How to Uninstall RealPlayer

By Joe on February 2, 2008

RealPlayer has been labeled Badware and they’ve advised that you uninstall RealPlayer. However, understand that uninstall is not enough to remove their software. This media player will reside in your computer even after uninstalling. I’ll describe below how to completely remove RealPlayer from your computer and provide some great free alternatives to it.

Uninstall RealPlayer via Add/Remove Programs:

Make sure RealPlayer is closed. You can check this by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL and looking in the task manager under Processes for “real.exe” “realsched.exe.”
Click the Windows Start button, point to (All) Programs > Real > RealPlayer > Uninstall RealPlayer.
The Uninstallation of RealPlayer dialog appears, showing check box choices of components that are available for uninstall. Check all the checkboxes and click Uninstall.
Uninstall all the components.

Delete the RealPlayer Folders:
To delete the folders for RealPlayer located at:
C:\Program Files\Real\RealPlayer\*.*
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\*.*
C:\Documents and Settings\[WindowsUsername]\Application Data\Real\*.*

Go to My Computer.
Go to C:\ or Local Disk (C:\).
Go to the Program Files folder.
Go to the Real folder.
Delete the RealPlayer folders: C:\Program Files\Real\RealPlayer
Go back to the Program Files folder.
Go to the Common Files folder.
Delete the Real folder: c:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\
Go back twice to the C:\ drive and open the Documents and Settings folder.
Go to your Windows username (e.g. Owner”) folder.
Go to the Application Data folder.
Delete the Real folder.

Delete the RealPlayer Registry Keys/Entries:
To delete the settings and configuration files for RealPlayer within the Windows Registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\RealNetworks\. Warning: This is for advanced users.

Click Start > Run and type in regedit and press Enter.
Locate on the left side the hive (folder) named HKEY_CURRENT_USER, double-click it.
Scroll down and locate the Software hive, double-click it.
Locate the RealNetworks hive, select it (highlight it) and press the Delete key on your keyboard.
Close Regedit and restart your computer.

Now, RealPlayer should be completely removed from your computer. There are several free alternatives that you may be interested in. ITunes, Winamp or VLCPlayer respect your decision not to startup automatically and they don’t bombard you with unnecessary product “updates.” Additionally, they’re totally free, and their uninstallers really uninstall the program.

I would also suggest reading my article on four simple things you can do to prevent spyware/malware/adware from getting on your computer since you will probably want to run a scan anyhow.

Posted in Blogging, Geeky, Safety, Tips | Tagged realplayer, Safety, Security, spyware, Tips, tutorials

Arne

thanks for your helpful blog on this horror subject.
but, i have this very strange problem: first, when trying to uninstall via standard 'remove hardware', this nazi software only removed the uninstall.exe (if there ever was one!) - after stumbling upon your blog i installed it again and thought this should solve the problem...
only to find out that my alternative player has to be adjusted again (of course) and - believe it or not - there is NO uninstall.exe to be found anywhere. got the realsched.exe, real.exe plus lot's of other stuff.
please, let me know what to do...
10000 thanks,
arne

Joseph Manna

Arne,

It sounds like you have a botched install. I would honestly suggest downloading and installing it. Following that, reboot and uninstall it. If the other files still remain, follow the steps included in my blog post to remove it. You may also want to confirm that RealPlayer/Realsched is removed from the startup items (use MSCONFIG) to be safe. :)

Let me know if that works, or what other horrors that I don't know about yet.

~joe

Arne

Joe,

quote: It sounds like you have a botched install. I would honestly suggest downloading and installing it.

- but that's what i already did... i downloaded it again, but still there doesn't appear any uninstall option in the start menues program folder; when again 'removing' via 'remove software' (before even getting a chance to follow you steps) i fear it will again tell me i did accidentally just remove something important (the uninstall-exe?...) to be necessary for the removal - that's what already happenend! I'd like to avoid that.
But i might just try the 'remove software' ceremony again - i then let you know what happened this time.
I already found a 'rnuninst_de.dll' and a 'r1puninst.exe' in some of the Real folders - if nothing else works, should i open one of those to make the removal work?

thanks alot

Shadi

Had the same problem, but it's OK now

Make sure RealPlayer removed
Delete the RealPlayer Folders:
To delete the folders for RealPlayer located at:
C:\Program Files\Real\RealPlayer\*.*
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\*.*
C:\Documents and Settings\[WindowsUsername]\Application Data\Real\*.*

1. Go to My Computer.
2. Go to C:\ or Local Disk (C:\).
3. Go to the Program Files folder.
4. Go to the Real folder.
5. Delete the RealPlayer folders: C:\Program Files\Real\RealPlayer
6. Go back to the Program Files folder.
7. Go to the Common Files folder.
8. Delete the Real folder: c:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\
9. Go back twice to the C:\ drive and open the Documents and Settings folder.
10. Go to your Windows username (e.g. Owner”) folder.
11. Go to the Application Data folder.
12. Delete the Real folder.
Delete the RealPlayer Registry Keys/Entries:
To delete the settings and configuration files for RealPlayer within the Windows Registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\RealNetworks\. Warning: This is for advanced users.

1. Click Start > Run and type in regedit and press Enter.
2. Locate on the left side the hive (folder) named HKEY_CURRENT_USER, double-click it.
3. Scroll down and locate the Software hive, double-click it.
4. Locate the RealNetworks hive, select it (highlight it) and press the Delete key on your keyboard.
5. Close Regedit and restart your computer.

Joseph Manna

Thanks for the tips, Shadi. I will soon update this article to reflect the best actions for Windows XP, Vista and 7 users. This depends on my risking a reinstall and right now I can't do that. Soon, I promise. :)

Any other tips? Thanks again for commenting.

