Buzz
Returning from Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced a new security feature called 'User Account Control' (UAC). UAC helps block potentially harmful actions that malware could perform automatically. UAC limits user account access, even if your account is an Admin account, and will display a confirmation window on the screen.
Fixing the error 'You do not have sufficient access to uninstall'
To install or uninstall software, you need Admin rights. Occasionally, during software uninstallation, you might encounter the error message 'You do not have sufficient access to uninstall. Please contact your system administrator'.
Method 1: Use Command Prompt to uninstall programs
Step 1: Open the Registry Editor. To access the Registry, press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run window, then type regedit and press Enter. When the UAC window appears, select Yes to proceed and enter the Registry on your computer.
Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the key:
Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
Step 3: Each subkey in the Uninstall key corresponds to a specific application installed on your computer. By reading these subkeys, you can identify the key associated with a particular software.
In the provided example, you can observe the registry key for the VirtualBox Guest Additions application. The DisplayName value contains the name of the application to be uninstalled.
Note: For Windows 64-bit users, if you don't find the corresponding subkey for the application, you can navigate to the following key:
Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
On Windows 64-bit, 32-bit applications store their uninstallation information in this key.
Step 4: After navigating to the subkey of the application you want to uninstall, find and double-click the value named UninstallString. A new Edit String window will appear, and your task is to copy the value in the Value data box (press Ctrl + C to copy).
Step 5: Open CMD (Command Prompt) with Admin rights. To open cmd, type CMD in the Search bar on the Start Menu. In the search results list, right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator.
Step 6: Paste the command you copied in the previous step into the Command Prompt window (press Ctrl + V) and then press Enter.
This method will resolve the uninstaller's permission access issue.
Method 2: Safe Mode
Boot your computer into Safe Mode and uninstall the application. In Safe Mode, Windows doesn't activate UAC, and your account won't be restricted, allowing you to uninstall applications.
Note that if the uninstaller uses MSI/Windows Installer, it won't function in Safe Mode. Microsoft restricts the Windows Installer service from operating in Safe Mode. Therefore, you need to activate MSI/Windows Installer.
Step 1: Open Registry Editor (as instructed above) and navigate to the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal
Step 2: Here, create a subkey and name it MSIServer.
Step 3: Set the default value for MSIServer to Service.
This is done to activate Windows Installer in Safe Mode, allowing you to uninstall MSI packages.
Method 3: Activate the Built-in Admin Account
Alternatively, you can activate the built-in Admin account on the system and try uninstalling the problematic application displaying the 'You do not have sufficient access to uninstall' error.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt with Admin privileges.
Step 2: Enter the command below into the Command Prompt window:
net user administrator /active:yes
Step 3: At this point, you will see a message indicating that the command was successful.
Step 4: Restart your computer and log in with the Admin account.
Step 5: Finally, attempt to uninstall the application and check if the 'You do not have sufficient access to uninstall' error persists.
Method 4: Use Microsoft's FixIt Tool
Visit Microsoft's support website here, then find and download the Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter tool.
FixIt is crafted to address software issues preventing installation or uninstallation. The issues and related problems include:
- Issues preventing uninstallation or updating of current applications.
- Issues hindering users from uninstalling programs through the Add or Remove Programs (or Programs and Features) in the Control Panel.
These are solutions for fixing the “You do not have sufficient access to uninstall” error during application uninstallation. Typically, using the first solution can resolve the error in 99% of cases. Hope this article proves helpful to you.
