Remove services from the list in the services.msc utility in Microsoft Windows with one of these two options.
Option 1 – Command
- You can also remove services using a command line. Hold down the Windows Key, then press “R” to bring up the Run dialog.
- Type “SC DELETE servicename“, then press “Enter“.
“servicename” should be the exact name of the service.
Option 2 – Registry
- Hold down the Windows Key and press “R“.
- Type “regedit“, then select “OK“.
- Navigate to the following location in the registry:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- System
- CurrentControlSet
- Services
- 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:
- Right-click the taskbar and choose “Task Manager“.
- Select the “Services” tab.
- Right-click the service you wish to delete, then choose “Go to details“.
- 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.
Andrew says
Hi,
when I find the service in “services” the “Go to details” option is grayed out. Is there a way around? Thanks
Charles S says
Very good and well documented help for deleting a service. Thank you.