If you’ve found yourself running out of SSD space for new games, or you’re taking a break from Teyvat for the foreseeable future, you’re probably looking for a clean way to remove the game from your device. I tried uninstalling Genshin Impact last year when I needed to make space for a new open-world RPG, and I was shocked to find 18GB of leftover patch files and old cutscene caches still taking up space on my drive a week after I thought I’d removed it completely. Learning how to delete Genshin Impact from PC properly doesn’t just free up valuable storage—it also prevents corrupted leftover files from causing issues if you decide to reinstall the game later. There’s no need to deal with hidden files clogging up your system when the removal process can be done in just a few minutes if you follow the right steps.
How to Delete Genshin Impact from PC via Default Windows Uninstaller
The easiest and most reliable way to start the removal process is using Windows’ built-in uninstall tool, which works for both the official HoYoVerse launcher version and most third-party downloaded copies of the game. Back up all your local Genshin Impact data before starting any removal process if you want to keep screenshots, recorded gameplay clips, or local config settings you’ve adjusted for performance. The process only takes a few clicks, and it’s far more effective than deleting the game folder directly.
First, open your Windows Settings menu and navigate to the Apps section, then select Installed Apps. You can search for “Genshin Impact” in the search bar at the top of the list to pull up the game immediately, instead of scrolling through every app installed on your device. Click the three dots next to the game name, then select Uninstall, and follow the prompts that pop up on your screen. You’ll also see an option to remove the HoYoVerse launcher if you don’t have any other HoYoVerse games installed on your PC, which is a good idea if you don’t plan on playing Honkai: Star Rail or Honkai Impact 3rd anytime soon.
That’s it for the first step, but don’t stop here. The default uninstall process removes the core game files, but it almost always leaves behind temporary files, cache, and old patch data that you’ll need to delete separately to free up all the space the game was using. If you installed Genshin Impact via Steam, you’ll need to complete this process through your Steam library instead of Windows settings, by right clicking the game name, selecting Manage, then choosing Uninstall.
How to Remove Leftover Genshin Impact Files After Uninstallation
Most players don’t realize that Genshin Impact stores a huge amount of temporary data outside of its main program folder, including old patch files, crash logs, cached cutscenes, and config settings. These files can take up anywhere from 2GB to 20GB of space on your drive, depending on how long you’ve had the game installed. You don’t need any fancy tools to find and remove these files, but you will need to show hidden folders on your Windows system first to access some of the locations they’re stored.
You can find most leftover Genshin Impact files in these common locations:
- Program Files or Program Files (x86) folders for leftover HoYoVerse launcher files, old game shortcuts, and partially downloaded patch data
- AppData/Roaming and AppData/Local folders for user config settings, crash logs, cached cutscene and character model data
- Windows Registry entries tied to the HoYoVerse launcher and Genshin Impact installation, which can cause installation errors if you reinstall the game later
Go through each of these folders and delete any folders named Genshin Impact or HoYoVerse that you find, just make sure you don’t delete files tied to other HoYoVerse games you still have installed. Never edit your Windows Registry unless you have experience modifying system settings, as changing the wrong entry can cause serious issues with your operating system. If you’re not comfortable editing the Registry, you can use a free trusted cache cleaner tool to find and remove those leftover entries for you without any risk.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Removing Genshin Impact from Your PC
After helping dozens of friends uninstall the game over the years, I’ve seen the same small mistakes cause huge headaches for players over and over again. Most of these issues are easy to avoid if you know what to watch out for before you start the removal process. Deleting only the desktop shortcut or game folder will not fully remove the game from your system, and it will leave almost all of the hidden cache and temporary files behind on your drive.
Another common mistake is assuming your save data is all stored locally. Your cross-progression save data is stored safely on your HoYoVerse account, so you won’t lose your characters, progress, or primogems if you uninstall the game, but your local screenshots, gameplay recordings, and custom controller or graphic settings are only stored on your PC, so make sure you copy those to another folder if you want to keep them. A lot of players also forget to uninstall the HoYoVerse launcher after removing the game, and the launcher itself can take up several gigabytes of space with cached update files and promotional content.
You also don’t need to download any paid uninstall tools to remove Genshin Impact completely. Most paid uninstall tools do the exact same thing you can do manually for free in 10 extra minutes, and a lot of them come with bloatware or adware that will cause more issues for your PC down the line. Stick to the built-in Windows tools and manual file removal unless you already have a trusted uninstall tool you use regularly.
What to Do If You Can’t Uninstall Genshin Impact from Your PC
Sometimes the uninstall process doesn’t work as expected, especially if your game files got corrupted after a bad patch, or if the HoYoVerse launcher is glitching out. If you click the uninstall button and nothing happens, or you get an error message saying the game can’t be found, there are a few simple fixes you can try before you resort to more drastic measures. Always close all HoYoVerse and Genshin Impact related processes before attempting to uninstall, because if the game or launcher is running in the background, Windows won’t let you remove the files.
You can close these processes by opening Task Manager, searching for any processes with Genshin Impact or HoYoVerse in the name, right clicking them, and selecting End Task. Once all related processes are closed, try running the uninstall process again, and it should work as normal. If you still get an error, you can run the Windows Apps & Features troubleshooter, which is a free built-in tool that fixes common issues with installing and uninstalling programs.
If you downloaded Genshin Impact through a third-party platform like the Epic Games Store, you’ll need to uninstall it through that platform’s library, not through Windows settings, or the process will fail every time. If all else fails, you can delete the main Genshin Impact program folder first, then run a cache cleaner to remove the leftover files and registry entries, but only do this if the default uninstall process refuses to work, as it’s less thorough than the official uninstall tool.
Whether you’re freeing up space for a new game, taking a break from Teyvat to focus on other hobbies, or troubleshooting a corrupted installation, taking the time to do the process properly will save you a lot of hassle later. Knowing how to delete Genshin Impact from PC completely means you won’t have random hidden files clogging up your drive, and you won’t run into weird installation errors if you decide to come back to the game in a few months. You don’t need any special tools or technical knowledge to get it right, just follow the simple steps we outlined, and you’ll have all that storage space back in less than 15 minutes.