PyCharm Chocolatey Uninstaller

A PowerShell tool to automatically uninstall old versions of PyCharm that were installed via Chocolatey. This solves the common issue where Chocolatey or PyCharm installers fail to remove previous versions during updates, leading to multiple versions accumulating on the system.

Problem Statement

When PyCharm is installed or updated via Chocolatey, old versions sometimes remain installed on the system. This tool identifies all installed PyCharm versions and uninstalls older ones, keeping only the latest version (or a specified number of recent versions).

Features

• Detects all PyCharm installations (Community and Professional editions)
• Automatically identifies the latest version
• Uninstalls old versions silently
• Cleans up leftover installation folders after uninstall
• Supports keeping multiple recent versions
• Comprehensive logging
• WhatIf mode for safe testing
• Works with both HKLM and HKCU registry locations
• Silent mode for automated deployments

Files Included

File	Description
Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1	Main script that removes old PyCharm versions
Detect-OldPyCharm.ps1	Detection script for Intune Remediations (requires Intune Plan 2)
Set-PyCharmMarker.ps1	Inventory script that sets registry marker for device grouping (optional - for advanced scenarios)
README.md	This file - comprehensive documentation
EXAMPLES.md	Detailed examples for various deployment scenarios
LICENSING.md	License tier requirements and deployment options for minimal licenses
PERFORMANCE.md	Performance characteristics and impact analysis
LICENSE	MIT License

Requirements

• Windows operating system
• PowerShell 5.1 or later
• Administrator privileges

Usage

Basic Usage

Run as Administrator to uninstall all old PyCharm versions, keeping only the latest:

.\Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1

Test Mode (WhatIf)

See what would be uninstalled without actually doing it:

.\Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1 -WhatIf

Keep Multiple Versions

Keep the 2 most recent versions:

.\Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1 -KeepVersions 2

Target Specific Edition

Only clean up PyCharm Community Edition:

.\Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1 -Edition Community

Only clean up PyCharm Professional Edition:

.\Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1 -Edition Professional

Custom Log Location

Specify a custom log file location:

.\Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1 -LogPath "C:\Logs\PyCharmCleanup.log"

Silent Mode

Run without console output (useful for scheduled tasks and automated deployments):

.\Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1 -Silent

Note: Logging to file still occurs in silent mode.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
KeepVersions	Integer	1	Number of most recent versions to keep
Edition	String	'All'	Target edition: 'Community', 'Professional', or 'All'
LogPath	String	.\PyCharmCleanup.log	Path to write log file
Silent	Switch	False	Suppresses console output (logging to file still occurs)
WhatIf	Switch	False	Preview what would be uninstalled without doing it

Intune Deployment

License Requirements: Different deployment options require different Intune license tiers. See LICENSING.md for detailed breakdown by license level.

Quick License Check:

• Minimal (Intune Plan 1): Use PowerShell Scripts with static groups (Option 1)
• Standard (Intune Plan 2): Use Remediations with All Devices assignment (Option 2) - Recommended
• Premium (Plan 2 + Azure AD P1): All options available including dynamic groups

Performance Note: The script has early exit optimization - devices without PyCharm exit in ~0.1-0.3 seconds (just a registry scan). This ensures minimal impact on Windows deployments when assigned to all devices.

To deploy this script via Microsoft Intune:

As a Remediation Script (Requires Intune Plan 2 or Windows E3/E5)

1. In Intune, go to Devices > Remediations
2. Create a new script package
3. Detection script: Upload Detect-OldPyCharm.ps1
4. Remediation script: Upload Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1
5. Configure to run in System context
6. Assign to target device groups

Note: If you don't have Remediations (Intune Plan 1), see "As a PowerShell Script" below or refer to LICENSING.md for alternative approaches.

