UIN IP: what it is and how to remove it
UIN IP is an AOL Parasite that can infect your PC's system via Trojan or fake Windows error messages. It is an infectious software that can corrupt various settings on a computer, including registries, Windows startup, values, etc.
Facts checked October 7, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
Automatic
Get a free scan and check if your PC is infected.
Fortect finds malware, unwanted programs and the Windows damage they leave behind, and repairs it in one pass.
If UIN IP keeps coming back after uninstalling, a scan can find what reinstalls it.
Do it yourself · free Remove UIN IP yourself 4 steps, about 12 minutes, no software needed.
Start the stepsUIN IP: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | UIN IP |
| Type | Ad-supported download manager |
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 4 more facts
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
|---|---|
| Program | UIN IP |
| First seen | 27 October 2015 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
Is UIN IP safe? Why it is flagged
From our report of Oct 2015 · not reviewed since
UIN IP AOL Parasite. What is it?
UIN IP is an AOL Parasite that can infect your PC's system via Trojan or fake Windows error messages.
It is an infectious software that can corrupt various settings on a computer, including registries, Windows startup, values, etc. in order to root deep into the system. If you have never heard about AOL parasites before, then you have to stick in mind that they are dangerous and can lead to privacy issues.
UIN IP is a computer infection that has been developed by cyber criminals. It is targeting users from the USA that are using AOL instant messenger services, including AIM and ICQ. The main task of this infection is to steal passwords, exploit, do DoS attacks, and so on.
Security experts also point out that such parasites can negatively affect computers by arranging Services. Besides, some of them, including UIN IP can also initiate email spamming, what may lead to further computer infections.
From our report of Oct 2015 · not reviewed since
How UIN IP parasite can infect my computer?
UIN IP belongs to the higher danger level of security threats.
As we have already mentioned, it can cause privacy-related issues by stealing tracking your passwords to predetermined websites and transmitting them to remote servers via e-mail. Having in mind how malicious activities it is set to initiate, it is naïve to expect that it will be distributed using legal methods. In fact, any AOL parasite can be injected into a computer's system with the help of a Trojan.
Trojan horses are the medium that is most frequently used for transmitting serious computer viruses. You can launch a Trojan that carries UIN IP AOL infection by clicking on a fake link, visiting illegal website and so on. Nevertheless, you can also activate this threat by clicking on a fake Windows error message.
Such messages typically appear professional, so it is difficult to distinguish them from the ones that are delivered by Windows for real. If you have a reliable anti-spyware, it will inform you about a security threat and will block it. However, if your anti-malware is out-of-date, clicking on 'Yes' or 'No' button on a fake Windows alert, UIN IP AOL may be injected into the system.
How to uninstall UIN IP
How to remove UIN IP
Uninstall it and remove the extras it installed, then scan for the files you downloaded with it.
Step 1: Uninstall UIN IP
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10. Sort the list by install date and find UIN IP, then choose Uninstall from the three-dot menu next to it (in Windows 10, click the entry and then Uninstall).
Remove anything else installed on the same day that you do not recognise, because such programs usually arrive together in one installer. If the uninstaller opens a browser page with an offer or a survey, close it: the program is removed either way.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 2: Remove it from startup
Whatever UIN IP installed usually starts with Windows. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, go to Startup apps in Windows 11 or the Startup tab in Windows 10, and disable what you do not know, starting with entries that have an empty Publisher column.
Open file location on the right-click menu shows the file, which helps you decide and tells you what to delete later. Disabling is safe: if something you need stops working, switch it back on.
Full procedure with screenshots: Stop apps from opening at startup On uGetFix
Step 3: Delete the folders left behind
What the uninstaller leaves behind is usually in the user folders. Open File Explorer, switch on View > Show > Hidden items (in Windows 10 View > Hidden items), and go through
%LocalAppData%,%AppData%, %ProgramData% and the two Program Files folders.Sort by Date modified and delete folders that appeared together with the problem and belong to no program you use. Folders with random names that hold
.exe,.dll, .js or .ps1 files are the strongest sign.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 4: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan and remove everything it finds. Then select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now: the PC restarts and scans before Windows loads, which finds files that hide while Windows runs.
Save your work first, because the offline scan takes about 15 minutes. Both scans are built into Windows 11 and Windows 10, and a second scanner from another vendor is a useful extra opinion.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are
There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity.
While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.
Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.
Data backups are important - recover your lost files
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data.
Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.
While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.
From our report of Oct 2015 · not reviewed since
Is it possible to delete AOL parasite manually?
AOL parasites can initiate various modifications on a PC's system.
