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How to uninstall Tailscale on Mac completely

Tailscale comes in two versions for Mac: one from the App Store and a standalone one from Tailscale’s website, which adds a system extension. Either way, deleting the app leaves a VPN configuration, Keychain entries, settings and caches. Here is how to remove all of it.

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 Tailscale 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

Delete Tailscale

Quit Tailscale first: click its icon in the menu bar and quit it from there. Then:

  1. Open Finder › Applications and drag Tailscale to the Trash.
  2. The standalone version: when macOS asks whether to remove the system extension too, confirm it.
  3. Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.

The App Store version is deleted like any other Mac app, with no extra question.

Remove the VPN configuration

Tailscale’s docs say the VPN entry should be removed separately for a full cleanup:

  1. Open Apple menu › System Settings, click Network in the sidebar, then VPN.
  2. Find Tailscale (the standalone version) or Tailscale Tunnel (the App Store version) and click the Info button next to it.
  3. Click Remove Configuration and confirm.

Then open Keychain Access, search for tailscale and delete the entries it finds, such as tailscale-machinekey and tailscale-preferences.

What Tailscale leaves behind

These are the places of the standalone version. In the App Store version the folders in your Library folder end in io.tailscale.ipn.macos instead of io.tailscale.ipn.macsys.

  • /Library/Tailscale — the standalone version’s data for the whole Mac.
  • ~/Library/Containers/io.tailscale.ipn.macsys — the app’s own folder.
  • ~/Library/Group Containers/W5364U7YZB.io.tailscale.ipn.macsys — data shared between the app and its parts.
  • ~/Library/Containers/io.tailscale.ipn.macsys.login-item-helper — the helper that starts Tailscale when you log in.
  • ~/Library/Containers/io.tailscale.ipn.macsys.share-extension — the Share menu extension.
  • ~/Library/Caches/io.tailscale.ipn.macsys — the cache.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/io.tailscale.ipn.macsys.plist — settings.
  • /usr/local/bin/tailscale — the command-line tool, if you installed it.

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. Files in /Library and /usr/local need your administrator password.
  3. Repeat for the other paths.
  4. Restart your Mac, then empty the Trash.

Tailscale 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 Tailscale creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app, its login helper included. Folders that may hold your own files 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 Tailscale?

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 Tailscale 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 Tailscale 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.

Why does macOS ask about a system extension when I delete Tailscale?

The standalone version runs its VPN through a system extension. Confirm the removal, so the extension goes together with the app.

Why is Tailscale still in the VPN settings?

macOS keeps the VPN configuration separately from the app. Remove it in System Settings › Network › VPN: click the Info button next to Tailscale, then Remove Configuration.

Will this Mac keep its Tailscale IP address if I reinstall?

No. Tailscale’s docs say a device that is installed again later gets a new IP address.