residue after bitDefender uninstall

dan30l

i have decided to completely uninstall BitDefender free edition,

but it left some security limitations that were not there before, (policy restrictions, UAC settings, registry changes, etc) as part of it's "hardening" process (i assume)

How can i reverse all the things it has done ?

Gjoksi

Hello.

Uninstall the Bitdefender free program using the Uninstall Tool:

https://www.bitdefender.com/links/uninstall_consumer_paid.html

Just select the Uninstall tool for Bitdefender Total Security.

Don't worry, it will also work for the free version and it will completely remove the program.

You could also use some cleaning programs, like CCleaner, Glary Utilities etc.

Regards.

Flexx

Additionally, in addition to what @Gjoksi said, you can also follow the steps below to completely remove all Bitdefender files that the Bitdefender uninstaller was unable to remove.

1) To remove any remaining files, download and run the Bitdefender product uninstaller from this link: https://www.bitdefender.com/files/KnowledgeBase/file/Bitdefender_2022_Uninstall_Tool.exe

2) Restart your PC in safe mode. You can follow this guide: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode-in-windows-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234

3) As soon as the desktop opens, assuming your Windows drive is 'C,' open the following locations in the 'Run' command (Windows icon + R) one by one:

C:\Program Files (delete any folder with the name bitdefender)

C:\Program Files (x86) (delete any folder with the name bitdefender)

C:\ProgramData (delete any folder with the name bitdefender)

C:\Users{your PC name}\AppData\Local (delete any folder with the name bitdefender)

4) Open the Run command and execute the following commands one by one:

temp - delete all the files in the folder

%temp% - delete all the files in the folder

prefetch - delete all the files in the folder

5) Open the registry editor through the 'Run' command (Windows icon + R) and then type 'regedit.' Once the registry editor opens, click on 'Edit' -> 'Find,' and make sure to checkmark 'Match whole strings only.' Type 'bitdefender' in the search box and click 'Find Next.' If any file or folder with the name 'bitdefender' is found, delete it. Continue searching the registry and deleting until the search reports no registry keys found. Restart your PC in normal mode by unchecking the option you selected to run the system in safe mode, and then click 'Apply.'

Regards