How to Uninstall Microsoft Teams and Stop It From Auto-Starting

This guide shows you how to completely remove Microsoft Teams from your Windows computer and stop it from launching automatically when you sign in. You’ll learn the proper uninstall order, how to disable its background processes, and how to clear leftover files so it doesn’t come back.

What You’ll Need

• Administrator access to your Windows PC (you’ll need to approve User Account Control prompts).
• About 10–15 minutes of time, depending on your system speed.
• If you use Teams for work or school, contact your IT department before removing it—they may reinstall it automatically or require it.

Step-by-Step

1. Close Microsoft Teams completely. Right-click the Teams icon in the system tray (bottom-right near the clock) and choose Quit. If you don’t see the icon, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), find any process named Teams or ms-teams, right-click it, and select End Task.
2. Uninstall the user-level Teams app. Open Settings (Windows + I) → Apps → Installed apps. Search for “Teams.” You’ll likely see one or two entries: Microsoft Teams (the classic version) and Microsoft Teams (work or school) (the new version). Click the three-dot menu next to each and select Uninstall. Confirm any prompts. Do this for all Teams entries you find.
3. Uninstall the machine-wide installer (if present). Some versions install for all users. Open Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features. Look for Microsoft Teams or Teams Machine-Wide Installer. Right-click and uninstall it. If it’s not there, skip this step.
4. Delete leftover folders. After uninstalling, open File Explorer and go to the following locations. Delete any Teams-related folders you find (right-click → Delete):
   • %AppData%\Microsoft\Teams (user data and cache)
   • %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Teams (installation files)
   • %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\TeamsMeetingAddin (Outlook add-in)
   • %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Teams (machine-wide data)

   To quickly access these, press Windows + R, type the path, and press Enter. If a folder is locked, restart your PC and try again.

5. Disable Teams from auto-starting. Even after uninstall, Teams may still be set to launch at sign-in. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) → Startup tab. Look for Microsoft Teams or Teams. Right-click it and choose Disable. If it’s not there, skip this step.
6. Check for Teams in the registry (optional but thorough). Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Teams and delete that key if it exists. Also check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Teams. Be careful—only delete keys that clearly belong to Teams. If you’re unsure, skip this step.
7. Restart your PC. This ensures all Teams processes are fully stopped and any locked files are removed.
8. Verify removal. After restart, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc and check that no Teams processes are running. Also check the Start menu for any Teams shortcut—if present, right-click and uninstall or delete it.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to quit Teams before uninstalling. If Teams is running, the uninstaller may fail or leave files behind.
• Only uninstalling one version. Many PCs have both the classic and the new Teams installed. You must remove both.
• Skipping the machine-wide installer. This can cause Teams to reappear after a reboot or when another user signs in.
• Deleting the wrong registry key. Only delete keys that explicitly mention Teams. Deleting other Office keys can break Outlook or Word.
• Not checking the Startup tab. Even if Teams is gone, its startup entry may remain and cause errors.

Tips

• Use the official uninstaller first. Microsoft provides a cleanup script, but the manual steps above are usually sufficient. If you prefer, download the “Microsoft Teams (work or school) uninstall script” from Microsoft’s support site and run it as administrator.
• Check for the Outlook add-in. If you use Outlook, Teams may have installed an add-in. Go to Outlook → File → Options → Add-ins. Look for “Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in” and disable it if you don’t want it.
• If you use Teams for school or work, talk to your IT admin first. They may have policies that reinstall it automatically, or you might need it for classes/meetings.
• Consider the web version. If you only need Teams occasionally, use the browser version at teams.microsoft.com instead of reinstalling the desktop app.

Troubleshooting

• Teams won’t uninstall or says “We’re sorry, we ran into a problem.” This often happens when Teams is still running in the background. Open Task Manager, end all Teams processes, then try again. If it still fails, run the official Microsoft uninstall script (search “Teams uninstall script” on Microsoft’s site).
• Teams reappears after restart. This usually means the machine-wide installer is still present. Go back to Control Panel and uninstall Teams Machine-Wide Installer. If it’s not there, check %ProgramFiles%\Teams Installer and delete it.
• You see a Teams icon in the system tray after uninstall. Right-click it and choose Quit, then restart your PC. If it persists, check the Startup tab and disable it.
• Outlook shows a Teams meeting button after uninstall. This is the add-in. Disable it in Outlook’s add-in settings as described in Tips.
• You get an error when deleting leftover folders. Some files are in use. Restart your PC and try again immediately after boot, before opening any apps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will uninstalling Teams delete my chat history?

No. Your chats and files are stored in the cloud (Microsoft 365). Uninstalling the desktop app only removes local data; you’ll see everything again when you sign in on another device or the web.

Can I reinstall Teams later?

Yes. You can download it again from the Microsoft website or from your organization’s portal. It’s a straightforward install.

Why does Teams keep reinstalling itself?

If you have the Teams Machine-Wide Installer, it can reinstall Teams for all users. Uninstall that as well, and check your company’s policies—some IT departments force install it.

Is it safe to delete the registry keys?

Yes, if you delete only the keys that mention Teams. But it’s optional—most users don’t need to touch the registry. If you’re not comfortable, skip that step.

Will this stop Teams from auto-starting?

Yes, the combination of uninstalling and disabling the Startup entry will stop it from launching automatically. If you only wanted to stop auto-start (not uninstall), you can just disable it in Task Manager’s Startup tab.

What if I use Teams for work and can’t uninstall it?

Some organizations require Teams. Contact your IT helpdesk—they may provide a way to disable auto-start or offer a web-only option.

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