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I have been pushing installation of a software via GPO. If the software has been installed on all workstations needing it, will disabling the GPO link (or deleting the link outright) cause the software to be uninstalled?

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  • Really, more detail is needed to give a comprehensive answer. Have you set the option in the package properties to uninstall the application when it falls out of the scope of management?
    – joeqwerty
    Jun 12, 2012 at 12:53
  • IIRC, I set the option to "Let users keep using this application" (or something to that effect), but I'm not sure if 'disabling the link' or 'deleting the link/GPO' is considered "falling out of the scope of management"
    – pepoluan
    Jun 12, 2012 at 15:20
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    Deleting the link would uninstall the software... if you selected the option to uninstall it when it falls out of the scope of management because deleting the link takes those objects (computers and users) out of the scope of management of the GPO. Since you didn't select the uninstall option, nothing will happen if you delete the link. I've never tested it with disabling the link but I suspect the software would not be uninstalled (if you had selected the option to uninstall) because the objects still fall under the SOM of the GPO, even if it is disabled.
    – joeqwerty
    Jun 12, 2012 at 19:26
  • Ah, makes sense. Thanks for the explanation?
    – pepoluan
    Jun 14, 2012 at 8:13

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
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No.

If you want to uninstall software package using GP you need to create GP which force software package removal.

Disabling link to GP which install package does not remove it.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816102

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I was looking for this answer as well and wanted to let everyone know that I was able to successfully test to answer of "Disabling the link".

Here's what I did:

  1. Setup a test OU in AD and added a test workstation
  2. Setup a GPO to install Java, applied it to my test OU and it installed successfully up a GPupdate /force and reboot
  3. Right clicked the GPO and disabled the link to that OU
  4. Ran another GPupdate /force on the workstation and rebooted
  5. Upon reboot Java was uninstalled successfully
  6. I checked that it was removed in Control Panel and within the registry under GP\Managed Apps
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    As per the accepted answer, this only works if you check the option Uninstall this application when it falls out of the scope of management. If this option isn't checked, the steps you've detailed won't work.
    – Bryan
    Jun 28, 2013 at 14:37
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Disabling the link does take it out of scope. It will uninstall the software.

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    This is actually wrong. Whether the software gets uninstalled or not when the GPO is removed is controlled by a GP setting. And it's been a long night, but IIRC, by default, this setting is configured to keep the software installed when the GPO no longer applies.
    – HopelessN00b
    Aug 18, 2012 at 5:41

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