IObit Uninstaller

CNET Editors' review

Portable uninstallers rank as some of the most useful tools to have on a USB drive, especially if you're the person who helps technophobic friends and family with their forehead-slappers. We looked at IObit Uninstaller, which is portable freeware. Among its advantages are the ability to find and eliminate leftover files and its Toolbars Uninstallation Module, which targets those pesky adware toolbars that sneak into your system via cleverly configured installers and setup wizards. These toolbars can be a royal pain in the cache, and a free tool that gives them the heave-ho sounded like a winner.

As portable freeware, IObit Uninstaller requires no installation itself but runs when you click its program file. A compact, colorful interface quickly populated with our system's installed programs, displaying the size and installation date of each. A useful selection of sorting options runs along the left-hand side, letting users select All Programs, Toolbars, Recently Installed, Large Programs, Rarely Used, and Windows Updates. Commands are labeled Uninstall, Forced Uninstall, Manage, and Clean PC, though the last entry merely accesses another of the developer's downloads. Under Manage, we could manage the log, export the application list, and view the restore point, while the Uninstall command offered Standard and Advanced modes; we selected the latter. Anxious to try the toolbar zapper, we clicked Toolbars and selected two of the four entries, the other two being Firefox add-ons we wanted to keep. We clicked Uninstall, and a dialog appeared indicating that IObit was creating a system restore point, uninstalling the selection, and optionally scanning the Registry for leftover items. We opted to initiate the scan after the selected programs were removed. Including the restore point and pop-up notifications, the process takes a bit longer than the standard Windows add/remove program tool, but then it does more than Windows does as well. We also found that we had to close browser pages that solicit user feedback when a program is removed to allow the uninstaller to proceed in a couple of instances, so be on the lookout for that.

IOBit Uninstaller is one of the most powerful uninstallers we've seen in some time. It takes longer than other tools of its type, but it's thorough. Unwanted toolbars are harder to get rid of than bedbugs in a cheap motel. Just being able to throw those bums out earns IOBit Uninstaller a place in our toolkit.

Publisher's Description

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All User Reviews
  • All versions:

    4.3 stars

    out of 189 votes

    • 5 star: 121
    • 4 star: 40
    • 3 star: 10
    • 2 star: 5
    • 1 star: 13
  • Current version:

    3.2 stars

    out of 5 votes

    • 5 star: 2
    • 4 star: 1
    • 3 star: 0
    • 2 star: 0
    • 1 star: 2
  • My rating:

    0 stars

    Write review

Results 1-5 of 5

  • 5.0 stars

    "Best for FREE"

    June 12, 2013  |   By TazR1MyCnet1

    Version: IObit Uninstaller 2.4.7.340

    Pros

    Dose a great job with the super reg removal

    Cons

    Sometimes crashes

    Summary

    Can't complain about the free item Iorbit gives free.

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  • 1.0 stars

    "You'll never be able to uninstall it!"

    May 30, 2013  |   By rorscan

    Version: IObit Uninstaller 2.4.7.340

    Pros

    It uninstalls anything except itself. Do NOT put it on your computer! A flash drive, maybe.

    Cons

    The IObit Uninstaller can't be uninstalled - so IObit tells us it "...does not need to be installed on your computer...". Fine time to tell me that! I already installed it, for pete's sake! Now tell me how to get rid of it. I don't want it taking up space. Does it also write into the Registry?

    Summary

    Without warning you, this program becomes a permanent resident on your computer. I resent that.

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  • 4.0 stars

    "it does what it says"

    May 28, 2013  |   By chinki6

    Version: IObit Uninstaller 2.4.7.340

    Pros

    its real un installer...it saved me and my pc

    Cons

    no cons so far

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  • 1.0 stars

    "A pile of craplets & malware"

    April 24, 2013  |   By Larry_smithjonesfakename

    Version: IObit Uninstaller 2.4.7.340

    Pros

    It does do what it claims, in fact it does it very well

    Cons

    In fact, it does it so well that it will eliminate every program you want EXCEPT itself. Once its installed it puts malware, spyware and other crap I can't find- and, you won't be able to uninstall it as theres no windows listing to remove it. I give it a 1/2 out of 5 for being bastards without a un-installer.

    Summary

    Find something without malware, spyware or full of craplets- oh, and did I forget to mention that if you try to delete it will only re-direct you to its Amazon.com store?

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  • 5.0 stars

    "One of the Best!!"

    March 15, 2013  |   By tonester59

    Version: IObit Uninstaller 2.4.7.340

    Pros

    Terrific uninstaller that can remove toolbars and 64 bit programs. A nice touch is the way it automatically sets a restore point before uninstalling, which others don't do. Does a good job of cleanup afterwards, but may sometimes miss stuff. Also, it blocks the online survey page that many programs try to take you to, which can be either a pro or a con.

    Cons

    None to speak of.

    Summary

    I've used the Iobit Uninstaller for a couple of years now, and it just works like a charm. No frills or extras, it does what it's meant to do without problems or incidents. It doesn't take up a lot of disk space and has worked with everything I've tried it with. I definitely recommend it !

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Results 1-5 of 5

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