Search
ENRU
Sign in
ENRU
Sign in

How to uninstall Brave Browser on Mac completely

Dragging Brave to the Trash removes the browser, but not your profile with bookmarks, history and passwords, and not the updater helper that runs with administrator rights. Here is how to remove all of it — and how to keep what matters to you first.

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 Brave Browser 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 Brave the way Brave describes

Brave has no separate uninstaller on a Mac. Brave’s help center describes these steps:

  1. Quit Brave: right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Quit.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and drag Brave Browser to the Trash. Remove its icon from the Dock too if you keep one there.
  3. In Finder, hold the Option key, choose Go › Library and open Application Support.
  4. Drag the BraveSoftware folder to the Trash — only after you have saved what you need, see below.

Brave warns that deleting BraveSoftware wipes all Brave data from the Mac: if you reinstall, it will be as if you had never used it. To remove only a Beta, Dev or Nightly version, delete just that version’s folder inside BraveSoftware.

What Brave leaves behind

Check these places. The first ones are in the Library folder inside your home folder:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware — the folder with your profiles (see the note below).
  • ~/Library/Caches/BraveSoftware and ~/Library/Caches/com.brave.Browser — the cache.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.brave.Browser.plist — macOS-side settings of the app.
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.brave.Browser.savedState — saved window state.
  • ~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.brave.Browser — the app’s network storage.
  • /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.brave.Browser.UpdaterPrivilegedHelper.plist and /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.brave.Browser.UpdaterPrivilegedHelper — the updater helper that runs with administrator rights.

Your profiles are in ~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware: bookmarks, history, saved passwords, extensions, settings and Brave Wallet. They are your data: export or sync what you need before deleting that folder, or keep 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 need your administrator password.
  3. Repeat for the other paths.
  4. Restart your Mac, so the updater helper is no longer running, then empty the Trash.

Brave isn’t the only app that leaves files behind: see how to uninstall apps on Mac completely.

Save your bookmarks, passwords and wallet first

  • If Brave Sync is on, the data you chose to sync stays on the other devices in your sync chain and comes back when you join the chain again.
  • Without Sync, export what you need before uninstalling: Brave can export bookmarks and passwords, and its help center explains how.
  • If you use Brave Wallet, back up its recovery phrase first: open the wallet, choose Back up now in its menu and write the phrase down. Without it, the wallet can’t be restored after the profile is deleted.

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 Brave Browser creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app, updater helper included. Its profile folder, with your bookmarks, passwords and wallet, is listed as Possible and stays unchecked until you check it yourself.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Will MacWashing delete my own files when it removes Brave Browser?

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 Brave Browser 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 Brave Browser 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 uninstalling Brave delete my bookmarks and passwords?

Not by itself. Deleting the app leaves the BraveSoftware folder on the Mac. They are gone only if you delete that folder and haven’t synced or exported them.

What happens to my Brave Wallet?

The wallet lives in your Brave profile. Your crypto stays on its networks, but to open the wallet again you need its recovery phrase, so back it up before deleting the profile.

Can I reinstall Brave later?

Yes. Download it again from brave.com. If you kept the BraveSoftware folder or use Sync, your bookmarks and settings come back.