How to Uninstall NordVPN?

Introduction

NordVPN is one of the most popular virtual private network (VPN) services available today. As a VPN, NordVPN encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through remote servers for increased privacy and security online. However, there may come a time when you decide to switch to a different VPN provider, no longer need the extra security of a VPN, or are having technical issues with the NordVPN service. When that happens, completely uninstalling the NordVPN app and associated software is important to ensure no leftover processes are still running or private data remains on your device.

This comprehensive guide will walk through the necessary steps to fully remove and delete NordVPN on all major operating systems, including Windows PCs, Mac computers, Android and iOS mobile devices, and Linux installations. Thoroughly following the provided uninstall directions per your device OS will guarantee the NordVPN app and any related connections are wiped properly during the transition away from using this VPN provider’s platform.

Uninstalling NordVPN on Windows

If you have been using the official NordVPN Windows client app and now need to get rid of it from your computer, performing the following actions completely removes the software:

1. Disconnect NordVPN Session First, ensure NordVPN is currently disconnected by right-clicking the blue “N” system tray icon and selecting “Disconnect.” This shuts down the active VPN session before uninstalling the client app itself.
2. Exit NordVPN Next, right-click the “N” icon again and choose “Quit app” so the NordVPN process stops running in the background on your computer.
3. Access Windows Apps Folder Then access the Windows “Apps” folder where desktop applications are stored, either through the Start menu search bar or by navigating to “C:\Program Files\NordVPN” in Windows Explorer.
4. Select Uninstall Inside the NordVPN program folder, right-click directly on the “NordVPN” app tile and choose “Uninstall” from the action menu.
5. Confirm Uninstall A popup prompt will ask to confirm removal – click “Yes” to authorize deleting NordVPN and all associated files/settings.

After following these steps no NordVPN-related processes or data should persist on your Windows machine, guaranteeing a clean and successful uninstall.

Uninstalling NordVPN on macOS

The process for fully removing NordVPN on an Apple Mac computer is very similar to the Windows OS method using the desktop Finder app:

1. Disconnect NordVPN Like on Windows, start by disconnecting your active NordVPN connection via the menu bar icon next to your username. Terminate the session first before uninstalling the app.
2. Quit NordVPN
   Next right-click on the “NordVPN” menu bar icon itself and select “Quit NordVPN” to ensure the app fully stops running in the background.
3. Access macOS Applications Folder Via Finder, go to the main “Applications” folder containing all your installed macOS software programs. This can be accessed through the Finder sidebar or navigating to your user account home folder.
4. Drag NordVPN to Trash Inside the Applications folder, click and drag the “NordVPN” program file directly to the Trash bin icon in your Dock.
5. Confirm Trash Deletion Finally, right click on the Trash icon itself and hit “Empty Trash” to authorize permanent app removal.

Those 5 steps will cleanly uninstall NordVPN and all related processes from a Mac computer as long as you ensure the active app session has been closed before deleting it.

Uninstalling NordVPN on Android

Removing NordVPN from an Android mobile device requires accessing your installed app settings:

1. Open Android Settings First open the “Settings” menu, typically denoted by a gear icon, on your Android device. This houses all configurable options for installed services.
2. Select Apps or Application Manager Next choose the “Apps” or “Application Manager” selection which allows managing all downloaded application content. On some Android devices this may be labeled “Apps & Notifications.”
3. Locate NordVPN Inside the App Manager menu, scroll and browse your full list of installed applications until you find the application file simply titled “NordVPN”. Tap to open its configuration options.
4. Tap Uninstall With the NordVPN app selected, tap the “Uninstall” button which immediately triggers removing the VPN program and its associated background services, passwords, cached data and permissions.
5. Confirm Removal A pop-up prompt will ask you to “OK” or confirm deletion – authorize the NordVPN uninstall process by tapping this final confirmation button.

Once confirmed and completed, the selected app and any lingering services will be permanently erased from your Android device.

