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How to uninstall Webroot SecureAnywhere on Mac completely

Webroot SecureAnywhere is security software, so it installs more than the app in Applications: background services that start with the Mac, a part that opens at login, settings and support files. Webroot’s own support says dragging the app to the Trash doesn’t uninstall it. Here is the right way, and how to check what is left.

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 Webroot SecureAnywhere 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

Uninstall Webroot from its About window

Webroot has a built-in uninstall button. Start with it: it stops the protection and removes the parts a plain delete leaves running.

  1. Open Webroot SecureAnywhere.
  2. In the menu bar, click Webroot SecureAnywhere and choose About SecureAnywhere.
  3. In the window that opens, click Uninstall Webroot SecureAnywhere.
  4. Click Yes to confirm, and enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
  5. If the Webroot icon is still pinned to the Dock, drag it to the Trash.

Once Webroot is gone, your Mac is no longer scanned by it.

If the app won’t open

If Webroot doesn’t start, you can still delete the app in Finder, but then its background services stay behind, so the leftovers below matter more.

  1. Open Finder › Applications and drag Webroot SecureAnywhere to the Trash.
  2. Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
  3. Remove the files from the next section, starting with the ones in /Library/LaunchDaemons.

What Webroot leaves behind

After either way, check these places. The first ones are system folders shared by all users of the Mac:

  • /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.webroot.security.mac.plist — the background protection service, which runs with administrator rights.
  • /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.webroot.webfilter.mac.plist — the web filter service.
  • /Library/LaunchAgents/com.webroot.WRMacApp.plist — opens Webroot when you log in.
  • /Library/Application Support/Webroot — Webroot’s program files and data for the whole Mac.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/Webroot — Webroot’s data for your user account.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.webroot.WSA.plist — settings.

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 need your administrator password.
  3. Repeat for the other paths.
  4. Restart your Mac, so the background services are no longer running, then empty the Trash.

Then open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions (in macOS Sonoma: Login Items) and make sure nothing from Webroot is left there.

Webroot 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 Webroot SecureAnywhere creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app, background services included.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Will MacWashing delete my own files when it removes Webroot SecureAnywhere?

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 Webroot SecureAnywhere 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 Webroot SecureAnywhere 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 doesn’t dragging Webroot to the Trash uninstall it?

Its protection runs as background services that don’t live inside the app. Webroot’s support says to uninstall from Webroot SecureAnywhere › About SecureAnywhere instead.

Does uninstalling Webroot cancel my subscription?

No. Removing the app from this Mac doesn’t change your subscription or your keycode.

Can I reinstall Webroot later?

Yes. Download the installer again from Webroot and activate it with your keycode, so keep the keycode somewhere safe.