How to uninstall Audacity on Mac completely
Audacity is a single app, but its settings, plug-in list, cache and temporary session files stay in your Library folder after you delete it. Here is how to remove them — and what to check first, because unsaved work and your projects may be in folders nearby.
- Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
- Click Show Apps and check Audacity 4 in the list.
- Click Remove and confirm. Files that may be yours are listed as Possible and stay unchecked.
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Delete Audacity in Finder
Audacity has no uninstaller of its own. Save your work, then delete the app:
- Save or export any open project you want to keep, then quit Audacity: choose Audacity › Quit Audacity.
- Open Finder › Applications and drag Audacity to the Trash.
- Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
What Audacity leaves behind
All of these are in the Library folder inside your home folder:
~/Library/Application Support/Audacity— Audacity’s settings folder: theaudacity.cfgsettings file, the plug-in list and temporary session data.~/Library/Caches/Audacity— the cache.~/Library/Preferences/org.audacityteam.Audacity4.plist— settings of Audacity 4.~/Library/Preferences/org.audacityteam.audacity.plist— settings of earlier Audacity versions.~/Library/Saved Application State/org.audacityteam.audacity.savedState— the window layout macOS restores at launch.
Two places may hold your own work. ~/Library/Application Support/audacity/SessionData keeps the temporary data of projects in progress, so a recording you never saved may still be there. ~/Documents/Audacity4 is a folder in Documents that Audacity 4 uses and may hold your projects. Open both and move what you need before deleting them. Projects you saved elsewhere, such as .aup3 files, are your files and stay where they are.
Remove the leftovers by hand
- In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G), type a path from the list above and press Return.
- Move the folder or file to the Trash.
- Repeat for the other paths.
- Restart your Mac, then empty the Trash.
Audacity isn’t the only app that leaves files behind: see how to uninstall apps on Mac completely.
With MacWashing, it’s one click
The Uninstaller in MacWashing knows the files Audacity creates in your Library folder and removes them together with the app. Folders that may hold your own files, like temporary session data, are listed as Possible and stay unchecked until you check them yourself.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Will MacWashing delete my own files when it removes Audacity?
No. The Uninstaller checks only what belongs to the app: its settings, caches, logs and background items. Folders that may hold your own files are listed as Possible and stay unchecked until you check them yourself, and apps go to the Trash by default, so you can put them back.
What if Audacity is still running?
MacWashing waits for it to quit, or quits it at your request, and only then removes its files.
Is it free to uninstall Audacity with MacWashing?
Yes, within the free trial: System Junk and the Uninstaller free up to 25 GB in total, with no account or card needed.
Does uninstalling Audacity delete my projects?
No. Projects you saved are files in the folders you chose, and deleting the app doesn’t touch them. Check ~/Documents/Audacity4 and the SessionData folder before deleting them, though: they may hold your work.
Will my effects and plug-ins be removed?
Audacity’s list of plug-ins and its settings are in ~/Library/Application Support/Audacity, so removing that folder resets them. Plug-ins you installed in other folders stay there.
Can I reinstall Audacity later?
Yes. Audacity is free: download it again from audacityteam.org. Without its old folders it starts with the default settings.