How to uninstall LM Studio on Mac completely
Deleting LM Studio from Applications removes only the app. Its settings, caches and logs stay in your Library folder, and every model you downloaded stays in a hidden folder in your home folder. Models often take tens of gigabytes, so they are usually the largest part of LM Studio on your Mac. Here is how to remove all of it — or keep the models if you will need them again.
- Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
- Click Show Apps and check LM Studio 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
Quit LM Studio and delete the app
LM Studio has no uninstaller of its own, so you delete it like most Mac apps. Quit it fully first: LM Studio can keep its local server running in the background, and closing the window then only hides the app in the menu bar.
- Quit LM Studio: right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Quit. If it has an icon in the menu bar, click it and quit it there too.
- Open Finder › Applications and drag LM Studio to the Trash.
- Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.
If you turned on running the server when you log in, open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions (in macOS Sonoma: Login Items) after deleting the app and remove LM Studio if it is still listed.
What LM Studio leaves behind
Check these places in the Library folder inside your home folder:
~/Library/Application Support/LM Studio— the app’s data and its web caches.~/Library/Caches/ai.elementlabs.lmstudio— the cache.~/Library/Caches/ai.elementlabs.lmstudio.ShipIt— updates downloaded by the updater.~/Library/Preferences/ai.elementlabs.lmstudio.plist— settings.~/Library/Logs/LM Studio— logs.~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.elementlabs.lmstudio— the app’s network data, such as cookies.~/Library/Saved Application State/ai.elementlabs.lmstudio.savedState— the saved window state.
~/.lmstudio is LM Studio’s folder in your home folder. The models you downloaded are in ~/.lmstudio/models. They are your downloads, not junk. If you may use LM Studio again, keep the folder or move it to an external drive first, so you don’t have to download the models again. The small file ~/.lmstudio-home-pointer next to it belongs to the same folder: delete it only together with ~/.lmstudio.
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.
- Repeat for the other paths. If you decided to delete the models, do the same with
~/.lmstudio: it is hidden because its name starts with a dot, but Go to Folder opens it. - Restart your Mac, then empty the Trash. Space taken by the models is freed only when the Trash is emptied.
LM Studio 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 LM Studio creates in your Library and home folders and removes them together with the app. Folders that may hold your own files, like your downloaded models, 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 LM Studio?
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 LM Studio 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 LM Studio 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 LM Studio delete my models?
No. Deleting the app leaves them in ~/.lmstudio/models, where they keep taking space until you delete that folder yourself.
Why is my disk still full after I deleted LM Studio?
The models stay in the hidden ~/.lmstudio folder, and files you move to the Trash still take space until you empty it.
Can I reinstall LM Studio later and keep my models?
Yes. Keep ~/.lmstudio, then download LM Studio again from lmstudio.ai. Models already in that folder don’t need to be downloaded again.