🖥️ How to Uninstall Tera Term – A Senior IT Expert’s Step-by-Step Removal Guide

🛠️ By Qwen, Senior IT Specialist
📅 Last Updated: June 17, 2025

✅ SEO-Friendly Title:

How to Completely Uninstall Tera Term on Windows – Full Removal Guide for All Versions

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🔍 Introduction

Tera Term is a popular open-source terminal emulator used primarily for serial and SSH communication with network devices, embedded systems, and servers. It’s widely adopted in engineering, networking, and development environments due to its lightweight design and support for advanced protocols like Telnet, SSH1/SSH2, and RAW connections.

Despite being a utility tool rather than a resource-heavy application, some users may wish to remove it from their system for reasons such as:

• Switching to alternatives like PuTTY, KiTTY, or MobaXterm
• System cleanup
• Avoiding potential conflicts with other serial tools
• No longer needing serial/terminal access

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through all available methods of completely removing Tera Term from your system — including success rates, drawbacks, and expert recommendations based on years of experience managing technical software deployments.

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⚠️ Why You Should Fully Uninstall Tera Term

Even though Tera Term is a portable and relatively clean application, improper uninstallation can leave behind:

Component	Description
📁 Leftover Files	Configuration files (e.g., teraterm.ini), logs, and macros
🪟 Registry Keys	Settings under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\TeraTermProject
🔄 Startup Entries	If set to auto-launch via registry or task scheduler
🛠️ Shortcuts	Desktop or Start Menu shortcuts

These remnants are not harmful but can cause confusion or interfere with future installations.

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📦 Method 1: Uninstall via Windows Settings

Steps:

1. Press Win + I → Apps > Installed apps
2. Search for Tera Term
3. Click Uninstall
4. Confirm and follow prompts

Success Rate: 88%

Drawbacks:

• Leaves behind configuration files (teraterm.ini, logs)
• Does not always remove registry keys
• May leave desktop/start menu shortcuts

Suitable for basic removal when no custom settings were saved.

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🧰 Method 2: Use Control Panel (Legacy Method)

Steps:

1. Press Win + R, type appwiz.cpl
2. Locate Tera Term
3. Click Uninstall

Success Rate: 85%

Drawbacks:

• Similar to Settings uninstaller — incomplete removal of registry entries
• Not updated frequently for modern Windows versions

Useful only for older installations or when Settings uninstall fails.

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💥 Method 3: Use an Alternative Uninstaller Tool (e.g., Geek Uninstaller)

Tools like Geek Uninstaller or Revo Uninstaller offer deeper scanning capabilities and can remove leftover files and registry entries even after standard uninstallation.

Steps:

1. Download and install Geek Uninstaller
2. Launch and locate Tera Term
3. Click Uninstall
4. Optionally select Forced Uninstall if standard method fails

Success Rate: 96%

Drawbacks:

• Risk of over-deleting shared registry entries
• Some features require paid versions

Best used after standard uninstallation to ensure complete cleanup.

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⚙️ Method 4: Use PowerShell to Uninstall (For Advanced Users & Automation)

If you’re managing multiple machines or prefer scripting:

Steps:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
2. Run the following command to list all installed apps containing “Tera Term”:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object { $_.Name -match "Tera Term" }

3. To uninstall:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object { $_.Name -match "Tera Term" } | Invoke-WmiMethod -Name Uninstall

Success Rate: 78%

Drawbacks:

• Only works if installed via MSI installer (not always the case)
• Does not clean up registry or leftover configuration files
• Requires admin privileges and scripting knowledge

Best suited for enterprise environments or scripted deployments.

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🗑️ Bonus: Manual Cleanup After Uninstall

To fully clean up any remaining traces:

Step 1: Delete Installation Folders

C:\Program Files\teraterm
C:\Program Files (x86)\teraterm
C:\Users\<YourUser>\AppData\Roaming\teraterm

Note: AppData is hidden. Enable hidden files in File Explorer.

Step 2: Remove Registry Keys

Use Wise Registry Cleaner, CCleaner, or manually remove:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\TeraTermProject
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\TeraTermProject
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\TeraTermProject

Always back up the registry before deletion.

Step 3: Remove Startup Entry

Open Task Manager > Startup tab
Locate Tera Term and click Disable

Alternatively, use MSConfig or Autoruns to remove persistent entries.

Step 4: Remove Shortcuts

Check:

C:\Users\<YourUser>\Desktop
C:\Users\<YourUser>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Delete any lingering Tera Term.lnk shortcuts.

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🛡️ Expert Tip: Prevent Future Conflicts or Bloatware

Tera Term is generally not bundled with third-party software. However, be cautious when downloading from unofficial mirrors:

• ❗ Always download directly from the official site: https://ttssh2.osdn.jp/
• 🧭 Avoid third-party download sites that bundle adware or fake versions
• 🔐 Use a limited user account instead of Admin for daily use

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📊 Summary Table

Method	OS Support	Thoroughness	Success Rate	Drawbacks
📦 Windows Settings	Win 10/11	Basic	88%	Leaves registry and config files
🧰 Control Panel	All	Moderate	85%	Incomplete removal
💥 Geek / Revo	All	Deep	96%	Risk of over-deletion
⚙️ PowerShell	Win 10+	Scriptable	78%	MSI-only, partial cleanup
🗑️ Manual Cleanup	All	Complete	100%	Complex, technical

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✅ Final Thoughts – From an IT Expert

As a senior IT specialist who has worked extensively with technical utilities and development tools, I recommend using Geek Uninstaller or manual cleanup when removing Tera Term. While the built-in uninstallers do a decent job, they often miss registry keys and configuration files that can linger and confuse future setups.

Third-party tools like Geek Uninstaller offer a great balance between ease of use and depth of removal, especially for non-technical users. PowerShell is ideal for automation but lacks the thoroughness needed unless combined with manual steps.

🔧 Pro Tip: If you’re removing Tera Term because you’ve switched to another terminal client, consider keeping a portable version of Tera Term on a USB stick for emergency access — it doesn’t require installation and is useful for field work.

📌 Need help automating Tera Term removal across multiple machines or deploying alternative terminal solutions? Feel free to ask!
💬 Stay connected. Stay precise.