As a PowerShell Script (Works with all Intune licenses)

For organizations with Intune Plan 1 (basic license) without Remediations:

1. In Intune, go to Devices > Scripts > Add > Windows 10 and later
2. Upload Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1
3. Configure settings:
   • Run this script using the logged on credentials: No
   • Enforce script signature check: No (unless you sign it)
   • Run script in 64-bit PowerShell: Yes
4. Assign to target groups (use static group from Discovered Apps)

Difference from Remediations:

• PowerShell Scripts run once per assignment
• No automatic detection/remediation scheduling
• To run periodically, deploy a scheduled task (see EXAMPLES.md)
• Still effective for one-time or scheduled cleanup

Targeting Devices with PyCharm (No Additional Scripts Needed)

You can target only devices with PyCharm installed using Intune's built-in features. No additional scripts required - Intune already reads the existing PyCharm registry entries.

Registry Keys Used by PyCharm (and scanned by Intune):

• HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*
• HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*

Option 1: Use Discovered Apps (For Targeted Deployment)

Intune automatically inventories installed applications from registry keys.

Steps:

1. Go to Apps > Monitor > Discovered apps
2. Search for "PyCharm"
3. Click on the PyCharm app entry
4. View Device install status tab to see which devices have it
5. Note the device names (Export creates CSV but can't be imported directly)
6. Create a static group:
   • Groups > New group
   • Name: Devices - PyCharm Installed
   • Type: Security, Membership: Assigned
   • Members > Add members > Search and add devices one by one
7. Assign remediation to this group

Note: The export is for reference only. You must manually add devices to the group, or use PowerShell/Graph API for automation (see EXAMPLES.md).

Pros: Targets only devices with PyCharm, uses existing registry keys Cons: Manual group creation, requires periodic updates

Recommendation: For most scenarios, use Option 2 (All Devices) instead - it's simpler and self-maintaining.

Option 2: Assign to All Devices (Simplest)

The easiest approach - let the detection script handle targeting:

1. Assign remediation to All Devices or All Developers
2. The Detect-OldPyCharm.ps1 script automatically detects PyCharm
3. Only devices with multiple PyCharm versions get remediated

How it works:

• Device without PyCharm → Detection exits 0 (no action)
• Device with one PyCharm → Detection exits 0 (no action)
• Device with multiple PyCharm versions → Detection exits 1 → Remediation runs

Pros: Zero configuration, self-maintaining, automatically handles new installations Cons: Detection runs on all assigned devices (minimal overhead)

Option 3: Dynamic Group by Department/Naming

If using device naming conventions or department attributes:

1. Create dynamic group in Azure AD > Groups
2. Use query like:

   (device.displayName -startsWith "DEV-")
   

   or

   (device.departmentName -eq "Engineering")
   

3. Assign remediation to this group

Option 4: Dynamic Group via Compliance Policy (Advanced)

For truly dynamic groups, create a custom compliance policy that reads existing PyCharm registry keys, then create a dynamic device group based on compliance status.

See EXAMPLES.md for detailed step-by-step instructions on:

• Creating a custom compliance policy to detect PyCharm
• Setting up dynamic groups based on compliance results
• Using assignment filters as an alternative

Benefits: Fully automatic, updates as PyCharm is installed/removed Limitation: More complex setup, requires compliance policy knowledge

Recommended: Use Option 2 (All Devices) for simplicity, or Option 1 (Discovered Apps) for targeted deployment. Use Option 4 for enterprise scenarios requiring auto-updating groups.

Scheduled Task (GPO or Intune)

Create a scheduled task that runs monthly to prevent accumulation:

$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "PowerShell.exe" -Argument "-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File C:\Scripts\Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1"
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Weekly -At 2am -DaysOfWeek Sunday
$principal = New-ScheduledTaskPrincipal -UserId "SYSTEM" -RunLevel Highest
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "PyCharm Cleanup" -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -Principal $principal

How It Works

1. Scans Registry: Checks both HKLM and HKCU uninstall registry keys for PyCharm installations
2. Parses Versions: Extracts version numbers from display names (e.g., "PyCharm Community Edition 2024.2.1")
3. Groups by Edition: Separates Community and Professional editions
4. Sorts by Version: Orders installations by version number (newest first)
5. Keeps Latest: Retains the specified number of most recent versions
6. Uninstalls Old Versions: Executes silent uninstall for older versions
7. Cleans Up Folders: Removes leftover installation directories after uninstall
   • Checks registry InstallLocation path
   • Scans common JetBrains installation directories
   • Removes matching folders even if uninstaller left them behind
8. Logs Everything: Creates detailed log file of all operations

Logging

The script creates a detailed log file (default: PyCharmCleanup.log) in the script directory. The log includes:

• Timestamp for each operation
• All detected installations
• Versions kept and uninstalled
• Success/failure status
• Any errors encountered

Exit Codes

• 0: Success
• 1: Error occurred (check log file for details)

Troubleshooting

Script requires Administrator privileges

Run PowerShell as Administrator before executing the script.

