IIS Uninstall Then Again Install

Thanks for reaching out. I am here to help.

Before we proceed, I'd like to ask a few questions.

1. Are you trying to uninstall through Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off, or through Settings > Apps?
2. What is the exact error message you see when the uninstall fails?
3. Which version of Windows are you running (10 or 11, Home or Pro)?
4. Are you signed in as an administrator?

If it’s a Windows feature (like IIS), here's what you can do.

Press Windows + R, type optionalfeatures, and press Enter.

In the Windows Features window, uncheck Internet Information Services (or the Web Service you want gone).

Click OK. Windows will apply changes and might ask for a restart.

If you get an error here:

Open Command Prompt (Admin) and run:

dism /online /disable-feature /featurename:IIS-WebServerRole

(replace IIS-WebServerRole with the exact feature name).

If it’s a third-party app:

Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, locate it, and uninstall it from there.

Let me know the answers to the questions above and how these steps go.

Note: Please use the Add a comment section below this message to reply, instead of using the Answer field, so that I’ll be notified of your response.

Hi,

Since the other answer is already thorough, here are a few extra things you can check:

• Check logs for details
  • Open %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log or Event Viewer → Windows Logs > Setup to see why the feature removal failed.
  • Often the error shown in the dialog is generic, but the logs reveal the exact cause (e.g., pending reboot, corrupted component store).
• List the exact feature name Run:

    dism /online /get-features | findstr IIS
  

  This shows all IIS-related components. Use the precise feature name with:

    dism /online /disable-feature /featurename:<feature_name>
  

• Reinstall IIS after removal Since your goal is uninstall → install again, after removal you can re-enable IIS with:

    dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:IIS-WebServerRole /all
  

  Or use Windows Features (optionalfeatures) to re-check Internet Information Services.
• Run as Administrator Make sure Command Prompt or PowerShell is opened with Run as administrator, otherwise DISM will fail.
• Windows version differences
  • On Windows 10/11 (client OS), you manage IIS through Turn Windows features on/off.
  • On Windows Server, IIS is installed/removed via Server Manager or PowerShell (Remove-WindowsFeature Web-Server).

These steps usually cover scenarios where the default uninstall path throws errors.

Hope this helps.