HOW-TO · UNINSTALL · WINDOWS · WINE · PROTON
How to remove DXVK and go back to normal DirectX
How we checked this
Pick your platform. Each section ends with a check.
Windows
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Close the game
Make sure it is not running. -
Delete the DXVK DLLs from the game folder
Delete the files you copied:
d3d9.dllfor a Direct3D 9 game,d3d11.dllanddxgi.dllfor Direct3D 11,d3d8.dll(withd3d9.dll) for Direct3D 8, andd3d10core.dllif you copied it. That is all DXVK installs on Windows: no registry entry, no installer (F02, F12). Not sure whether a file is DXVK’s? The verifier on the download page says so, and the DLL page explains how else to tell.Check: The DLLs are gone from the folder that holds the .exe.
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Delete dxvk.conf and the DXVK logs
Deletedxvk.confif you added one, and files named likeGameName_d3d11.logorGameName_dxgi.log. -
Optional: delete the shader cache
Delete the files in%LOCALAPPDATA%\dxvk(F19). It is rebuilt only if you use DXVK again.Check: The folder is empty or gone.
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Check it worked
Start the game. DXVK writes a log next to the .exe on every run (F13), so no new log means DXVK is not loaded.Check: No new DXVK log file appears, and the HUD is gone.
In our test, the same Direct3D 11 program loaded these files before and after the delete:
| State | d3d11.dll loaded from | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| DXVK DLLs next to the .exe | the game's own folder | F02 |
| After deleting them | C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\d3d11.dll | F12 |
No rows match.
Wine
DXVK’s README says wineboot -u removes DXVK from a Wine prefix and restores Wine’s own DLLs. The manual equivalent is the reverse of the install: delete the DLLs you copied into the prefix’s system32 and syswow64, and remove the native overrides (winecfg, Libraries tab). The install itself worked in our lab (F04), but we have not run the removal, so these steps are upstream’s and the reverse of our install, not our test result. Check: DXVK prints to the terminal when it is active (F14); with it removed, the game prints no DXVK lines.
Proton
Launch options PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command% switch a game to Wine’s own Direct3D, as Proton users report; we have not tested Proton. To go back, remove the option. Proton bundles its own DXVK, so you never installed it by hand. Check: no DXVK lines or HUD (see the Proton page).
Launchers
Lutris, Bottles and Heroic let you pick the DXVK version or switch it off per game or prefix. We have not tested their menus, so we do not name exact buttons here; see the launchers page when it is available.
Android
In Winlator-style apps you switch the graphics driver component, which we have not tested; see the Android page.
Clean up the shader cache
DXVK 3.x keeps a shader cache per game: on Windows in %LOCALAPPDATA%\dxvk (F19), under Wine inside the prefix. It only holds stored shader work and DXVK rebuilds it, so deleting it is safe in principle. More on the stutter page.
Questions people ask
Does uninstalling DXVK delete my saves?
No. DXVK adds DLL files next to the game and a cache folder; it does not touch save files. Delete only the DLLs you copied (finding F12: nothing else had changed).
Will Steam remove DXVK when I verify files?
We have not tested it. Verifying files compares the game folder with the original list, so it may remove files it does not know. Check whether the DLLs are still there afterwards.
How do I turn off DXVK in Proton?
Launch options PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command% switch a game to Wine's own Direct3D. That is how Proton users report it; we have not tested Proton here.
Is it safe to delete the DXVK cache folder?
Yes in principle: it only holds stored shader work, and DXVK rebuilds it on the next run. On Windows it is %LOCALAPPDATA%\dxvk (F19).
Sources
- DXVK README at v3.1.1 (removal under Wine) · accessed 2026-11-07
- DXVK wiki: Windows · accessed 2026-11-07