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How to uninstall CrossOver on Mac completely

CrossOver keeps the Windows programs you install in bottles — folders that hold each program with its settings and files. Deleting the app leaves the bottles and CrossOver’s settings behind, while the official removal tool deletes everything, bottles included. Here is how to keep what you need and remove the rest.

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 CrossOver 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

Archive the bottles you want to keep

A bottle holds the Windows programs installed in it, their settings and the files they saved inside it. Deleting the bottle deletes all of that. If you may need a program again, archive its bottle first.

  1. Open CrossOver and select the bottle in the left sidebar.
  2. Choose Bottle › Export ‘<bottle name>’ to Archive and pick where to save the archive.
  3. Repeat for the other bottles you want to keep. Save the archives (.cxarchive files) outside the Library folder, for example in Documents or on an external drive.

After reinstalling CrossOver, restore a bottle with Bottle › Import Bottle Archive.

Uninstall CrossOver with the removal tool

CodeWeavers offers the CrossOver Removal Tool. It deletes the app, all of CrossOver’s files and the Windows programs you installed in it.

  1. Quit CrossOver and any Windows programs running in it.
  2. Download the tool from the CodeWeavers support article Using the CrossOver Removal Tool and open the zip file to unpack it.
  3. Open the tool. If macOS says it can’t be opened, Control-click the tool, choose Open and confirm. On recent macOS versions, if that doesn’t help, open System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
  4. Wait for the notification that the removal is complete.

Or delete CrossOver in Finder

  1. Quit CrossOver and any Windows programs running in it.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and drag CrossOver to the Trash.

This removes only the app. Your bottles and CrossOver’s files stay until you delete them as below.

What CrossOver leaves behind

Check these places in the Library folder inside your home folder:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/CrossOver — CrossOver’s data, with your bottles inside.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.codeweavers.CrossOver.plist — settings.
  • ~/Library/Caches/com.codeweavers.CrossOver — the cache.
  • ~/Library/Caches/CrossOver — more cached files.
  • ~/Library/Logs/CrossOver — logs.

Your Windows programs and the files they saved are in the bottles in ~/Library/Application Support/CrossOver/Bottles, and ~/Applications/CrossOver holds shortcuts that open them. Archive the bottles you need before deleting these folders, or keep them.

Remove the leftovers by hand

CodeWeavers’ own manual steps name the CrossOver folder in Application Support, the files starting with com.codeweavers in Preferences and the CrossOver folder in the Applications folder of your home folder.

  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.
  3. Repeat for the other paths.
  4. Restart your Mac, then empty the Trash.

CrossOver 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 CrossOver creates in your Library and home folders and removes them together with the app. Folders that may hold your own files, like your bottles with Windows programs, 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 CrossOver?

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 CrossOver 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 CrossOver 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 CrossOver delete my Windows programs?

The removal tool does: it deletes the bottles with everything in them. Dragging the app to the Trash doesn’t — the bottles stay in ~/Library/Application Support/CrossOver/Bottles until you delete them.

How do I keep a Windows program for later?

Archive its bottle with Bottle › Export to Archive before uninstalling. After you reinstall CrossOver, restore it with Bottle › Import Bottle Archive.

Why won’t the CrossOver Removal Tool open?

With default security settings macOS blocks it the first time, and CodeWeavers says this is expected. Control-click the tool and choose Open. On recent macOS versions, use Open Anyway in System Settings › Privacy & Security.