How to uninstall Inkscape on Mac completely
Inkscape is a single app, but it keeps its preferences, caches and anything you added — palettes, extensions, templates — in folders outside it. Here is how to remove all of it, and what to copy first. Your drawings are wherever you saved them and are not touched.
- Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
- Click Show Apps and check Inkscape 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 Inkscape in Finder
Inkscape has no uninstaller on the Mac: you remove it like any other app.
- Quit Inkscape: right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Quit.
- Open Finder › Applications and drag Inkscape to the Trash.
- Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
What Inkscape leaves behind
Check these places in your home folder. Most are in its Library folder:
~/Library/Application Support/org.inkscape.Inkscape— Inkscape’s settings folder: preferences and the palettes, extensions and templates you added.~/Library/Application Support/org.inkscape.Inkscape/cache— the cache inside it.~/Library/Caches/org.inkscape.Inkscape— another cache.~/Library/Application Support/Inkscape— more Inkscape app data.~/Library/Preferences/org.inkscape.Inkscape.plist— app settings.~/Library/Saved Application State/org.inkscape.Inkscape.savedState— saved window state.~/.config/inkscape— a settings folder that older versions used, also with your own palettes and extensions. It is hidden: its name starts with a dot.
If you added your own palettes, extensions, templates or symbols, they are in the settings folders above. Copy ~/Library/Application Support/org.inkscape.Inkscape (and ~/.config/inkscape, if you have it) somewhere safe before you delete them.
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. This also opens hidden folders like
~/.config/inkscape. - Move the folder or file to the Trash.
- Repeat for the other paths.
- Restart your Mac, then empty the Trash.
Inkscape 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 Inkscape creates in your Library folder and removes them together with the app. Folders that may hold your own files, like your palettes, extensions and templates, 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 Inkscape?
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 Inkscape 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 Inkscape 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 Inkscape delete my drawings?
No. Your SVG and other files are saved wherever you put them, and neither deleting the app nor deleting its settings folders touches them.
Will reinstalling Inkscape reset my preferences?
No, if you keep its settings folder: a new copy reads the preferences, palettes and extensions that are still there. Delete the folder to start from default settings.
Where are the extensions and palettes I installed?
In Inkscape’s settings folder, ~/Library/Application Support/org.inkscape.Inkscape. Older versions kept them in the hidden ~/.config/inkscape folder.