Uninstall fails with non-zero exit code

Some PyCharm versions may have corrupted uninstallers. Check the log file for details and consider manually removing these installations.

No installations found

Ensure PyCharm was installed via the standard installer. Portable versions or custom installations may not be detected.

WhatIf shows versions but nothing uninstalls

Ensure you're running without the -WhatIf parameter when ready to perform actual uninstallation.

Leftover folders after uninstall

The script automatically detects and removes leftover installation folders after running the uninstaller. This includes:

• The InstallLocation path from registry
• Common JetBrains installation directories (C:\Program Files\JetBrains\PyCharm*)
• Version-specific folders that may have been left behind

If manual cleanup is needed, check these locations:

• C:\Program Files\JetBrains\
• C:\Program Files (x86)\JetBrains\

Examples

Example 1: First Run

PS> .\Uninstall-OldPyCharm.ps1

[2025-11-17 10:30:15] [INFO] === PyCharm Cleanup Script Started ===
[2025-11-17 10:30:15] [INFO] Parameters: KeepVersions=1, Edition=All
[2025-11-17 10:30:15] [INFO] Scanning for PyCharm installations...
[2025-11-17 10:30:16] [INFO] Found 3 PyCharm installation(s)
[2025-11-17 10:30:16] [INFO] Processing PyCharm Community Edition: 3 version(s) found
[2025-11-17 10:30:16] [INFO]   - PyCharm Community Edition 2024.2.1 (Version: 2024.2.1)
[2025-11-17 10:30:16] [INFO]   - PyCharm Community Edition 2024.1.0 (Version: 2024.1.0)
[2025-11-17 10:30:16] [INFO]   - PyCharm Community Edition 2023.3.2 (Version: 2023.3.2)
[2025-11-17 10:30:16] [INFO] Keeping 1 version(s):
[2025-11-17 10:30:16] [SUCCESS]   ✓ PyCharm Community Edition 2024.2.1 (Version: 2024.2.1)
[2025-11-17 10:30:16] [INFO] Uninstalling 2 old version(s):
[2025-11-17 10:30:16] [INFO] Uninstalling: PyCharm Community Edition 2024.1.0 (Version: 2024.1.0)
[2025-11-17 10:30:35] [SUCCESS] Successfully uninstalled: PyCharm Community Edition 2024.1.0
[2025-11-17 10:30:37] [INFO] Removing leftover folder: C:\Program Files\JetBrains\PyCharm Community Edition 2024.1.0
[2025-11-17 10:30:37] [SUCCESS] Successfully removed folder: C:\Program Files\JetBrains\PyCharm Community Edition 2024.1.0
[2025-11-17 10:30:37] [INFO] Uninstalling: PyCharm Community Edition 2023.3.2 (Version: 2023.3.2)
[2025-11-17 10:30:52] [SUCCESS] Successfully uninstalled: PyCharm Community Edition 2023.3.2
[2025-11-17 10:30:54] [INFO] Removing leftover folder: C:\Program Files\JetBrains\PyCharm Community Edition 2023.3.2
[2025-11-17 10:30:54] [SUCCESS] Successfully removed folder: C:\Program Files\JetBrains\PyCharm Community Edition 2023.3.2
[2025-11-17 10:30:54] [INFO] === PyCharm Cleanup Completed ===
[2025-11-17 10:30:54] [INFO] Summary: 1 version(s) kept, 2 version(s) uninstalled

License

MIT License - Feel free to use and modify as needed.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit issues or pull requests on the project repository.