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There is info flying around social media about deleting Quicktime for Windows due to security issues. What say ye Apple?
Quicktime-OTHER, Windows 7
Uninstall QuickTime 7 for Windows - Apple Support
Apple doesn't reply here. Only other users answer questions.
You probably don't need the Windows version of QuickTime Player or its browser plug-in.
As far as I can tell Apple has not yet said anything official about the issue.
Nonetheless, the concern is real, and most -- but not all -- users can safely uninstall the offending app, either from Windows Control Panel or by running the "Uninstall QuickTime" app. (Which, if I remember correctly, will be found in Windows 7 by going to the Start Menu, opening the QuickTime folder, then selecting Uninstall QuickTime.)
Note that a lot of people seem to be saying to "delete" the app, which is not what you want to do. (If you delete the icon for the application, it will *not* be uninstalled or disabled, and the vulnerability will remain.) So uninstall is the word of the day!
In reviewing similar questions, I read that someone was uncomfortable because he had to allow the uninstaller permission to make changes to his hard drive. It sounds kinda scary, right? But QuickTime (or any other app) is made up of a bunch of files on your hard drive, and they all have to be deleted (in a particular way, which is why you need an uninstaller). If your uninstaller didn't have permissions to alter the contents of your hard drive, it would be unable to unregister and remove any of the app that you want to get rid of.
Minoxman, it's highly unlikely that the following will apply to you, but I'd like to include it because it might help other users.
Big News for People Who Work with Video
There are still some applications that rely on QuickTime for Windows -- including some components of Adobe's Creative Cloud. I don't know why this fact isn't getting more press. At least it got a little press here: https://www.grahamcluley.com/2016/04/quicktime-uninstall-adobe/
The article and comments were a bit too techie for me, so I think we can say that most people will be just fine uninstalling QuickTime immediately. I have not a clue what Apple ProRes is, but if you need it -- do not uninstall QuickTime! Basically, if you do video editing, animation, video conversions, etc..., check with the manufacturer of the software that you use before you uninstall anything. The following list contains some products that other users have reported still depend on QuickTime:
And those are just some of the apps in one set of comments. While the list is longer than I expected, notice that all of these applications deal with the relatively narrow field of video editing. Your word processor, web browser, and pretty much all of your normal apps will all do just fine without QuickTime. (I did no additional research to confirm or refute these findings. This list is not exhaustive. YMMV.)
Finally, there is no need to panic. There have been no reports of hacks exploiting these vulnerabilities, and even more importantly -- you're only vulnerable if you access tainted content with QuickTime. Just having it installed carries zero risk if you don't use it. And if you're working locally with your own files, you should be just fine -- unless you're already infected.
So, the second word of the day is caution. Do not load unknown QuickTime content from web sites or email attachments that you don't trust. Which is probably a good idea anyway. Now breathe, and have a great day!
Quicktime for Windows deletion gone viral
