photogimp.org
3.1 · GIMP 3.2.6

Uninstall & reset

Uninstall PhotoGIMP, or reset GIMP to default

PhotoGIMP has no uninstaller because it is not installed like a program: it is a set of files in GIMP’s settings folder. You remove it by removing those files. You can take out only PhotoGIMP’s files, restore the backup from before, or start GIMP fresh.

Checked with PhotoGIMP 3.1 · GIMP 3.2.6Updated Tested on Windows, macOS and Linux4 min read
On this page 7 sections
  1. Choose how far to go back
  2. Uninstall commands
  3. Which files are PhotoGIMP’s
  4. By hand
  5. Reset GIMP to default settings (without deleting anything)
  6. Chocolatey
  7. Questions

Short answer

The quickest way back to normal GIMP

Close GIMP, then rename (or delete) the settings folder for your version: %APPDATA%\GIMP\3.2 on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/GIMP/3.2 on macOS, ~/.config/GIMP/3.2 on Linux. Start GIMP: it creates fresh default settings. This also resets everything else you changed in GIMP, so if you added brushes, fonts or plug-ins, use “Remove PhotoGIMP only” below instead.

Choose how far to go back

OptionPhotoGIMPYour brushes, fonts, plug-ins, palettesYour other preferences
Remove PhotoGIMP onlyremovedkeptresetPhotoGIMP replaced gimprc, so preferences go back to GIMP’s defaults
Restore your backupremovedas they wereas they were
Reset GIMP completelyremovedmoved asidereset

Nothing on this page deletes files outright. The commands move PhotoGIMP’s files into a dated folder next to your settings, or rename the settings folder, so you can always go back.

Uninstall commands

Uninstall builderruns in your browser
Your system
GIMP version (Help → About GIMP)
How GIMP was installed
What do you want back?

We pasted “Remove PhotoGIMP only”, “Restore your backup” and “Reset GIMP completely” on Windows 11, Windows Server 2025, macOS 15 and Linux with GIMP 3.2.6: after removing PhotoGIMP’s files, GIMP started with its default toolbox, layout and shortcuts, and the toolbox file it wrote on quit was identical to a fresh install’s. Restoring the backup brought back exactly the folder from before the install.

GIMP 3.2.6 after removing PhotoGIMP: back to GIMP’s own toolbox and docks.
Real screenshot · Linux (Ubuntu 24.04, X11) · GIMP 3.2.6 AppImageGIMP 3.2.6 after removing PhotoGIMP: back to GIMP’s own toolbox and docks.PhotoGIMP: removed (3.2 folder deleted) · taken 2026-10-31

Which files are PhotoGIMP’s

PhotoGIMP 3.1 adds or replaces these 31 files in GIMP’s settings folder. “Remove PhotoGIMP only” moves exactly these; GIMP recreates its defaults for any that are missing.

File in 3.1SizeWhat it does
contextrc304 BThe active tool, colors, brush and other context on startup.
filters/161 BA saved Brightness-Contrast preset.
gimprc5.0 KBGeneral preferences: undo levels, previews, import behaviour, default view options.
plug-in-settings/ (5 files)945 BLast-used settings of the JPEG/PNG import and export dialogs and the unit editor.
sessionrc3.2 KBWindow and dock layout: single-window mode, panel positions and sizes.
shortcutsrc42.0 KBKeyboard shortcuts, remapped to Photoshop’s Windows defaults.
splashes/1.47 MBThe PhotoGIMP splash screen shown while GIMP starts.
theme.css454 BA theme file GIMP writes itself; GIMP replaces it at every start.
tool-options/ (18 files)3.1 KBSaved options for individual tools (brush size, hardness, crop and text settings).
toolrc5.9 KBToolbox order and tool groups, arranged like Photoshop’s toolbar.

Everything else in the folder is yours or GIMP’s: brushes, fonts, gradients, palettes, patterns, plug-ins, scripts, templates, tool-presets, pluginrc, devicerc and the others.

On Linux, a Flatpak install also added a launcher, ~/.local/share/applications/org.gimp.GIMP.desktop (it overrides GIMP’s own menu entry, renaming it “PhotoGIMP”), and icons named photogimp.png under ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/. Delete those to get the normal GIMP launcher back.

