Fix: Visual Studio Code unins000.exe Access is Denied Error

Introduction

When attempting to uninstall Visual Studio Code on Windows, you might encounter the “Access is denied” error with unins000.exe. This typically occurs due to permission issues or processes still running in the background.

Prerequisites

• Windows operating system
• Administrator access
• Visual Studio Code installed

Method 1: Close All VS Code Processes

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
2. Find and end these processes:

code.exe
Code.exe
VSCode.exe

Method 2: Run as Administrator

1. Navigate to VS Code installation folder:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft VS Code

1. Right-click unins000.exe
2. Select “Run as administrator”

Method 3: Using Command Prompt