How to uninstall AdGuard on Mac completely
AdGuard for Mac filters traffic for the whole Mac, so it installs more than the app: a background helper that runs with administrator rights, a login helper, settings, logs and data in several Library folders. Here is how to remove all of it.
- Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
- Click Show Apps and check Adguard 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
First, save your own rules
If you wrote your own filtering rules, export them before uninstalling, so you can bring them back later. In AdGuard’s settings, user rules are under Filters, and the export is in their context menu.
Delete AdGuard in Finder
This is the regular way AdGuard describes on its support site:
- Quit AdGuard, including its icon in the menu bar if it has one.
- Open Finder › Applications, right-click AdGuard and choose Move to Trash.
- Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
AdGuard’s support site also has an advanced removal in Terminal for files that stay behind. AdGuard recommends it only if you know what you’re doing or support asks you to. The steps below do the same job in Finder.
What AdGuard leaves behind
After deleting the app, check these places. The first ones are in the Library folder inside your home folder:
~/Library/Application Support/Adguard— AdGuard’s data.~/Library/Group Containers/TC3Q7MAJXF.com.adguard.mac— data shared between AdGuard and its parts.~/Library/Containers/com.adguard.mac.adguard.loginhelper— the login helper that starts AdGuard when you log in.~/Library/Preferences/com.adguard.mac.adguard.plist— settings.~/Library/Logs/Adguard— logs./Library/Application Support/AdGuard Software— components installed for all users of the Mac./Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adguard.mac.adguard.helper.plist— the background helper that runs with administrator rights.
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.
AdGuard isn’t the only app that leaves files behind: see how to uninstall apps on Mac completely.
Check the background items
After the restart, open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions (macOS Sonoma: Login Items) and check that nothing from AdGuard is still listed.
With MacWashing, it’s one click
The Uninstaller in MacWashing knows the files AdGuard creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app, background helper and login helper included. Folders that may hold your own files 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 AdGuard?
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 AdGuard 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 AdGuard 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 ads come back after I uninstall AdGuard?
Yes. AdGuard blocks ads while it runs. Once it’s removed, websites and apps show them again.
Why does AdGuard ask for my password when I uninstall it?
AdGuard installs a helper for the whole Mac, in folders only an administrator can change. Removing it needs the same rights.
Does uninstalling AdGuard free up a device on my license?
Not by itself. To use the license on another device, open your AdGuard account, find this Mac under Devices and click Remove.