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How to uninstall iTerm2 on Mac completely

iTerm2 keeps your profiles and settings outside the app, so deleting it from Applications leaves them on the Mac. Here is how to save what you want to keep, remove the app and clean up the rest — including the lines shell integration adds to your shell’s startup files.

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 iTerm 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

Before you start: back up your settings

If you may use iTerm2 again, here or on another Mac, save your settings first.

  1. Open iTerm2 and choose iTerm2 › Settings, then the General tab.
  2. In the Settings section, click Export All Settings and Data. The export includes everything in the Settings window, dynamic profiles, toolbelt notes, Python scripts and the contents of ~/.iterm2.
  3. Keep the exported file outside the iTerm2 folders. Later, Import All Settings and Data in the same place brings it back.

If you already use Load settings from a custom folder or URL, your settings are also in that folder, and it stays where it is.

Delete iTerm2 in Finder

  1. Quit iTerm2: right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Quit.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and drag iTerm to the Trash.
  3. If you installed the iTerm2 AI plugin, drag iTermAI from Applications to the Trash too: it is a separate app.

What iTerm2 leaves behind

All of these are in the Library folder inside your home folder:

  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.googlecode.iterm2.plist — settings, profiles included.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/iTerm2 — dynamic profiles, toolbelt notes and other data.
  • ~/Library/Caches/com.googlecode.iterm2 — the cache.
  • ~/Library/WebKit/com.googlecode.iterm2 — web data of the app.
  • ~/Library/Group Containers/H7V7XYVQ7D.iTerm — a container shared by iTerm2’s components.
  • ~/Library/Containers/iTermAI — the container of the AI plugin.

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

iTerm2 isn’t the only app that leaves files behind: see how to uninstall apps on Mac completely.

If you installed shell integration

Shell integration is not inside the app. If you installed it, it added a script to your home folder and a line that loads it to the end of your shell’s startup file:

  • zsh: ~/.iterm2_shell_integration.zsh, loaded from ~/.zshrc.
  • bash: ~/.iterm2_shell_integration.bash, loaded from ~/.bash_profile or ~/.profile.
  • fish: ~/.iterm2_shell_integration.fish, loaded from ~/.config/fish/config.fish.

Open the startup file in a text editor and delete the line that mentions iterm2_shell_integration, then delete the script. The utilities installed with it are in the ~/.iterm2 folder.

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 iTerm2 creates in your Library folder and removes them together with the app. Folders that may hold your own files 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 iTerm2?

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 iTerm2 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 iTerm2 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 I lose my iTerm2 profiles?

Only if you delete the leftovers without a backup. Profiles are part of iTerm2’s settings. Export them with Export All Settings and Data first, or keep the preferences file.

Does removing iTerm2 affect Terminal or my shell?

The Terminal app that comes with macOS is not touched. Your shell keeps working. Only the shell integration lines, if you added them, stay in its startup file until you remove them.

How do I move my iTerm2 settings to another Mac?

Use Export All Settings and Data on the old Mac and Import All Settings and Data on the new one, or point both to the same folder with Load settings from a custom folder or URL.