How to manually uninstall SQL Server.
Applies to: All editions of Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008
R2, Microsoft SQL Server 2012, Microsoft SQL Server 2014, Microsoft SQL Server
2016, Microsoft SQL Server 2017, and Microsoft SQL Server 2019.
If you need to manually uninstall SQL Server 2005, please refer to Microsoft
Support article
KB909967.
If you are trying to uninstall SQL Server 2012 and you receive the error message
"The operating system on the computer does not meet the minimum requirements for
SQL Server 2012", please perform the following procedure as mentioned here:
- Open File Explorer or WIndows Explorer and go to the folder C:\Program
Files\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Setup Bootstrap\SQLServer2012.
- Make a right click on the Setup.exe file, select Properties, click on
the Compatibility tab, click on the checkbox name "Run this program in
compatibility mode for", from the combo box select "Windows Vista (Service
Pack 2)"
- Go to Control Panel, Select "Uninstall a program" and uninstall SQL
Server 2012.
If you are not able to uninstall SQL Server please try the procedure
explained
here.
You have tried everything and you are still unable to uninstall SQL Server,
please to manually uninstall SQL Server using the following procedure:
1. Uninstall all SQL Server components you can using Control Panel ->
Programs and Features
2. Backup the registry.
3. Delete the following keys in regedit:
--HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server
--HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer
4. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
and delete all the sub-keys referencing SQL Server.
5. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services and delete all the
keys referencing SQL Server.
6. Rename all the SQL Server folders in the computer like C:\Program
Files\Microsoft SQL Server and subfolders.