How to Uninstall Microsoft Teams: A Step-by-Step Guide

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration tool widely used for remote work and online meetings. But if you find yourself not needing it anymore and want to uninstall it, you might find that it's not as straightforward as uninstalling other applications. This guide outlines the steps to completely uninstall Microsoft Teams from Windows and macOS systems.

For Windows Users

Things to Consider

Uninstalling Microsoft Teams from a Windows computer can be a bit tricky. That's because Microsoft Teams comes with another program called "Teams Machine-Wide Installer," which can reinstall the main Teams app automatically. Both must be uninstalled to permanently remove Teams from your computer.

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Steps to Uninstall Microsoft Teams on Windows

1. Go to Settings: Open your computer settings or Control Panel.
2. Navigate to Apps: Click on "Apps" or "Add or Remove Programs," depending on your version of Windows.
3. Search for Teams: In the search bar, type "Teams" to locate the Microsoft Teams application.
4. Uninstall Teams: Click on "Microsoft Teams" and then click "Uninstall."
5. Uninstall Teams Machine-Wide Installer: In the same window, search again for "Teams Machine-Wide Installer." If it's there, click it and then click "Uninstall."
6. Double-check Installation: After uninstalling both, Microsoft Teams should not reappear on your system unless you reinstall Microsoft Office, in which case you should be cautious not to reinstall Teams unintentionally.

For macOS Users

Steps to Uninstall Microsoft Teams on macOS

1. Quit Teams: Right-click the Teams app in the dock, hold down Option, and select "Force Quit."
2. Delete the App: Open the Applications folder, locate Microsoft Teams, and move it to the Trash.
3. Remove Cache and Support Files: To completely remove all traces of Teams, you'll also want to delete a number of folders. Open Finder and click "Go > Go To Folder," then navigate to and delete the following folders:
4. ~/Library/Caches/com.microsoft.teams
5. ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams
6. ...and other folders as listed in the original content.

Conclusion

Uninstalling Microsoft Teams requires a bit more attention to detail than uninstalling other apps, especially on Windows systems where the Teams Machine-Wide Installer can cause the app to reappear. Following these steps should help you completely remove Microsoft Teams from your computer, whether you're using a Windows or macOS system.