How to perform a clean uninstall of Civil 3D

Autodesk Support

May 14, 2024

Products and versions covered

Issue:

This article describes a procedure to perform a clean uninstall of Autodesk Civil 3D.

It can be performed as a general uninstall method, or as part of troubleshooting to resolve issues such as, but not limited to:

Civil 3D fails to install or uninstall.
Civil 3D doesn't launch or start.
Civil 3D hangs and doesn't respond.
Any other unexpected behaviors in Civil 3D.

Solution:

Use the following procedure to uninstall Civil 3D and remove any remnants from the system. Make sure to back up any customized Civil 3D files beforehand.

Uninstall the application from the Windows Control Panel

If Autodesk Desktop Connector is installed, right-click the system tray and select Exit.
Go to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features.

Uninstall application updates first. On the left pane, click View Installed Updates.
Uninstall any AutoCAD, AutoCAD Map 3D, and Civil 3D updates.
On the left pane, click Uninstall a Program to return back to the program list.

Uninstall all Autodesk Civil 3D-related components, extensions, and add-ons for the affected version. This includes but is not limited, to:

Autodesk Civil 3D Country Kit.
Autodesk Civil 3D Object Enabler.
Autodesk Subassembly Composer.
Autodesk Project Explorer for Civil 3D.
Autodesk Grading Optimization for Civil 3D.
Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis, see Clean uninstall of NovaPDF for SSA.
Any Autodesk Civil 3D extension such as:
- Geotechnical Modeler Extension.
- SHP Import/Export Utility.
Any AutoCAD based application, such as:
- Autodesk Vehicle Tracking.
- Autodesk AutoCAD Raster Design.
Any third-party Civil 3D add-on or plugin.

Lastly, select the Autodesk Civil 3D version.
Click Uninstall and follow the uninstall wizard, note If the uninstall process fails, refer to: Uninstall using the Microsoft Installation Troubleshooter.
Restart the computer.

Delete any remaining folders and registry keys

Log on to the computer as a member of the Local Administrators group.
On the Windows Start menu, click Run.
In the Run dialog box, enter Regedit.
In the Registry Editor, browse to the registry key that corresponds to the affected software version. Refer to the table below.
Delete the corresponding registry keys.
Close the Registry Editor.
Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the user's application folders that correspond to the affected software version. Refer to the table below for the default folders - If the installation is based in a drive different than C:\, adjust paths accordingly.
Delete the corresponding folders.

Note: Deleting the C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 20xx folder in table below is necessary for a clean uninstall of Civil 3D. However, it will affect vanilla AutoCAD or other AutoCAD-based installations, like AutoCAD Map 3D or AutoCAD MEP. If any of those are installed in the same machine, they need to be uninstalled and reinstalled as well.

Software version	Registry Key to delete	User's application folders to delete
2025	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R25.0\ACAD-8100:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R25.0\ACAD-8100:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2025 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2025 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2025 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2025
2024	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R24.3\ACAD-7100:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R24.3\ACAD-7100:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2024 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2024 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2024 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2024
2023	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R24.2\ACAD-6100:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R24.2\ACAD-6100:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2023 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2023 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2023 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2023
2022	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R24.1\ACAD-5100:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R24.1\ACAD-5100:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2022 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2022 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2022 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2022
2021	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R24.0\ACAD-4100:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R24.0\ACAD-4100:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2021 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2021 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2021 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2021
2020	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R23.1\ACAD-3000:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R23.1\ACAD-3000:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2020 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2020 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2020 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2020
2019	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R23.0\ACAD-2000:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R23.0\ACAD-2000:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2019 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2019 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2019 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2019
2018	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R22.0\ACAD-1000:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R22.0\ACAD-1000:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2018 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2018 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2018 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2018
2017	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R21.0\ACAD-0000:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R21.0\ACAD-0000:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2017 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2017 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2017 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2017
2016	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R20.1\ACAD-F000:409 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R20.1\ACAD-F000:409	%appdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2016 %localappdata%\Autodesk\C3D 2016 C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2016 C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2016

Note: The last three numbers in the registry key refer to the product language installed and may vary from the one specified in the table (409 is the language code for English international).
For other language codes, refer to: List of Local Language Code for Autodesk Products.

Warning:
Use the Microsoft® Registry Editor only at your own risk and only after backing up the registry as well as the system.dat and user.dat files as outlined for your operating system in the Microsoft Knowledge Base and in the related solution, Back up system registry. Additional information about the registry is also contained in the Help topics in the Microsoft Registry Editor.

Problems caused by improperly editing the Windows registry could render your computer operating system unusable. Microsoft provides a wealth of critical information that you need to know about the registry in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com/.

Before reinstalling Autodesk Civil 3D

In Windows Explorer, delete the contents of your Windows Temp folder, but do not delete the Windows Temp folder itself. Enter %TEMP% in the Address bar of Windows Explorer to locate the Temp folder.
Use the End Task feature from Task Manager to end any anti-virus programs.

The system is ready to reinstall

Restart the machine and reinstall Autodesk Civil 3D on the machine.

Products:

Civil 3D;

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