Virtual device TAP-Windows Adapter V9: what it is and how to remove it

Owners of devices on Windows OS can monitor various network adapters installed in the system, both physical (for example, network card or Wi-fi module) and virtual, in the Device Manager. These system components perform certain functions and each of them has its own task, which is not always clear to the user. So, having found TAP-Windows Adapter V9 or TAP-WIN32 Adapter V9 on their computers, many people wonder what this may be and what the purpose of this object is. This topic is especially troubling if you didn’t install anything like this yourself, and since the installation took place without your participation, it’s not a fact that you really need the component.

Purpose and methods of removing the TAP-Windows Adapter V9 network adapter.

TAP-Windows Adapter V9 - what is it

The TAP-Windows Adapter V9 object is a virtual network adapter of the Windows system and can be used for various tasks, depending on the specifics of the software to which it belongs. Its appearance is often associated with setting up a VPN or installing programs that change network settings.

Often, the virtual TAP-Windows Adapter V9 puts open VPN, software used to create a virtual private network (for example, to anonymize the network by changing the IP address), but it can also apply to some other program that uses the VPN function. The list of software that could install this adapter is quite variegated. In addition to numerous applications that change IP, you can include Avira antivirus (VPN in the package creates a secure connection with this element), software for physical network equipment (router, modem, etc.), KMSpico activator for Windows and Microsoft Office and others similar software. At the same time, you could, downloading and installing a program from the Internet, simultaneously acquire unnecessary software, which comes bundled, perhaps it is software that you did not plan to download, and installed a virtual adapter. Batch installation from unverified sources often also causes viruses to infect your device, so you should be careful about downloading third-party software from the network. In the case of the advent of the TAP-Windows Adapter V9, the malware does not have a relationship to this event, but if you don’t need the network adapter and the program that created it, you can simply delete them from the system.

As mentioned above, such a virtual device can be enabled by any application, and since it was created, it performs certain functions. It also happens that the TAP-Windows Adapter V9 refers to a VPN connection participating in your Internet connection, so removing this adapter will result in the absence of the Internet. If there is not a shadow of doubt that it could have created an adapter for any program on your device, then it is quite possible, it is so and this element is necessary for the connection to function.

How to remove TAP-Windows Adapter V9

If you understand what a virtual device belongs to and are sure that you don’t really need it, you can safely demolish it. Conversely, when there is no confidence in the purpose of the TAP-Windows Adapter V9, then it is undesirable to delete it. In any case, if it is not possible to determine the connection with a specific program, you can try to disconnect the object, and then watch a few of it, whether the disconnection affected the functionality of the system and applications. The procedure is as follows:

  • Go to the "Network Connections" (for example, through the "Control Panel" - "Network and Sharing Center" - "Change adapter settings").
  • We press the RMB on the connection and in the context menu select the option "Disable".
  • The connection will now be inactive and if after these manipulations you have lost the Internet, then we turn on the adapter again by performing the same actions with the difference that now you need to activate the virtual device on the contrary by selecting the appropriate item from the context menu.

Uninstalling the TAP-Windows Adapter V9 should only be performed when you are fully aware of the functions that are assigned to this component and you need them. For the procedure you will need to do the following:

  • We proceed to the Device Manager in any convenient way (for example, through the Control Panel).
  • Here the installed equipment will be displayed, go to the section "Network adapters".
  • Select the desired item from the list and click on it right-click, from the appeared context menu we find “Remove device”, click.
  • In the confirmation window, put a tick in the item for removing drivers for this device, and then confirm the action.

In this way, you can eliminate any equipment installed on your computer, including network adapters. Also, knowing the connection of the virtual device with a specific software, you can also remove the program that uses it. To do this, go to the Control Panel in the "Programs and Features" section, here among the applications in the list of those that are on the computer, we find those associated with the TAP-Windows Adapter V9 and delete it.

It would be preferable to disable the adapter instead of removing it in the manner described above, but if you definitely decided to get rid of it and the program that created it, then it is easy to do, the main thing is not to leave "tails" that could later cause software conflicts.