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How to uninstall Ollama on Mac completely

Ollama is more than the app in Applications: it can add the ollama command for Terminal, and every model you pull is saved in a hidden folder in your home folder. Models take tens or even hundreds of gigabytes, so they are usually the largest part of Ollama on your Mac. Here is how to remove all of it — or keep the models if you will need them again.

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 Ollama 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

Quit Ollama and delete the app

Ollama has no uninstaller. Its documentation lists what to delete for a full removal: the app, the command-line link and its folders.

  1. Quit Ollama: click its icon in the menu bar and quit it there, so the Ollama server stops running. If it is in the Dock, right-click it and choose Quit.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and drag Ollama to the Trash. Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
  3. Remove the ollama command: open Terminal, run sudo rm /usr/local/bin/ollama and enter your administrator password.

Ollama offers to create that command link the first time it starts. If you allowed it, the link stays after the app is gone. If Terminal says there is no such file, you never had it — nothing to do.

What Ollama leaves behind

Check these places in the Library folder inside your home folder:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Ollama — the app’s data.
  • ~/Library/Caches/com.electron.ollama — the cache.
  • ~/Library/WebKit/com.electron.ollama — web data of the app’s window.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.electron.ollama.plist — settings.
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.electron.ollama.savedState — the saved window state.

~/.ollama holds your models, Ollama’s configuration and its logs. The models themselves are in ~/.ollama/models. They are files you downloaded, not junk. Ollama’s own instructions for a full removal include deleting ~/.ollama, and that frees the most space. If you may use Ollama again, keep the folder or move it to an external drive first, so you don’t have to download the models again.

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. ~/.ollama is hidden because its name starts with a dot, but Go to Folder opens it.
  4. Restart your Mac, then empty the Trash. Space taken by the models is freed only when the Trash is emptied.

Ollama 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 Ollama creates in your Library and home folders and removes them together with the app. Folders that may hold your own files, like your downloaded models, 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 Ollama?

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 Ollama 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 Ollama 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 Ollama delete my models?

No. Deleting the app leaves them in ~/.ollama/models, where they keep taking space until you delete that folder yourself.

Why does Terminal still find the ollama command after I deleted the app?

The link in /usr/local/bin stays when the app is deleted. It points to the command inside the app, so it no longer works. Remove it with sudo rm /usr/local/bin/ollama.

Can I reinstall Ollama later and keep my models?

Yes. Keep ~/.ollama, then download Ollama again from ollama.com. Models already in that folder don’t need to be pulled again.