How to uninstall Zoom on Mac completely
Zoom installs more than the app you see in Applications: a background helper that runs with administrator rights, an updater, settings, caches and logs. Here is how to remove all of it — and what to keep, because your meeting recordings live in a separate folder.
- Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
- Click Show Apps and check zoom.us 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
Uninstall Zoom from its own menu
Zoom has a built-in uninstaller, and it’s the best place to start: it also removes the background components a plain delete leaves behind.
- Open Zoom. You don’t need to sign in.
- In the menu bar, choose Zoom Workplace › Uninstall Zoom Workplace. In older versions the menu is called zoom.us and the item Uninstall Zoom.
- Click OK and enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
If the menu item isn’t there, your Zoom version is old: delete the app in Finder as below.
Or delete Zoom in Finder
- Quit Zoom: right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Quit, and quit it in the menu bar too if it has an icon there.
- Open Finder › Applications and drag Zoom to the Trash, or Control-click it and choose Move to Trash.
- Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
What Zoom leaves behind
After either way, check these places. The first ones are in the Library folder inside your home folder:
~/Library/Application Support/zoom.us— Zoom’s data and downloaded components.~/Library/Caches/us.zoom.xos— the cache.~/Library/Preferences/us.zoom.xos.plist— settings.~/Library/Logs/zoom.us— logs./Library/LaunchDaemons/us.zoom.ZoomDaemon.plistand/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/us.zoom.ZoomDaemon— the background helper that runs with administrator rights./Library/LaunchAgents/us.zoom.updater.plist— the updater that starts when you log in.
Your meeting recordings are in ~/Documents/Zoom. They are your files, not leftovers: move them somewhere else before deleting that folder, or keep it.
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 background helper is no longer running, then empty the Trash.
Zoom 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 Zoom creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app, background helper and updater included. Folders that may hold your own files, like recordings, 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 Zoom?
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 Zoom 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 Zoom 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 Zoom delete my recordings?
No. Local recordings are saved in Documents › Zoom, which neither Zoom’s uninstaller nor deleting the app touches. Cloud recordings stay in your Zoom account.
Why does Zoom ask for my password when I uninstall it?
Zoom installs a helper for all users of the Mac, in folders only an administrator can change. Removing it needs the same rights.
Can I reinstall Zoom later?
Yes. Download it again from zoom.us and sign in. Your account, contacts and cloud recordings are kept on Zoom’s servers.