Search
ENRU
Sign in
ENRU
Sign in

How to uninstall HandBrake on Mac completely

HandBrake is a single app, but it keeps its settings, cache and your custom presets in your Library folder, and these stay after you delete it. Here is how to remove all of it — and how to save your own presets first, because they are in the folder you delete.

Uninstaller: a list of apps sorted by size with when each was last opened, Google Chrome selected with its app and cache sizes
  1. Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
  2. Click Show Apps and check HandBrake in the list.
  3. Click Remove and confirm. Files that may be yours are listed as Possible and stay unchecked.
Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Export your custom presets first

If you made your own presets, they are stored in HandBrake’s container, in ~/Library/Containers/fr.handbrake.HandBrake/Data/Library/Application Support/HandBrake/UserPresets.json. Deleting the container deletes them.

  1. Open HandBrake and show the presets pane.
  2. Export the presets you want to keep, one at a time or several at once. HandBrake’s documentation describes export from the preset pane for backup and sharing.
  3. Save the exported file somewhere outside the Library folder, for example in Documents. After reinstalling, import it from the same pane.

Delete HandBrake in Finder

HandBrake has no uninstaller of its own. Deleting the app is the first step:

  1. Quit HandBrake: choose HandBrake › Quit HandBrake. If a queue is encoding, let it finish or stop it first.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and drag HandBrake to the Trash.
  3. Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.

What HandBrake leaves behind

All of these are in the Library folder inside your home folder:

  • ~/Library/Containers/fr.handbrake.HandBrake — HandBrake’s container: its settings and your custom presets. Finder may show it simply as HandBrake.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/HandBrake — a HandBrake data folder outside the container.
  • ~/Library/Caches/fr.handbrake.HandBrake — the cache.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/fr.handbrake.HandBrake.plist — settings.
  • ~/Library/Application Scripts/fr.handbrake.HandBrake — a service folder macOS makes for the app.
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/fr.handbrake.HandBrake.savedState — the window layout macOS restores at launch.

Your converted videos are wherever you chose to save them, and deleting HandBrake doesn’t touch them.

Remove the leftovers by hand

  1. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G), type a path from the list above and press Return.
  2. Move the folder or file to the Trash.
  3. Repeat for the other paths.
  4. Restart your Mac, then empty the Trash.

HandBrake isn’t the only app that leaves files behind: see how to uninstall apps on Mac completely.

With MacWashing, it’s one click

Uninstaller: a list of apps sorted by size with when each was last opened, Google Chrome selected with its app and cache sizes

The Uninstaller in MacWashing knows the files HandBrake creates in your Library folder and removes them together with the app. Folders that may hold your own files, like your custom presets, are listed as Possible and stay unchecked until you check them yourself.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Will MacWashing delete my own files when it removes HandBrake?

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 HandBrake 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 HandBrake 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 HandBrake delete my converted videos?

No. HandBrake saves videos where you tell it to, outside its own folders. Neither deleting the app nor removing its leftovers touches them.

Will I lose my custom presets?

Yes, if you delete HandBrake’s container without exporting them. Export them from the presets pane first and import the file after you reinstall.

Can I reinstall HandBrake later?

Yes. HandBrake is free: download it again from handbrake.fr. Without its old folders it starts with the default settings and the built-in presets.