Besides, it may install a whole bunch of supporting files that can be located all over PC. Consequently, even if you detect the core file of UIN IP infection and remove it, you may be negatively surprised after rebooting your PC and seeing that it has been restored.
In fact, such severe computer infections that can steal personal information and report it to cyber criminals are not recommended to be removed manually. Instead of that, its' advisable to initiate UIN IP removal using or another alternative anti-malware.
Questions about UIN IP
Can I safely uninstall UIN IP?
If you did not install UIN IP yourself and it is not part of your hardware or a program you rely on, yes. Uninstalling an unwanted program does not harm Windows. Before you do, search the exact name and publisher to be sure it is not a driver tool, a printer utility or a game launcher with an odd name.
Then remove it from Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Ignore any offers or warnings in its uninstaller about losing protection or performance. Afterwards check Startup apps and your browsers for leftovers, and restart once to confirm that it does not reinstall itself.
How do I stop programs like UIN IP from being installed again?
Most unwanted programs arrive through installers, so the fix is in how you install software. Download programs from their official sites or the Microsoft Store, not from download portals or ads above search results. During setup, choose Custom or Advanced installation and untick every extra offer, including browsers, toolbars and optimizers.
Decline update prompts that appear inside other programs unless you know them. In Windows Security, turn on reputation-based protection and potentially unwanted app blocking. These steps would most likely have stopped UIN IP before it reached the app list.
UIN IP came back after I removed it. Why?
Something reinstalls it:
- another program from the same bundle
- a scheduled task that downloads it again
- a browser extension restored by sync
Look in Installed apps for anything from the same publisher or installed on the same date, and in Task Scheduler for tasks with the program's name or random names.
Remove extensions while signed in to the browser so sync deletes them on every device. Remove everything in one session and restart. If UIN IP still returns, a full scan and a Microsoft Defender offline scan usually find the part that brings it back.
Is my privacy at risk because of UIN IP?
A little, not dramatically. Unwanted programs tend to report what you install, which sites you visit or how you use the program back to their publisher. That data is sold or used for ads.
The sign people noticed, UIN IP in the list of installed apps, is consistent with such a program, and nothing reported suggests access to your files, camera or passwords.
Remove it, delete its leftovers and clear the browser data if it touched the browser. From then on, keep Potentially unwanted app blocking switched on in Windows Security, which stops many of these programs before they install.
Will removing UIN IP speed up Windows?
It often helps a little and sometimes a lot, depending on how many programs came in the same bundle. Every unwanted program that starts with Windows adds to boot time and uses memory. The one behind UIN IP in the list of installed apps is no exception.
Remove it, check the Startup list for others, restart and compare. If the PC is still slow, look at disk space, Windows updates and the processes at the top of Task Manager. A clean PC should sit almost idle when no programs are open.
The uninstaller for UIN IP keeps asking me to stay. Is that normal?
It is a common tactic, not a technical requirement. Uninstallers of unwanted programs often show discounts, warnings that the PC will be at risk, or a choice between "repair" and "remove" designed to confuse. Choose the option that removes the program completely and decline everything else.
If the uninstaller closes without removing anything, end its processes in Task Manager and try again, or use Safe Mode. Check Installed apps afterwards; if UIN IP is still listed, the uninstall did not finish.
Can Windows block unwanted programs automatically?
Yes, with one setting. Windows Security has Potentially unwanted app blocking under App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings. Block apps stops flagged programs from installing, and Block downloads works in Microsoft Edge.
On some PCs this was not switched on, which is how programs like UIN IP got through. It does not catch everything, so read installer screens, choose Custom setup and decline offers. Removing free tools you no longer use also helps, because their updates are a common route for new bundles.
Could UIN IP be a legitimate program?
Possibly. Some programs that cause UIN IP in the list of installed apps are real products from real companies that simply use aggressive distribution. Check the publisher in Installed apps and the digital signature in the file's Properties.
A known publisher and a program you actually use mean you can keep it and only adjust its settings. An unknown publisher, a program you never opened and no clear purpose mean it should go.
If it came bundled with something else, the decision is easy: you did not choose it, so remove it and keep the program you actually wanted.
Why does my antivirus call UIN IP a PUA or PUP?
These labels mean potentially unwanted application or program. They are used for software that is legal but uses deceptive distribution, aggressive ads, misleading claims or a hard removal. Microsoft's PUA categories include advertising software, bundlers, download managers, torrent clients, marketing software and miners.
A PUA detection is a warning, not proof of infection, and you decide whether to keep UIN IP. Other vendors use their own labels for the same idea, such as PUP.Optional or not-a-virus. Read more in our guide to potentially unwanted programs.
Will Fortect remove UIN IP?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For UIN IP, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 7, 2026)