option, press Windows key + R . Copy the following string and paste it into the Run window, then click OK : "C:\Users\VMS\AppData\Local\Programs\Opera GX\Launcher.exe" /uninstall . Follow the prompts to finish the uninstallation process.
  7. 7
    Try a third-party uninstaller if these methods don’t work. Some users find that normal methods don’t work to uninstall Opera or Opera GX, even after ending any active processes. If you’re still running into trouble, you can try an uninstaller app.
    • Revo Uninstaller Free is a popular option for uninstalling Opera and Opera GX when regular uninstall methods don’t work. Launch Revo Uninstaller and click Logs Database , then search for “Opera” or “Opera GX Browser.” Select the log from the list and click Uninstall .
    • Other free uninstall apps for Windows include IObit Uninstaller and Geek Uninstaller.
    • Still struggling to uninstall Opera completely? You might need to do it manually .
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Section 2 of 4:

Doing a Manual Uninstall (Windows)

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  1. 1
    Delete Opera temp files. While this method is a bit complicated, it can be a good option if the uninstallation doesn’t work for some reason. It involves cleaning up stray files and data associated with Opera or Opera GX from a variety of locations on your computer. Start by deleting temporary files associated with Opera.
    • Delete as much as you can from the C:\Windows\temp and C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\temp folders. These are all temporary files that you can safely remove.
  2. 2
    Delete Opera program files. Once you’ve cleaned up the temp files, delete the following folders from your hard drive:
    • C:\Program Files\Opera
    • C:\Program Files (x86)\Opera
    • If applicable, you can also delete any program files or folders associated with Opera GX , Opera Developer , or Opera Beta .
  3. 3
    Clear out user files. You might want to keep these if you plan to reinstall and want to keep your profile data. If not, delete the following folders:
    • C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Programs\Opera
    • C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Opera Software
    • C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming\Opera Software
  4. 4
    Delete registry entries associated with Opera. Open regedit and make the following edits. Be careful not to delete anything else unless you know what it is!
    • Delete Opera subkeys under:
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet
    • Delete Opera strings in:
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\RegisteredApplications
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\RegisteredApplications
    • Also delete the following keys:
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Opera Software
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\OperaStable
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Operabeta
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Operadeveloper
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\OperaGXStable
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\OperaStable
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Operabeta
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Operadeveloper
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\OperaGXStable
      • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\OperaStable (if present)
      • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Operabeta (if present)
      • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Operadeveloper (if present)
      • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\OperaGXStable (if present)
  5. 5
    Delete pinned Opera icons from the taskbar. You can do this directly from the taskbar folder by going to C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar and C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch and deleting any Opera files from those folders.
    • When you’re done, open the Task Manager by pressing Control + Shift + Esc . Go to the Processes tab and restart Windows Explorer so that your changes take effect.
  6. 6
    Unpin Opera icons from the Start Menu. To be completely sure you’ve gotten them all, go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs and C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs and delete any Opera shortcut files from those directories.
  7. 7
    Delete Opera shortcuts from your desktop. Right-click the shortcut and select Delete , or click and drag the shortcut to the recycle bin. Make sure to empty the trash when you’re done.
  8. 8
    Delete Opera installer files. These are likely to be located in C:\Users\yourusername\Downloads . However, you may find them in other locations, such as your desktop.
  9. 9
    Delete Opera tasks from the Windows Task Scheduler. The Task Scheduler is a utility that automatically runs tasks at a set time. To open it, press Windows key + R and enter taskschd.msc into the text field. Press Enter or click OK .
    • Open the Task Scheduler library. If you see any Opera or Opera Autoupdate tasks, delete them.
  10. 10
    Delete Opera entries from your firewall and network settings. To do this:
    • Open Start > Settings
    • Go to Update and Security > Windows Security > Firewall and Network protection > Advanced settings .
    • Go to Inbound rules and sort by name in ascending order.
    • Scroll down to O . Locate any Opera entries and delete them.
  11. 11
    Reset your Opera Sync data (if applicable). If you use Opera Sync, corrupted data could cause problems with installing, uninstalling, or updating Opera. Go to sync.opera.com and reset your data before attempting to reinstall Opera (if you plan to do so).
  12. 12
    Adjust your installation settings to avoid future issues. If you plan to reinstall Opera, try the following methods to ensure a clean installation:
    • Download the full, offline installer from https://ftp.opera.com/pub/opera/desktop/ . If you want Opera Beta, Opera Developer, or Opera GX, you can get the installers here: https://ftp.opera.com/pub/ .
    • Launch the installer and select Options . Set the install path to C:\Program Files\Opera or C:\Program Files (x86)\Opera (if you’re using the x86/32-bit installer).
    • Set Install for to all users .
    • Uncheck Import data from default browser .
    • Once you’ve made any other adjustments you like, install the program.
    • If you continue to have any issues, check your computer for corrupted system files. You can do this using the Windows System File Checker tool. [2]
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Section 3 of 4:

