How to uninstall Claude on Mac completely
Your chats with Claude are kept in your Claude account, so removing the desktop app doesn’t delete them. The app still leaves its data, caches, logs and settings in your Library folder — and two things there may be yours: the file with your MCP server settings and the history of Cowork sessions run on this Mac. Here is how to remove the app and what to save first.
- Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
- Click Show Apps and check Claude in the list.
- Click Remove and confirm. Files that may be yours are listed as Possible and stay unchecked.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Delete Claude in Finder
Claude has no uninstaller of its own, so you delete it like most Mac apps.
- Quit Claude: right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Quit, or press Command-Q while it is open.
- Open Finder › Applications and drag Claude to the Trash.
- Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
What Claude leaves behind
Check these places in the Library folder inside your home folder:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude— the app’s data, its web caches and your settings for it.~/Library/Caches/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop— the cache.~/Library/Caches/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop.ShipIt— updates downloaded by the updater.~/Library/Preferences/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop.plist— settings.~/Library/Logs/Claude— logs, including the logs of MCP servers.~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop— the app’s network data, such as cookies.~/Library/Saved Application State/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop.savedState— the saved window state.
If you connected local MCP servers, their setup is in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. It is your own configuration, and it goes away with that folder. Copy the file somewhere safe first if you may use Claude again. To find it from the app, choose Claude › Settings…, open Developer and click Edit Config.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/local-agent-mode-sessions may hold the history and files of Cowork sessions run on this Mac. Anthropic says local Cowork sessions stay on the device, so they are not in your account: move what you need before deleting the folder.
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.
Claude 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 Claude creates in your Library folder and removes them together with the app. Files that may be yours, like local Cowork sessions and your MCP settings in claude_desktop_config.json, 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 Claude?
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 Claude 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 Claude 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 Claude delete my chats?
No. Conversations, projects and memory are kept in your Claude account. Sign in on claude.ai or in the app on another device and they are there. Local Cowork sessions are the exception: they stay only on the Mac where they ran.
Will I lose my MCP servers?
Their settings are in claude_desktop_config.json, which is removed with the app’s folder. Keep a copy of the file and put it back in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude after you reinstall. The MCP servers themselves are separate programs and are not removed with Claude.
Can I reinstall Claude later?
Yes. Download it again from claude.com/download and sign in with the same account. Your chats come back from the account.