Google developed Chromium as an open-source browser. This was introduced in 2008. Due to its minimalistic interface and speed, Chromium is still being used till today. Since it is an open-source browser, many developers use it to develop other new browsers. Sometimes, users face a problem in uninstalling Chromium. One of the reasons for this to happen is due to the fake package of Chromium.
Users who have downloaded Chromium from anywhere else other than the official website of Google usually face this problem. This can be due to the malware that comes with this package.
If you are one of these users, then don’t worry as here we will be discussing how to uninstall Chromium from your computer. But, let us know a little bit about Chromium first.
Chromium: Know More About It
As I have said earlier, Chromium is an open-source browser developed by Google. It forms the basis of Chrome and they almost look similar. However, Google possesses a huge number of improved features that are lacking in Chromium. Since it is an open-source browser, its source code can be downloaded by anyone who wants to. Thus, they can change it, and then can rework it and create a new browser.
However, because of this feature, there are many risks to the users who are unaware of it. If you want to use Chromium, you don’t have to install them because they are portable. There are some projects which are derived from Chromium, and they sometimes offer it through the installer. Moreover, the build of Chromium which is clean, will not start. They have to be bundled with software in order to work properly. So, let us now see what are the methods by which you can remove Chromium from your computer.
How to Remove Chromium from Windows 10?
If you are not able to remove Chromium from Windows 10, then, first of all, you have to determine if it is happening due to malware or just the Chromium itself. To determine this, you have to open the Task Manager by pressing the Shift, Ctrl and Esc key at the same time. Now, see if the Chromium browser is present here multiple times or just once. Multiple Chromium browser is the indication that some malware is responsible for this problem.
However, if there is only one Chromium browser, then there is no malware involved. Now, let’s start with the solutions to get rid of “Chromium won’t uninstall Windows 10”:-
1. How to Uninstall Chromium with the help of Control Panel?
Many users have reported that even if they have the clean version of Chromium, they are unable to uninstall it. These users find that even after uninstalling Chromium from “Programs and Features”, it is still loaded up at the startup. There is nothing to worry about this. This is just a glitch. To uninstall successfully, you have to go to the “AppData” folder and delete the folder of Chromium. Now, go through the steps to remove Chromium:
- Open the Run dialog box by pressing the R and the Windows button simultaneously. Now, in the Run box, you have to write “appwiz.cpl”, and then press the Enter key. This will bring up the “Programs and Features”.
- Now, go to the bottom of the page of “Programs and Features”. Locate “Chromium” and right-click on it. After that, select the “Uninstall” option and then follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.
After the process of uninstallation is completed, restart the computer and check if Chromium is still visible on the “System Tray” or not. If Chromium is still visible, then follow the next steps as well.
- Go to the C drive of your system. After that, open the “Users” folders. Then, go to the folder of “Personal”. Now, select the “AppData” and then to the “Local” folder.
- Then, open the “AppData” folder and find the Chromium folder. Now, you have to delete this Chromium folder completely. You have to ensure that it is not even present in the Recycle Bin also.
However, at the time of deleting the Chromium folder if you see the message of “Folder in use”, then you have to close Chromium completely. Go to your System Tray and close the running of Chromium. After this, you have to restart your computer. Now, check if the problem of “Chromium won’t uninstall Windows 10” has been resolved or not.
2. How to Delete Chromium Manually?
When there is Chromium-derived malware involved, then check out this process to know how to get rid of Chromium. Users have experienced that Chromium does not get uninstalled correctly if they are not deleted properly. You can follow the given steps for successfully removing the malware from your computer. However, the name of the malware will vary from user to user because not all Chromium will be affected by the same malware.
- Press the Shift + Ctrl + Esc button at the same time. This will bring up the Task Manager. Now, go to the tab of “Processes” and find the processes of Chromium. After that, right-click on any one of the Chromium processes and select the “Open File Location” option.
- Now, you will be inside the location of the malware. However, before you start removing the folder of the malware, you have to close all the processes of Chromium on the Task Manager. You have to right-click on each one of them and click on the “End Task” button.
- After that, return to the folder location of the malware and select the main executable. In this case, it is “Explore.exe”, and delete it. This will prevent any more process of Chromium from opening.
- Now you can delete the other folders of the Explorer. After you have deleted all the folders, now you can delete the whole Explorer folder.
- Then, you have to go to the “Data” folder, delete it and then move to the “Local” folder.
- After that, in the “Local” folder, you have to delete the “Games Bot”.
- Lastly, you have to clear out your Recycle Bin as well. This will ensure that not a single component of this malware is present on the computer. Then, reboot your computer and when the computer will turn on, you will find no Chromium malware present on your system.
So, now most probably, you have completely eliminated the Chromium and hopefully, it will never come back on its own again.
Conclusion
Hope that from the above discussion you understood the process for how to delete Chromium. These are the best and effective methods when it comes to how to uninstall Chromium. Follow these methods based on your need and you will surely be able to remove Chromium from your computer.