How to Uninstall AIM

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) is a popular instant messaging client that allows people to chat with their friends in real time over the Internet.

If you use AIM, but now need to uninstall the program then you can easily uninstall the program using  the Windows built-in program management utility.

How to uninstall AIM

The simplest and best way to uninstall applications from a Windows computer is to remove them via the Add or Remove Programs utility.

To uninstall AIM on a Windows computer, perform the steps illustrated below:

  1. Click Start, click Settings, and then click Control Panel to open its corresponding window.
  2. Next, double-click the Add or Remove Programs icon.
  3. Now, locate and select AOL Instant Messenger in the Currently installed programs list.
  4. Click Uninstall.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to remove AIM.
  6. Restart Windows after the uninstallation is complete.

In case you want to completely uninstall AIM (including its folders and registry entries) then perform the following additional steps:

Manually remove AIM files and folders

Open Windows Explorer, locate and delete the following files and folders.

C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Netscape Communicator\AOL Instant Messenger (TM).lnk
C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\Default\Launch.Aim
C:\Program Files\Netscape\Communicator\Program\

Manually remove AIM registry entries

Important: The steps listed below require you to edit the Windows registry. You should perform the below-mentioned steps only if you are comfortable in editing the registry. As a precaution, always back up the registry before making any changes to it. You may back up the registry manually, or use an advanced Windows registry cleaner, such as RegGenie for this purpose.

In order to make any changes to the registry, you need to be logged in with administrative rights.

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then press Enter to open the Registry Editor window.
  3. Locate and delete the following registry entries:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentV ersion\AppPaths\aim.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\MIME\Database\Cont entType\application/x-aim
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\.aim
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\aimfile
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\.blt
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\AOLInstantMessenge r.ConfigFile
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\AIM.protocol
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\AIM.protocol.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\CLSID\{BAEB32D0-73 2D-11d2-8BF4-0060B0A4A9EA}
HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\AmericaOnline

What to do if you are unable to uninstall AIM using Add or Remove Programs

If you are unable to uninstall AIM using Add or Remove Programs (this can happen if AIM was partially installed on your Windows computer or if some AIM files are damaged) then we recommend that you use a reliable Windows third-party uninstaller tool, such as Perfect Uninstaller to forcefully uninstall AIM.