5/20/2020 Program Is Not Listed in Add/Remove Programs After Installation

Program Is Not Listed in Add/Remove

Programs After Installation

Symptoms

After you install a program on your computer, the program is not listed in the
Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. Also, other programs that are
installed on your computer and that were previously listed in Add/Remove
Programs may no longer be listed.

Cause

This problem can occur if the program you installed creates a registry key
name that is longer than 60 characters in length. Add/Remove Programs only
lists program names it locates up to the point it encounters this situation.

Resolution

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to
modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the
registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully.
For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can
restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to
back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

Uninstall the Program

The installation program may detect that this program is already installed on
your computer and provide an option to uninstall it. When this program is
removed, the other missing programs in Add/Remove Programs are listed
again.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/247515/program-is-not-listed-in-add-remove-programs-after-installation 1/3
5/20/2020 Program Is Not Listed in Add/Remove Programs After Installation

Run the Uninstall Program Included in the Uninstall Folder

Some programs create a folder under the Winnt folder that contains a "$"
character at the start and end of the folder name. This folder may contain an
uninstall program that you can run to remove the program you previously
installed on your computer. Note that these folders are usually hidden, and
that you may need to configure Windows Explorer to view hidden files and
folders. To do so, right-click Start, click Explore, click Options on the View
menu, and then click Show all files.

Use the Uninstall Command Displayed in the Registry

1. Use Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) to view the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVer
sion\Uninstall

2. Double-click the UninstallString registry value, copy the contents of the

Value Data box by selecting the contents and pressing CTRL+C, and then
quit Registry Editor.
3. Click Start, click Run, press CTRL+V to paste the uninstall command, and
then click OK.

Shorten the Registry Key Name

Run Regedit.exe to view the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Uninstall
Click the registry key for the program you installed, click Rename on the Edit
menu, and then use a name with less than 60 characters. Note that if the
DisplayName value is longer than 32 characters, it is not displayed. To rename
it, double-click DisplayName and use a name up to 32 characters in length.

Status

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that
are listed at the beginning of this article.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/247515/program-is-not-listed-in-add-remove-programs-after-installation 2/3
5/20/2020 Program Is Not Listed in Add/Remove Programs After Installation

More Information

Programs are sorted alphabetically within the Uninstall registry key, and any
keys listed after the long key name are ignored.

Last Updated: 17 Apr 2018

Need more help?

Search for help 

Join the discussion

Ask the community 

Get support

Contact Us 

What's new Microsoft Education Enterprise Developer Company

Store
Surface Go 2 Microsoft in Azure Microsoft Visual Careers
Account profile education Studio
Surface Book 3 AppSource About Microsoft
Download Center Office for Developer
Microsoft 365 students Automotive Network Company news
Microsoft Store
Surface Pro X Support Office 365 for Government TechNet Privacy at
schools Microsoft
Windows 10 apps Returns Healthcare Channel 9
Deals for Investors
Order tracking students & Manufacturing Office Dev Centre
parents Security
Recycling Financial services
Microsoft Azure
Commercial in education Retail
Warranties

Click and collect

 English (United Kingdom)

Contact us Terms of use Privacy and cookies Trademarks Safety & eco © Microsoft 2020

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/247515/program-is-not-listed-in-add-remove-programs-after-installation 3/3