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How to uninstall Minecraft on Mac completely

On a Mac, Minecraft: Java Edition comes with the Minecraft Launcher. Deleting the launcher leaves the whole game behind: game files, settings and — most important — your worlds, screenshots and mods, all in one folder. Here is how to save what you want to keep and then 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 Minecraft 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

Back up your worlds first

Your single-player worlds are in ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves, inside the game folder you will delete. Minecraft can make a backup of each world:

  1. Open Minecraft: Java Edition and select Singleplayer.
  2. Select a world, then Edit and Make Backup. The backup is a .zip file with the date in its name.
  3. On the same screen, select Open Backups Folder and copy the .zip files to another folder or an external drive. The backups folder is inside the game folder too, so it would go with it.

You can also simply copy the whole saves folder somewhere else. If you collected screenshots, resource packs, shader packs or mods, copy the screenshots, resourcepacks, shaderpacks and mods folders from the same game folder.

To play a saved world later, unzip it into the saves folder of a new installation.

Delete the Minecraft Launcher in Finder

  1. Quit Minecraft and the launcher: right-click the icon in the Dock and choose Quit.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and drag Minecraft to the Trash.
  3. Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.

What Minecraft leaves behind

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

  • ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft — the game folder: game versions, libraries, settings, and your worlds, screenshots and mods.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/Minecraft Launcher — the launcher’s data.
  • ~/Library/Caches/com.mojang.minecraftlauncher — the launcher’s cache.
  • ~/Library/Caches/com.mojang.minecraftlauncherupdater — the cache of the launcher’s updater.
  • ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.com.mojang.mclauncher and ~/Library/Group Containers/HR992ZEAE6.com.mojang.mclauncher — data the launcher shares between its parts.

The game folder ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft holds your own files: worlds in saves, and screenshots, resourcepacks, shaderpacks and mods. Copy what you want to keep before deleting that folder.

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 to the Trash.
  3. Repeat for the other paths.
  4. Restart your Mac, check once more that your backups are safe, then empty the Trash.

Minecraft 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 Minecraft creates in your Library folder and removes them together with the launcher. Back up your worlds first: the game folder goes with the app. Folders that hold your own files, like saves, screenshots and mods, 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 Minecraft?

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 Minecraft 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 Minecraft 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 deleting the Minecraft Launcher delete my worlds?

No. Deleting only the app leaves your worlds in ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves. They are deleted only when you delete that game folder, so back them up first.

Will I lose my Minecraft purchase?

No. Minecraft belongs to your Microsoft account, not to this Mac. Download the launcher again from minecraft.net and sign in with the same account.

Are Realms worlds deleted too?

No. Realms worlds are stored on Minecraft’s servers. Only single-player worlds are kept on the Mac.