Uninstalling BRUTAL Optimizer (and what happens to your tweaks)

Removing BRUTAL Optimizer works like any Windows app. The uninstaller also asks you one question, so it's worth knowing what each answer does.

How to uninstall

Uninstall the normal Windows way: Settings → Apps (Apps & Features) → find BRUTAL Optimizer → Uninstall.

The question the uninstaller asks

Before it removes anything, the uninstaller asks: “Restore the Windows settings BRUTAL Optimizer changed?”

Yes — it puts back what the app changed: the optimization modules (including VBS/HVCI and the Spectre mitigations if you enabled that module), any service start types it demoted, and your DNS setting.
No — your current tuning stays exactly as it is. Choose this if you want to keep your setup. Once the app is removed, its one-click Undo goes with it.

Either way, the uninstaller removes BRUTAL's own leftovers: the Start-with-Windows task, the update cache, the brutal:// link handler and its network tunnel.

Modules 1 and 2 (process/service kill and cache clean) were transient — there is nothing to restore for them. WireGuard for Windows is left installed, because you may use it on its own; you can remove it separately from Settings → Apps.

What stays on your PC

Your own data folder, %LOCALAPPDATA%\BRUTAL, is kept — it holds your encrypted license file, logs, benchmarks and receipts, so a reinstall doesn't need re-activation. Delete it yourself if you want a fully clean machine.

Planning to reinstall later?

If you want the same tweaks after a reinstall, use Export Settings before uninstalling so you can re-apply them. See Export & Import settings. You can also roll the module changes back yourself first with Roll back all changes on the History page — see Undo & Restore All Defaults.

Already uninstalled and need to undo a change?

If you kept your tuning and now want a change reverted, use the System Restore point BRUTAL takes before major changes (look for the "BRUTAL Optimizer — Before Optimization" point). See System restore points.

FAQ

Will uninstalling slow my PC back down or undo the speedups? Only if you answer Yes to the restore question. Answer No and your applied optimizations stay active.

I uninstalled and something is misbehaving — what now? Use the System Restore point first. If you're stuck, email [email protected] with your Windows version and exact steps.