How to uninstall Microsoft Edge on Mac completely
Microsoft Edge on a Mac is an ordinary app, but deleting it leaves your browser profile, caches and a separate updater that runs in the background with administrator rights. Here is how to keep your browsing data, remove the app and clean up the rest.
- Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
- Click Show Apps and check Microsoft Edge 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
Before you start: save your browsing data
Your favorites, saved passwords, history and extensions live in Edge’s profile folder on the Mac. If you remove it, they are gone unless they are synced.
- In Edge, open Settings and more (the … button) › Settings › Profiles › Sync.
- Sign in with your Microsoft account if you haven’t, and turn on sync for the items you want to keep.
If Edge is your default browser, choose another one first in System Settings › Desktop & Dock › Default web browser.
Delete Edge in Finder
Edge is removed like most Mac apps:
- Quit Edge: choose Microsoft Edge › Quit Microsoft Edge in the menu bar.
- Open Finder › Applications and drag Microsoft Edge to the Trash.
- Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
What Edge leaves behind
Check these places. The first ones are in the Library folder inside your home folder:
~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge— your browser profile: favorites, history, passwords, extensions, and their caches.~/Library/Caches/Microsoft Edge— the cache.~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.edgemac.plist— settings.~/Library/Saved Application State/com.microsoft.edgemac.savedState— saved window state.~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.edgemac.wdgExtension— the Edge widget.~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/EdgeUpdater— the updater./Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.EdgeUpdater.helper.plistand/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.microsoft.EdgeUpdater.helper— the updater’s helper that runs with administrator rights.
The profile folder ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge holds your own browsing data. Sync it or export your favorites before you delete it, or keep the folder if you may use Edge again.
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. Files in
/Libraryneed your administrator password. - Repeat for the other paths.
- Restart your Mac, so the updater is no longer running, then empty the Trash.
Edge 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 Microsoft Edge creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app, background updater included.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Will MacWashing delete my own files when it removes Microsoft Edge?
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 Microsoft Edge 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 Microsoft Edge 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.
Will I lose my favorites and passwords?
Not if sync was on: they are kept in your Microsoft account and come back when you sign in to Edge again. Without sync they exist only in the profile folder on your Mac.
Why does something from Edge still run after I deleted it?
The updater is installed separately, in system folders, so deleting the app doesn’t stop it. Remove the updater files from the list above and restart the Mac.
Can I reinstall Edge later?
Yes. Download it again from Microsoft and sign in with the same account. Synced favorites, passwords and settings come back.