How to Remove Services in Windows 10

Remove services from the list in the services.msc utility in Microsoft Windows with one of these two options.

Option 1 – Command

1. You can also remove services using a command line. Hold down the Windows Key, then press “R” to bring up the Run dialog.
2. Type “SC DELETE servicename“, then press “Enter“.

“servicename” should be the exact name of the service.

Option 2 – Registry

1. Hold down the Windows Key and press “R“.
2. Type “regedit“, then select “OK“.
3. Navigate to the following location in the registry:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
   • System
   • CurrentControlSet
   • Services
4. There are folders under “Services” that contain each service. The “DisplayName” values in each of these folders equals the Service Name. Go through the list or use the “Edit” > “Find” menu to search for the service you wish to remove.

FAQ

These steps only delete the name of the service. How do I delete the actual program that is running as a service?

You can track it down with these steps:

1. Right-click the taskbar and choose “Task Manager“.
2. Select the “Services” tab.
3. Right-click the service you wish to delete, then choose “Go to details“.
4. The process related to the service is highlighted. If you wish to remove it, you can track it down by right-clicking it and selecting “Open file location“. From there, either uninstall the related program from “Add/Remove Programs” or delete the EXE file as desired.