On a Mac

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  1. 1
    Quit Opera if it’s running. If you see a dot under the Opera icon in the Dock, the application is open. Click it, then select Quit Opera from the Opera menu at the top of the screen.
  2. 2
    Exit any Opera processes in the Activity Monitor. Click the magnifying glass icon in the menu bar at the top of your screen, then type in activity monitor . Select the correct entry from the search results. Select any Opera processes from the list, then click the X icon at the top of the window. Select Force Quit from the pop-up menu.
  3. 3
    Delete Opera from your Applications folder. Open a Finder window and navigate to Applications (usually under the Favorites header in the left-side menu bar). Locate the Opera application and drag it to the trash can on your Dock. Control-click the trash can and select Empty Trash .
  4. 4
    Delete Opera-related files from your Library. Open Finder and select Go > Go to Folder… from the menu bar at the top of the screen. Enter the following paths into the text field at the top of the window and press Return , then delete any Opera-related files and folders at each of these locations:
    • ~/Library/Application Support/com.operasoftware.Opera/
    • ~/Library/Caches/com.operasoftware.Opera/
    • ~/Library/Preferences/com.operasoftware.Opera.plist
    • ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.operasoftware.Opera.savedState
    • When you’re finished, Ctrl-click the trash can in the Dock and select Empty Trash to delete the files permanently.
  5. 5
    Try a third-party app to clean up any remaining files. If Opera still isn’t completely deleted from your Mac, you can try a third-party uninstaller or cleanup app. The instructions for uninstalling unwanted apps and files will vary depending on the app you choose.
    • Some popular uninstallers and cleanup apps include CleanMyMac and AppCleaner. However, some experienced users warn against using these kinds of apps unless absolutely necessary, since they can potentially destabilize macOS.
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Section 4 of 4:

On Ubuntu

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  1. 1
    Open the Terminal . If you’re using Opera on Ubuntu or another Linux-based OS, you can remove Opera from the command line. To open the Terminal app, press Ctrl + Alt + T .
  2. 2
    Enter the command sudo apt remove opera-stable . If you want to remove the program and also purge any associated data, use sudo apt purge opera-stable instead.
  3. 3
    Search for your package name if this doesn’t work. If you installed Opera with a different package name from “opera-stable,” these commands won’t work. Find out the actual package name and run the command again with the correct name.
    • In most cases, you can find the package name by entering the command which opera .
    • If the “which opera” command doesn’t work, try rep " install " /var/log/apt/history.log . Look through the log until you find your Opera installation, then input the correct name into the “remove” or “purge” command.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    When I try uninstalling it, it says Opera is running and wont uninstall, but it isn't running.
    DarkWolf2244
    Community Answer
    Opera may not have a window open, but a background process might still be running. If you're on Windows, open Task Manager, scroll till you find Opera, right-click it, then select "End Task". Try uninstalling it again after doing that.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 20 Helpful 9
  • Question
    I do not like Opera and I want to remove it.
    Ammar D
    Community Answer
    Press your Windows key, and type in Add or Remove Programs. Once that loads up, type in Opera, and then Uninstall. Follow through the steps.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 1
  • Question
    How do you uninstall it on Windows 7?
    Ammar D
    Community Answer
    Press the Windows key on your keyboard, navigate to it on your taskbar, type in Uninstall, and press "Add or Remove Programs." In the search bar, type in "Opera," then press Uninstall.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uninstall-or-remove-apps-and-programs-in-windows-4b55f974-2cc6-2d2b-d092-5905080eaf98#section-1_tabControl-1=Windows_11
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e

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