Uninstalling NordVPN on iOS

Apple iPhone and iPad devices also store installed applications locally which need to be removed before transitioning away from the NordVPN platform:

1. Access Settings Open the main “Settings” app which manages configurations for all apps and system services on iOS.
2. Tap General Scroll down and select the “General” settings group towards the top of the menu which houses important device preferences.
3. Choose iPhone Storage
   Next select “iPhone Storage” (or “iPad Storage” depending on your device) which facilitates deleting downloaded apps to free up disk space.
4. Select NordVPN Inside iPhone/iPad storage settings, scroll and tap the “NordVPN” application file to open its uninstall/offload options.
5. Tap Delete App On the info screen presented for the NordVPN app, tap the option marked “Delete App” – this immediately schedules complete removal.
6. Confirm Deletion
   Finally, authorize NordVPN’s deletion in the pop-up prompt saying “This will delete NordVPN and all related data. The app will be uninstalled.” Tap “Delete” to confirm.

Once the pending deletion finishes processing, the app disappears from your iOS device’s home screen and Settings menu signaling all NordVPN-related services have been successfully uninstalled and wiped from your iPhone or iPad.

Uninstalling NordVPN on Linux

Most Linux distributions like Ubuntu also use the apt command line tool for streamlined software installation and removal:

1. Open Terminal
   In a distro running NordVPN like Ubuntu, Debian or Linux Mint, first open the primary command line interface called Terminal which is used to issue system commands.
2. Purge NordVPN Packages
   Next type the following apt terminal command to automatically uninstall NordVPN and scrub all accompanying configuration files and data:

sudo apt-get --purge remove 'nordvpn*'

You’ll be asked to enter your administrator password before NordVPN deletes.

Alternatively, the step-wise terminal commands would be:

Which also accomplishes fully removing all NordVPN-related packages from the Linux system via sudo permissions.

3. Confirm Removal After pressing enter, the Terminal displays output reflecting the progress of NordVPN’s uninstallation – ending with a concise “Successfully removed” message upon completing all associated package deletion and cleanup.

Using sudo terminal commands to purge NordVPN ensures every related daemon, dependency and settings file gets eliminated from your Linux machine during this transition away from having the VPN client installed locally.

Removing Connections Without NordVPN App

Some users may prefer manually configuring VPN connections rather than using the official NordVPN desktop or mobile apps. In these cases where NordVPN customer support provides custom OpenVPN, IKEv2 configuration files or you directly import third-party VPN settings into your operating system instead, be sure to delete the established networked connection profiles.

On Windows 10, open Network Settings > VPN and remove any connection titled “NordVPN” under the VPN provider names list. On iOS, visit General > VPN > NordVPN and tap Delete VPN at bottom. On Android tap the gear icon Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced > VPN and delete any “NordVPN” profiles. And for Linux, removing the downloaded OpenVPN config files from the /etc/openvpn directory using Terminal erases custom VPN connections.

Fully wipe all established NordVPN connection profiles that have been imported separately outside the official apps to prevent lingering unauthorized VPN access.

Conclusion

Transitioning away from NordVPN or switching VPN providers requires thoroughly removing all applications, account data, settings modifications and active VPN connections that persist across various devices like Windows PCs, iOS/Android phones, Macs and Linux distributions.

Carefully work step-by-step through each platform’s necessary deletion process per this uninstall guide to guarantee complete removal of NordVPN software and dependencies. On desktop interfaces like Windows and macOS, browse installed applications and drag/delete the NordVPN item directly to the Bin/Trash after disconnecting any active sessions. On mobile, deleting the app itself via Uninstall on Android or Delete App on iOS erases all on-device traces after confirming removal. And on Linux, purging all NordVPN-related packages using sudo apt-get --purge remove terminal commands scrubs all remote VPN access, data, and modifcations.

Additionally, be vigilant by removing manual OpenVPN/IKEv2 client profiles not inside the main NordVPN apps that could still be routing traffic through this provider’s remote servers even after deleting the primary client software locally on each device type during your migration away from the platform.