~joe

serena

thanks for the info on uninstall for real player.....it is a very bad program
does anyone know a good program that I could download Flash (fvi) and avi files?
thanks........

Joseph Manna

Within Firefox, there are legitimate addons that enable you to download Flash video files (FLV) and obviously, AVI. Try this addon to see if it helps: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/... .

Let me know if this works for you. :)

~joe

Amy

There isn't an uninstall option for realplayer on my computer. I go to start, then real, and the only thing in the folder is the realplayer. Not the uninstall.

What do I have to do? Reinstall it?

Joseph Manna

Amy,

Pretty much the game plan here is to download it, install, reboot and uninstall. A pain, I know.

Afterward follow the additional steps on this page to ensure it's completely gone. :)

Hope this helps!

~joe

dave

do you have any tips on how to use the BBC iPlayer TV / Video / Radio options without installing RealPlayer?

Thanks

Joseph Manna

RealPlayer is funded by network agreements from content producers and advertisers. You might be able to uninstall RealPlayer and use RealAlternative or VLC player to play the content. Otherwise, I'm afraid your only other solution is to write to the BBC and ask for an alternative.

REAL ALTERNATIVE: http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Altern...
VLC PLAYER: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

~joe

Mikey

Thank you so much for all your help. I had to log out and log back in to get access to some of the files, but in the end i got the stupid thing completely off my computer! Thanks again!!

Joseph Manna

Good to hear! Thanks for stopping by!

~joe

Ken G.

Hi Joe,
Your instrictions worked great! That Real Player is a pain in the butt! I am running Vista Business, and the Real Player basically never worked. It would simply stop running, making getting to the library impossible. I first deinstalled all but the library component, then reinstalled the Real Player, jumped back on it quick, moved all the files, and then ditched it for good. It was handy for d'loading vids and stuff, however, at least when it didnt crash and quit working. Are there any other programs that will d'load like the feature in RP? I am so fed up with Real Player...POS!!

Thanks again!!

Joseph Manna

Ken,

Your experience sounds almost as if you "upgraded" to Vista, which older versions of RealPlayer are notorious for compatibility with. I suggest trying a different player that offers downloading and commerce to take place within them -- WinAmp or iTunes. Both have their issues, but are much, much more tolerable than RealPlayer. ;)

Hope this helps!

~joe

Lyman McGregor

Thanks for the uninstall directions at top which finally got rid of most everything including the desktop icon. The only thing remaining is the RealPlayer11Gold installer under C:\users\my name\downloads (465K) Is it safe to just delete this?

Many thanks....

Joseph Manna

Yup, this should be safe to remove. It's what they call a "Stub" installer, meaning it will download the latest build from their servers if you open it. Don't need it, you're safe. :)

~joe

Tonnie

Hi Joe,

Nice article, just 1 comment:

Please change the link to the article with 'four simple things you can do to prevent spyware/malware/adware' it now has the URL http://http//www.joemanna.com/articles/four-way...

sm

thanks, that thing was a POS

Joseph Manna

Thanks for your comment. This was the purpose of the blog entry. :)

~joe

Jjag

Hi, I have uninstalled RealPlayer but cannot get rid of the shortcut icon on my desktop. When I tried to delete the icon its says cannot find item at C drive. Do you have any idea how I can get rid of it????

Many thanks.

Audrey

Joseph Manna

This sounds like a permissions issue. I suggest try logging in as Administrator on your computer and then delete the icon. I've found several other software vendors will install RealPlayer as an affiliate/kickback arrangement more than RealPlayer actually installing it.

Let me know an update, hope this helps! :)

~joe

joe

Hey, thanks for the info. I thought maybe you should add HKLM\Software\Real\ as another key to delete.

cheers,
Joe

rob

thanks for your direction on uninstalling realplayer.

it is totally gone now and i feel such a relief.

you are a blessing,

rob

Joseph Manna

Rob,

You're welcome. Glad you found my guide on how to uninstall RealPlayer helpful. Thanks again for stopping by to let me know. :)

~joe

Gabriel

Hi:
I reinstalled real player,
went to start, realplayer, but there is no uninstall option???

How do I un install it??

Joseph Manna

Gabriel,

This might be due to a corrupted registry. I suggest re-downloading it and uninstalling it again. Otherwise, you might want to consider a rollback/reinstall of your operating system. (No joke.)

Let me know some more details or updates on your experience and I'll be happy to help.

~joe

Joe

Laura,

Winamp is separate from RealPlayer; however, I did experience the same thing. I would suggest making sure you are logged into your computer under the Administrator account, then uninstall it from there.

Otherwise, you can also boot into Safe Mode and delete the files that way. (But make sure you attempt to uninstall it correctly via the Add/Remove Programs.)

Then you can download and install the latest version of Winamp at http://www.winamp.com/player .

~Joe

Laura

I am trying to uninstall Winamp and have some folders located in the program files that will not allow me to delete them. I would like to completely uninstall it but don't know what to do. Any help?

Joe

Ralph,

You may need to download and install RealPlayer then uninstall it again. It sounds like some critical files were removed resulting in a broken installation.

By reinstalling it, you are restoring those files, then completely uninstalling it via the steps included above.

Let me know how it goes. :)

~Joe

RALPH KING

whee iclik uninstall it says this item has been moved or changed this shortcut will no longer work, do you want to delete it. i did nothing it still works as it did. in the control panel uninstall it says it may have been already uninstalled but it hasn,t. where do i go from here?

How to Uninstall RealPlayer

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