People uninstall wallet software for ordinary reasons: a new computer, a reinstall to fix a problem, a change of platform, or simply tidying up. They also uninstall it in a hurry after a scare, which is when the important distinction below tends to get lost.
The distinction that matters
| Action | What it affects | What it does not affect |
|---|---|---|
| Uninstalling the desktop application | The software and its local data on one computer | Your accounts on the blockchain, your balances, your keys |
| Removing the hardware device from a computer | The physical connection | Anything on the device, or anything on-chain |
| Resetting the hardware device | The device's stored keys, including the PIN | The blockchain, unless you also have the recovery phrase |
| Losing the recovery phrase and resetting the device | Permanent loss of access to the accounts | Nothing else — the records remain on-chain, permanently public and unreachable |
Uninstalling the application does not move, delete, freeze or otherwise touch your assets. Assets exist on the blockchain; the application is a viewer and a transaction builder. Removing the viewer changes nothing about what it was viewing.
Resetting the hardware device deletes the keys it holds. That is safe only if you have your Secret Recovery Phrase stored correctly offline. If you are not certain where your recovery phrase is, do not reset the device. Uninstalling software is reversible; an unnecessary device reset with no backup is not.
Before you uninstall
Confirm where your recovery phrase is
Offline, on paper or metal, in more than one location. Not a photograph, not a note in a cloud account, not a password manager. If you cannot answer this question, stop and resolve it before touching anything else.
Confirm you can reinstall later if needed
Note the developer's official domain and the current release, so that reinstalling is a verified download rather than a search-result gamble.
Note your account names
Account labels are local conveniences. Knowing what you had makes it easier to re-add accounts from the device afterwards; the accounts themselves are derived from the device, not from the application.
Decide what to do about local data
Uninstalling normally removes the application; some local data may remain. Decide in advance whether you want it removed, kept for a later reinstall, or archived.
Make sure the device is with you and unlocked
If the reason for uninstalling is a failing computer, confirm the device still works and that you can access it. The device — not the computer — is what holds your access.
Do not uninstall as a security response without reading the security guide
If you suspect compromise, the order of operations matters. Read security basics first, then come back.
Windows: removing the application
Close the application and its background processes
Check Task Manager for a running instance, including background processes, and end them. An application holding its files open can leave a partial removal behind.
Open the installed-apps list
Go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps (the wording varies slightly between Windows 10 and 11) and find the application in the list.
Start the uninstaller
Select the application and choose Uninstall. Windows may ask for administrator approval; approve it only if you are the machine's owner or administrator.
Follow the wizard to the end
Allow the uninstaller to finish and confirm that the application no longer appears in the list. If the entry remains after a restart, the removal did not complete.
Check for leftover application data
Open File Explorer and look in your user profile for an application data folder. The application stores its data locally, so a folder may remain even after the application is gone. Whether to delete it is your choice: keeping it preserves local settings for a later reinstall, and deleting it removes local traces of your account labels and preferences.
Restart and confirm
Restart Windows, confirm the application is absent from the Start menu and the installed-apps list, and confirm that no shortcut remains on the desktop.
Local application data can include account labels, cached portfolio information and preferences. It does not contain your private keys or your recovery phrase, which live on the hardware device. Deleting local data therefore does not affect your access to assets — and keeping it does not put your keys at risk.
macOS: removing the application
Quit the application completely
Use the application menu's Quit command, or press Command + Q with the application in front. Confirm in the Dock that it is no longer running.
Move the application to the Trash
Open Applications in Finder, drag the application to the Trash, then empty the Trash. If the application was installed with a .pkg installer, check whether it shipped an uninstaller and use that instead.
Check for leftover local data
Open Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder, and look in the standard locations where macOS applications keep local data: your user Library's Application Support folder, its Preferences folder, and its Caches folder. Remove folders belonging to the application only if you are sure they are its own.
Empty the Trash and restart
Restart the Mac and confirm the application is absent from Applications, Spotlight and the Dock.
Eject and delete any remaining installers
Remove old disk images and installer files from your Downloads folder, so that a later reinstall is a fresh, verified download rather than a stale file of uncertain origin.
Launching or removing an application while it is still on a mounted disk image can leave a confusing half-installed state. Always eject the disk image first, then work with the copy in Applications.
Reinstalling later
Reinstalling is the same process as the first installation, with one advantage: you already know how to verify it. Download from the developer's official domain, compare the checksum with the published signature page, install, then connect the device and let the application rediscover your accounts. Account labels that were stored locally may need to be re-created; the accounts themselves come back from the device.
The Windows and macOS installation guides cover the full sequence, and the first launch guide covers reconnecting the device.