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<title>Uninstall PostgreSQL on Windows — Complete Removal Guide</title>
<meta name="description" content="How to completely uninstall PostgreSQL on Windows 10 and 11. Stop the service, run uninstaller, delete data directory, remove firewall rules and PATH entries.">
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<span class="page-tag">Uninstall guide</span>
<h1>Uninstall PostgreSQL on Windows — <span>complete removal guide</span></h1>
<p class="page-lead">Completely remove PostgreSQL from Windows. Back up databases first, stop the service, run the uninstaller, delete the data directory and clean up firewall rules and PATH.</p>
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<main><div class="callout callout-info"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="9"/><line x1="12" y1="8" x2="12" y2="12"/><line x1="12" y1="16" x2="12.01" y2="16"/></svg><span>Uninstalling PostgreSQL via Settings does <strong>not</strong> delete your databases. The data directory remains on disk until you manually delete it.</span></div>
<div class="section" aria-labelledby="steps-h2"><span class="section-label">Uninstall steps</span><h2 id="steps-h2">Completely remove PostgreSQL from Windows</h2><ul class="steps">
<li class="step"><div class="step-n">1</div><div><h3>Back up your databases first</h3>
<div class="term"><div class="term-bar"><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ff5f56"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ffbd2e"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#27c93f"></div><span class="term-label">cmd.exe</span></div><div class="term-body"><div><span class="t-cm"># Back up all databases before uninstalling:</span></div><div><span class="t-p">C:\></span> <span class="t-c">pg_dumpall -U postgres -f C:\backup\final_backup.sql</span></div></div></div>
<div class="callout callout-warn"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.8" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"><path d="M10.29 3.86L1.82 18a2 2 0 0 0 1.71 3h16.94a2 2 0 0 0 1.71-3L13.71 3.86a2 2 0 0 0-3.42 0z"/><line x1="12" y1="9" x2="12" y2="13"/><line x1="12" y1="17" x2="12.01" y2="17"/></svg><span>This is your last chance to export your data. Once the service is removed, you cannot use pg_dumpall.</span></div>
</div></li>
<li class="step"><div class="step-n">2</div><div><h3>Stop the service</h3>
<div class="term"><div class="term-bar"><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ff5f56"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ffbd2e"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#27c93f"></div><span class="term-label">cmd.exe — Administrator</span></div><div class="term-body"><div><span class="t-p">C:\></span> <span class="t-c">net stop postgresql-x64-18</span></div><div><span class="t-ok">The postgresql-x64-18 service was stopped successfully.</span></div></div></div>
</div></li>
<li class="step"><div class="step-n">3</div><div><h3>Uninstall via Settings or the EDB uninstaller</h3><p>Settings → Apps → Installed apps → search <strong>PostgreSQL</strong> → click the three-dot menu → <strong>Uninstall</strong>. Or run the uninstaller directly:</p>
<div class="term"><div class="term-bar"><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ff5f56"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ffbd2e"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#27c93f"></div><span class="term-label">cmd.exe — Administrator</span></div><div class="term-body"><div><span class="t-cm"># Run the EDB uninstaller directly:</span></div><div><span class="t-p">C:\></span> <span class="t-c">"C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\18\uninstall-postgresql.exe"</span></div></div></div>
</div></li>
<li class="step"><div class="step-n">4</div><div><h3>Delete the data directory to free disk space</h3><p>The uninstaller leaves the data directory intact. Delete it manually to free disk space:</p>
<div class="term"><div class="term-bar"><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ff5f56"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ffbd2e"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#27c93f"></div><span class="term-label">PowerShell — Administrator</span></div><div class="term-body"><div><span class="t-cm"># Check size first:</span></div><div><span class="t-p">PS></span> <span class="t-c">(Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL" -Recurse | Measure-Object Length -Sum).Sum / 1GB</span></div><div></div><div><span class="t-cm"># Delete the entire PostgreSQL folder:</span></div><div><span class="t-p">PS></span> <span class="t-c">Remove-Item "C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL" -Recurse -Force</span></div></div></div>
</div></li>
<li class="step"><div class="step-n">5</div><div><h3>Remove Windows Firewall rule</h3>
<div class="term"><div class="term-bar"><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ff5f56"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#ffbd2e"></div><div class="term-dot" style="background:#27c93f"></div><span class="term-label">PowerShell — Administrator</span></div><div class="term-body"><div><span class="t-p">PS></span> <span class="t-c">Remove-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "PostgreSQL 5432"</span></div></div></div>
</div></li>
<li class="step"><div class="step-n">6</div><div><h3>Clean up PATH</h3><p>Settings → System → Advanced system settings → Environment Variables → select <strong>Path</strong> under User variables → Edit → remove any PostgreSQL entries.</p></div></li>
</ul></div>
<div class="section" aria-labelledby="leftovers-h2"><span class="section-label">Remaining files</span><h2 id="leftovers-h2">What the uninstaller leaves behind</h2>
<div class="tbl-wrap"><table><thead><tr><th>Location</th><th>Contents</th><th>Safe to delete?</th></tr></thead><tbody>
<tr><td><code>C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\18\data</code></td><td>All your databases</td><td class="td-ok">Yes — after backing up</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>%APPDATA%\postgresql</code></td><td>pgpass.conf, user config</td><td class="td-ok">Yes</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>%APPDATA%\pgAdmin 4</code></td><td>pgAdmin settings, saved queries</td><td class="td-ok">Yes</td></tr>
<tr><td>PATH environment variable</td><td>PostgreSQL bin path entry</td><td class="td-ok">Remove via Environment Variables</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>
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<div class="section" aria-labelledby="faq-h2"><span class="section-label">FAQ</span><h2 id="faq-h2">Uninstall questions</h2><div class="faq">
<div class="faq-item"><details><summary>Does uninstalling PostgreSQL delete my databases?</summary><div class="faq-ans">No. The EDB uninstaller removes the server binaries and service registration but leaves the data directory completely untouched. Your databases are safe until you manually delete the data folder.</div></details></div>
<div class="faq-item"><details><summary>How do I uninstall multiple PostgreSQL versions?</summary><div class="faq-ans">Repeat the process for each version. Each major version has its own uninstaller at <code>C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\{version}\uninstall-postgresql.exe</code> and its own service name (<code>postgresql-x64-16</code>, <code>postgresql-x64-17</code>, etc.).</div></details></div>
<div class="faq-item"><details><summary>PostgreSQL does not appear in Settings → Apps</summary><div class="faq-ans">Run the uninstaller directly from <code>C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\{version}\uninstall-postgresql.exe</code>. If the binary is missing, manually stop and delete the service: <code>sc stop postgresql-x64-18</code> then <code>sc delete postgresql-x64-18</code>.</div></details></div>
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