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How to reinstall or uninstall Synergy 1

Updated

Written for Synergy 1 (v1.21.4), checked 3 October 2026.

Product: Synergy 1
Operating system: Windows, macOS, and Linux

Reinstalling is one of the first basic steps you can take when experiencing problems with configuring Synergy 1. Sometimes, there might be a file in the installation that has become corrupt or invalid. Reinstalling is often a simple way to resolve this issue.

Try this first: clear your settings from inside Synergy 1. Open Help > Clear settings, then click Yes when asked whether to clear all settings and restart Synergy 1. This can't be undone, so note your configuration first.

If clearing settings does not help, reinstall using the steps for your operating system below, and remove the configuration files as described under "Manually removing configuration files".

To uninstall Synergy 1 without installing it again, follow the same steps and skip the step that installs it.

Windows

  1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps (on Windows 10, Apps & features).
  2. Find Synergy in the list, click ... next to it, then click Uninstall. Click Uninstall again to confirm. The uninstaller closes Synergy 1 for you if it's running.
  3. To re-install Synergy 1, run the downloaded .msi installer by double-clicking it.

Manually removing configuration files on Windows

  1. Run regedit and delete these registry keys, left by older versions (if they exist): 
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Symless
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Synergy
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Synergy
  2. Delete these directories (if they exist): 
    %APPDATA%\Synergy
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Synergy
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Symless
C:\ProgramData\Synergy
C:\ProgramData\Symless
C:\ProgramData\Synergy v2

    %APPDATA%\Synergy holds your own settings (Synergy.conf). C:\ProgramData\Synergy holds the "All users" settings, if you use them, the server configuration, and the locked settings file, if your administrator deployed one. Deleting them loses your saved settings, and if Synergy 3 is installed on the same computer, it keeps its settings in C:\ProgramData\Synergy too.

  3. Restart Windows.
  4. Install Synergy 1 as you would normally.
  5. If you see the error "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable", then try the Microsoft troubleshooter: Fix problems that block programs from being installed or removed

macOS

  1. Quit Synergy 1 if it's running: click its icon in the menu bar (top right) and click Quit.
  2. Delete the Synergy app from the Applications folder.
  3. If you get a message that it can't be removed because it is open, open the Terminal app and run the following command: 
    sudo rm -rf /Applications/Synergy.app/
  4. Install Synergy 1 again, as you would normally.

Manually removing configuration files on macOS

  1. Run these commands to remove the settings (don't worry if the files or directories don't exist): 
    rm -rf ~/Library/Synergy
rm -rf ~/Library/Symless
rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/Synergy
rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/Symless
rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.symless.Synergy.plist
rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.https-symless-com.Synergy.plist
rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.http-symless-com.Synergy.plist
    If Synergy 3 is installed on the same Mac, ~/Library/Preferences/Synergy holds its settings too.
  2. Run this command to unload the preferences: 
    killall -u $USER cfprefsd
  3. If you used the "All users" settings, also delete them (from /Library/Synergy, or /Library/Preferences/Synergy for versions before 1.21): 
    sudo rm -rf /Library/Synergy /Library/Preferences/Synergy

    Note: In this case, you will lose previously saved settings. These folders also hold the locked settings file, if your administrator deployed one.

  4. Install as you would normally.
  5. Sometimes the 'cfprefsd' command fails silently, so you may need to retry the reinstall steps.

Linux

  1. Remove the Synergy 1 package using your package manager. The package is called synergy. For example, on Ubuntu or Debian: 
    sudo apt remove synergy
    On Fedora: 
    sudo dnf remove synergy
  2. Install Synergy 1 again as you would normally.

Manually removing configuration files on Linux

  1. Run these commands to remove your settings (don't worry if the directories don't exist): 
    rm -rf ~/.config/Synergy/
rm -rf ~/.config/Symless/
rm -rf ~/.synergy/
rm -rf ~/.symless/
    If Synergy 3 is installed on the same computer, ~/.config/Synergy holds its settings too.
  2. If you used the "All users" settings, also delete them (from /etc/Synergy, or /etc/xdg/Synergy for versions before 1.21): 
    sudo rm -rf /etc/Synergy /etc/xdg/Synergy

    Note: In this case, you will lose previously saved settings. These folders also hold the locked settings file, if your administrator deployed one.

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