ABBYY FineReader PDF is a desktop OCR and PDF-editing suite that drops its main program, licensing service, shell extensions, language packs, and per-user caches in a dozen separate places. Because the installer registers services, scheduled tasks, and context-menu handlers, a regular “Uninstall” often leaves behind DLLs, temp folders, and registry keys that later interfere with reinstallation or simply waste space.
Use the steps below to wipe it out on a Windows 10/11 PC.
- Close FineReader and all Office apps that may be using its plug-ins.
- Run the built-in uninstaller
• Settings → Apps → Installed apps → ABBYY FineReader PDF → Uninstall → follow the wizard.
(If the entry is missing, open Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features → right-click ABBYY FineReader PDF → Uninstall.) - Remove program folders
Delete these directories if they still exist:
– C:\Program Files\ABBYY FineReader
– C:\Program Files (x86)\ABBYY FineReader
– C:\ProgramData\ABBYY\FineReader\
– %LOCALAPPDATA%\ABBYY\FineReader\
– %APPDATA%\ABBYY\FineReader\ - Clean the registry
• Press Windows + R → regedit → back up the registry.
• Delete keys under
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ABBYY
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ABBYY
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ABBYY - Reboot the machine
This clears any locked services and shell extensions.
For a one-click approach, run PerfectUninstaller; it will find and erase every remaining FineReader file, folder, and registry entry automatically.
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