By hand

  1. Close GIMP

    Make sure it is not running (check the taskbar).

  2. Open the settings folder

    Press Windows+R, type %APPDATA%\GIMP, press Enter.

  3. Rename the version folder

    Right-click 3.2 (or 3.0) → Rename → for example 3.2-old. Or, to keep your brushes and plug-ins, open the folder and move only PhotoGIMP’s files (table above) somewhere else.

  4. Start GIMP

    It creates a fresh 3.2 folder with default settings. Copy any brushes or plug-ins you want from 3.2-old into the new folder’s matching subfolders.

  1. Quit GIMP

    GIMP → Quit GIMP (Cmd+Q).

  2. Open the settings folder

    In Finder press Shift+Cmd+G and type ~/Library/Application Support/GIMP.

  3. Rename the version folder

    Select 3.2, press Enter and rename it to 3.2-old.

  4. Start GIMP

    It creates fresh default settings.
Terminal (quit GIMP first)
mv ~/.config/GIMP/3.2 ~/.config/GIMP/3.2-old
rm -f ~/.local/share/applications/org.gimp.GIMP.desktop
rm -f ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/*/apps/photogimp.png ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/photogimp.png ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/256x256.png

If you installed with PhotoGIMP’s install.sh, your previous settings are in ~/.config/GIMP/GIMP-backup-date/3.2; the script printed a restore command at the end. That command copies the backup over the current folder, so PhotoGIMP files that were not in your backup stay; our “Restore your backup” command renames the current folder first, which avoids that.

Reset GIMP to default settings (without deleting anything)

Inside GIMP you can reset parts of the setup without touching files:

  • Window and dock positions: Edit → Preferences → Interface → Window Management → Reset Saved Window Positions to Default Values. This deletes sessionrc, so it also removes PhotoGIMP’s dock layout and its off-screen dialog sizes.
  • Single-window layout: Windows → Single-Window Mode.
  • One shortcut: Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts, select the command, and clear or reassign it.

For a complete reset of everything, the folder rename above is the reliable way. Uninstalling and reinstalling GIMP does not reset it: the settings folder is in your user folder and survives an uninstall.

Chocolatey

If you installed with choco install photogimp, run choco uninstall photogimp. In our tests on Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 it removed its files from %APPDATA%\GIMP\3.0 and left the empty folder; delete it if you do not use GIMP 3.0. If the package had taken effect through GIMP 3.2’s first-start migration, PhotoGIMP is now in the 3.2 folder too, and uninstalling the package does not remove it: use “Remove PhotoGIMP only” above. Chocolatey details.

Questions

Does uninstalling GIMP remove PhotoGIMP?

No. Uninstalling GIMP removes the program, not the settings in your user folder. Reinstall GIMP and PhotoGIMP is still there. Remove the settings folder as described on this page.

Can I remove PhotoGIMP but keep my own shortcuts?

Partly. Your custom shortcuts live in the same shortcutsrc file as PhotoGIMP’s. Before removing PhotoGIMP, open Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts and note the ones you changed, then set them again in plain GIMP.

How do I get the PhotoGIMP splash screen off?

Delete the file in the splashes folder of your GIMP settings folder (splash-screen-2025-v2.png). GIMP then uses its own splash. The rest of PhotoGIMP stays.

I removed PhotoGIMP but GIMP still looks different

Check you removed the files from the folder your GIMP version uses (3.2 for GIMP 3.2), and that GIMP was closed while you did it. If GIMP was open, it may have written the files back when it quit.

How do I reset only the toolbox order?

Close GIMP and remove toolrc from the settings folder. GIMP recreates it with its default order on the next start.

Keep going

Install guideFind your exact GIMP settings folder and the commands for it.TroubleshootingNothing changed, only the splash changed, it will not launch: fixes.What it changesFile by file: tools, panels, shortcuts and settings PhotoGIMP touches.GIMP 3.2 fixWhy PhotoGIMP 3.1 half-works on GIMP 3.2, and the tested fix.DownloadThe official files, verified hashes, and which zip you need.FAQShort answers to the questions people ask most.

Found something wrong or out of date? Tell us: hello@photogimp.org. We fix mistakes within a day.