How to Remove AnyDesk Completely: A Quick Guide for IT Professionals

AnyDesk is a versatile remote desktop application widely used for its efficiency and user-friendly interface. However, there are scenarios where removing AnyDesk completely becomes necessary, including for users of RDS-based software. This guide will provide you with detailed steps to ensure AnyDesk is entirely removed from Windows, Mac and Linux systems. And, why not, get you all set for RDS Tools Remote Support .

Why might you remove AnyDesk completely from your system?

Here are four main reasons you might want or need to uninstall AnyDesk:

Freeing Up System Resources

AnyDesk can consume system resources even when not in active use. If stopping AnyDesk access on your system is not enough, you may want to remove it. Indeed, removing it will free up CPU, memory and disk space. Improving the overall performance of your systems will particularly benefit servers found to be running multiple RDS sessions.

Needing to End Anydesk Remote Desktop Access

Use and feature requirements change over time according to projects, schedules and planning. If your organisation has completed a project which required remote desktop access, then removing AnyDesk once you have finished will streamline your system. This indeed helps maintain a cleaner environment thus reducing potential security risks associated with unused software.

Troubleshooting and Ensuring System Integrity

Conflicts between AnyDesk and other applications, particularly those related to RDS, can cause system instability. Uninstalling AnyDesk would be a critical step in identifying and resolving such issues, ensuring smoother operation of your RDS environment.

Switching to a New Remote Desktop Solution

Transitioning to a new remote desktop solution, possibly one that better integrates with Microsoft RDS, can necessitate complete removal of AnyDesk. Ensuring a clean removal prevents conflicts and optimises the performance of your new solution such as RDS Tools Remote Support .

How to Completely Remove AnyDesk from your System: Windows

To ensure a thorough removal of AnyDesk, Windows offers several methods, namely Applications and Features, uninstaller.exe, the Run command or a third-party uninstaller of your choice.

1: Applications and Features

Tip:

Remember to cut all AnyDesk unseen processes before starting to uninstall it. For this, the Task Manager is quickly accessed with keys Ctrl+Shift+Esc. To end them, find in the list and select any running processes related to AnyDesk.

Steps:

1. Open Applications and Features:
   • Press Win+I to open Settings.
   • Go to Apps > Apps & features.
3. Locate AnyDesk:
   • Find AnyDesk using the search bar.
5. Click on AnyDesk:
   • Select Uninstall.
   • Follow the prompts to complete the process.

2: Uninstaller.exe

Tip:

Using application-specific uninstallers is known to potentially be more thorough than the Windows built-in uninstaller.

Steps:

1. Open Program Files:
   • Search for AnyDesk files.
   • Within the AnyDesk folder, look for its installation folder.
3. Run the Uninstaller:
   • Double-click uninstaller.exe.
   • Follow the on-screen instructions to remove AnyDesk.

3: Run Command

Note:

This more tech-savvy method is perhaps the quickest way since it involves less navigation.

Steps:

1. Open Run:
   • Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
3. Execute Command:
   • Type appwiz.cpl and press Enter.
5. Programs and Features window:
   • Find AnyDesk and uninstall it.

4: Third-Party Uninstallers

Steps:

1. Install the Uninstaller:
   • Download and install a third-party uninstaller.
3. Run the Uninstaller:
   • Launch the tool and select AnyDesk from the list of installed programs.
   • Follow the prompts to remove AnyDesk and perform a deep scan for residual files.

Note:

Occasional files or registry entries can sometimes be omitted by standard uninstallation programs. Third-party uninstallers, on the other hand, tend to be more thorough in ensuring no trace remains. Nonetheless, make sure you download your third-party software from a reliable source.

Any of these instructions should ensure complete uninstallation from a Windows system. Now, let us go through how to completely remove AnyDesk from a Mac.

How to Completely Remove AnyDesk from your System: Mac OS

It will come as no surprise that steps to uninstall AnyDesk from a Mac involve a different set of steps to the above Windows instructions. Here, you can either manually uninstall AnyDesk or use CleanMyMac X which should ensure a more thorough cleanup.

1: Uninstall Manually

Steps:

1. Open Finder:
   • Go to Applications or use Spotlight to find AnyDesk.
3. Move to Trash:
   • Drag AnyDesk to the Trash.
5. Delete Permanently:
   • Empty the Trash to remove the application.
7. Remove Remaining Files:
   
   • Check the Library folder for any remaining files related to AnyDesk. Look in such locations as:
     • ~/Library/Application Support/
     • ~/Library/Preferences/
     • ~/Library/Logs/

Tip:

Key combination Cmd+Shift+G is the Go to Folder feature. Directly access hidden folders where residual files might be located by using the feature in Finder.

2: CleanMyMac X

Tip:

Additionally to uninstalling the application, CleanMyMac X also scans for and removes associated junk files. It is a handy tool to generally provide a cleaner system.

Steps:

1. Launch CleanMyMac X: some text
   • Open CleanMyMac X on your Mac.
3. Go to Applications:
   • Open Uninstaller.
5. Find AnyDesk:
   • Search the list of applications and select AnyDesk.
7. Click the Uninstall button:
   • This should remove AnyDesk and all its associated files.

These instructions ensure complete uninstallation from MacOS. Now, let us go through how to completely remove AnyDesk from Linux.

How to Completely Remove AnyDesk from your System: Linux

Terminal commands are the key tool for Linux users to remove AnyDesk. This simple set of steps will guide you through uninstalling AnyDesk and any associated files, using the relevant terminal commands.

Terminal Commands

Tip:

For Linux distributions like Fedora or CentOS, use the respective package manager commands (dnf or yum) to remove AnyDesk.

Steps:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open the terminal.
2. Uninstall AnyDesk:
   • Run the following command to remove AnyDesk:

bash

3. Remove Configuration Files:

• To remove configuration files and dependencies, use:

bash

4. Clean Up Residual Files:

• Remove any residual files with:

bash

Tip:

To ensure complete removal, always check in your home directory and system directories for any remaining AnyDesk configuration files.

This final set of instructions ensures complete uninstallation from Linux. With three major operating systems all clean and ready, it is time to wrap up.

Conclusion to How to Remove AnyDesk Completely

Completely removing AnyDesk means your system can perform optimally. Following this guide step by step, on Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems, should help you free up resources and prevent potential conflicts with other software as well as our primary goal of completely removing AnyDesk.

Bear in mind you can do all this remotely with RDS-Tools Remote Support in all security and at any time. Indeed, it is our simple and efficient tool for remote assistance, screen sharing and control. Moreover, to enhance your RDS experience with advanced tools, consider exploring the suite of products offered by RDS-Tools Our solutions are designed to complement and enhance your RDS environment, ensuring optimal performance and security.

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