this script will delete VS code from your machine using winget

gistfile1.txt

<#
.SYNOPSIS
    Uninstalls Visual Studio Code and removes leftover configuration/extension folders.

.DESCRIPTION
    This script attempts to uninstall Visual Studio Code using winget first. If winget
    is unavailable or the uninstall fails (e.g. VS Code wasn't installed via winget),
    it falls back to locating the uninstaller via the Windows registry (checking both
    per-user and machine-wide uninstall keys, including the 32-bit WOW6432Node hive).

    After uninstalling the application, the script optionally removes leftover
    configuration, cache, and extension folders that VS Code leaves behind, since a
    standard uninstall does not clean these up.

    By default the script runs interactively and asks for confirmation before:
      - Proceeding with the uninstall at all
      - Removing each category of leftover folder

    Use -Force to skip all confirmation prompts (useful for automation/CI), or
    -WhatIf to preview exactly what would happen without changing anything.

.PARAMETER Force
    Skips all confirmation prompts. Uninstall and folder removal proceed automatically.

.PARAMETER KeepUserData
    Skips removal of $env:APPDATA\Code (settings, keybindings, snippets, workspace
    storage). Extensions and the app install folder are still handled normally.
    Useful if you plan to reinstall and want to keep your settings.

.PARAMETER WhatIf
    Shows what the script would do (uninstall command, folders to be removed)
    without actually performing any changes. Standard PowerShell -WhatIf support.

.EXAMPLE
    .\Uninstall-VSCode.ps1
    Runs interactively, prompting for confirmation at each destructive step.

.EXAMPLE
    .\Uninstall-VSCode.ps1 -Force
    Uninstalls VS Code and removes all leftover folders without prompting.

.EXAMPLE
    .\Uninstall-VSCode.ps1 -KeepUserData
    Uninstalls VS Code but preserves your settings/snippets in %APPDATA%\Code.

.EXAMPLE
    .\Uninstall-VSCode.ps1 -WhatIf
    Shows what would happen without making any changes.

.NOTES
    Author:  (add your name if publishing under your own identity)
    Requires: Windows PowerShell 5.1+ or PowerShell 7+, run as the user who
              installed VS Code (or as Administrator if it was installed machine-wide).
    Tested against the VS Code user-scope winget package (Microsoft.VisualStudioCode)
    and its Inno Setup-based uninstaller.

    This script does NOT remove:
      - VS Code extensions data stored outside the standard folders below
      - Settings synced via Settings Sync (those live in your Microsoft/GitHub account)
      - Any project-local .vscode folders inside individual repos/workspaces

.LINK
    https://github.com/microsoft/vscode
#>

[CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess = $true, ConfirmImpact = "High")]
param(
    [switch]$Force,
    [switch]$KeepUserData
)

$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"

function Write-Section {
    param([string]$Text)
    Write-Host "`n=== $Text ===" -ForegroundColor Magenta
}

# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Startup banner + confirmation
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Write-Host @"
--------------------------------------------------------
 VS Code Uninstaller
--------------------------------------------------------
 This script will:
   1. Attempt to uninstall Visual Studio Code (winget,
      falling back to the registry uninstaller)
   2. Remove leftover config/cache/extension folders:
        - %APPDATA%\Code
        - %USERPROFILE%\.vscode
        - %USERPROFILE%\.vscode-insiders
        - %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Microsoft VS Code

 Run with -Help for full documentation (Get-Help),
 -Force to skip prompts, or -WhatIf to preview only.
--------------------------------------------------------
"@ -ForegroundColor Cyan

if (-not $Force -and -not $WhatIfPreference) {
    $response = Read-Host "Proceed with uninstalling VS Code and cleaning up its folders? (y/N)"
    if ($response -notmatch '^[Yy]') {
        Write-Host "Aborted by user. No changes were made." -ForegroundColor Yellow
        exit 0
    }
}

# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Step 1: Uninstall via winget, fall back to registry uninstaller
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Write-Section "Step 1: Uninstalling VS Code"

$uninstalled = $false

if (Get-Command winget -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
    if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess("Microsoft.VisualStudioCode", "winget uninstall")) {
        try {
            Write-Host "Attempting to uninstall VS Code via winget..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
            winget uninstall --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode --silent --accept-source-agreements
            if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
                Write-Host "VS Code uninstalled via winget." -ForegroundColor Green
                $uninstalled = $true
            }
            else {
                Write-Host "winget returned exit code $LASTEXITCODE. Falling back to registry lookup." -ForegroundColor Yellow
            }
        }
        catch {
            Write-Host "winget uninstall failed: $($_.Exception.Message)" -ForegroundColor Yellow
        }
    }
}
else {
    Write-Host "winget not found on this system. Falling back to registry lookup." -ForegroundColor Yellow
}

if (-not $uninstalled) {
    Write-Host "Searching registry for VS Code uninstaller..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
    $uninstallKeys = @(
        "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*",
        "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*",
        "HKLM:\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*"
    )
    $vscodeEntry = Get-ItemProperty $uninstallKeys -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
        Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Visual Studio Code*" } |
        Select-Object -First 1

    if ($vscodeEntry -and $vscodeEntry.UninstallString) {
        Write-Host "Found uninstaller: $($vscodeEntry.UninstallString)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
        $uninstallString = $vscodeEntry.UninstallString -replace '"', ''

        if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($uninstallString, "Run uninstaller")) {
            try {
                Start-Process -FilePath $uninstallString -ArgumentList "/SILENT" -Wait
                Write-Host "VS Code uninstalled via registry uninstaller." -ForegroundColor Green
                $uninstalled = $true
            }
            catch {
                Write-Host "Registry uninstaller failed: $($_.Exception.Message)" -ForegroundColor Red
            }
        }
    }
    else {
        Write-Host "Could not find VS Code uninstaller automatically. You may need to remove it manually via Settings > Apps." -ForegroundColor Red
    }
}

# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Step 2: Clean up leftover folders
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Write-Section "Step 2: Cleaning up leftover folders"

$foldersToRemove = [ordered]@{
    "$env:APPDATA\Code"                              = "Settings, keybindings, snippets, workspace storage"
    "$env:USERPROFILE\.vscode"                        = "Installed extensions and extension data"
    "$env:USERPROFILE\.vscode-insiders"               = "Insiders build extensions and data"
    "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Microsoft VS Code"    = "Application install folder (user-scope installs)"
}

foreach ($folder in $foldersToRemove.Keys) {
    if ($KeepUserData -and $folder -eq "$env:APPDATA\Code") {
        Write-Host "Skipped (KeepUserData set): $folder" -ForegroundColor DarkYellow
        continue
    }

    if (Test-Path $folder) {
        $description = $foldersToRemove[$folder]
        if ($Force -or $PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($folder, "Remove folder ($description)")) {
            try {
                Remove-Item -Path $folder -Recurse -Force
                Write-Host "Removed: $folder" -ForegroundColor Green
            }
            catch {
                Write-Host "Failed to remove $folder`: $($_.Exception.Message)" -ForegroundColor Red
            }
        }
    }
    else {
        Write-Host "Not found (skipped): $folder" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
    }
}

Write-Section "Done"
Write-Host "VS Code and its associated folders have been processed. Review any red/yellow messages above for items needing manual attention." -ForegroundColor Cyan