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How to uninstall OpenVPN Connect on Mac completely

OpenVPN Connect installs more than one app: a folder in Applications, a shared framework in the system Library, a privileged helper, and settings, caches and logs in your Library folder. Here is how to remove all of it — and how not to lose your VPN profiles.

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 OpenVPN Connect 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: keep your profiles

OpenVPN Connect keeps its own copy of every profile you import. Once the app and its data are gone, so are those copies.

If you still need a connection, make sure you have its .ovpn file, or the address and sign-in details your VPN provider or administrator gave you, before you uninstall.

Delete OpenVPN Connect in Finder

  1. Disconnect from the VPN and quit OpenVPN Connect, in the Dock and in the menu bar if it has an icon there.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and find OpenVPN Connect. Depending on the version, it is the app itself or a folder that holds the app and Uninstall OpenVPN Connect.
  3. If there is an Uninstall OpenVPN Connect app, run it first: it removes the privileged helper and the framework that a plain delete leaves behind.
  4. Drag the app, and the OpenVPN Connect folder if anything is left in it, to the Trash.
  5. Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.

Then open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions (in macOS Sonoma: Login Items) and make sure nothing from OpenVPN is left there.

What OpenVPN Connect leaves behind

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

  • ~/Library/Application Support/OpenVPN Connect — the app’s data and caches.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/org.openvpn.client.app.plist — the app’s settings.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/org.openvpn.client.app.helper.plist — the helper’s settings.
  • ~/Library/Logs/OpenVPN Connect — logs.
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/org.openvpn.client.app.savedState — the saved window state.
  • /Library/Frameworks/OpenVPNConnect.framework — a component installed for all users of the Mac.
  • /Applications/OpenVPN Connect — the app’s folder in Applications, if it is still there.

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 and /Applications need your administrator password.
  3. Repeat for the other paths.
  4. Restart your Mac, so the helper is no longer running, then empty the Trash.

OpenVPN Connect 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 OpenVPN Connect creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app and its folder in Applications.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Will MacWashing delete my own files when it removes OpenVPN Connect?

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 OpenVPN Connect 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 OpenVPN Connect 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 VPN profiles if I uninstall OpenVPN Connect?

The copies inside the app, yes, once its data is deleted. The original .ovpn files you imported stay where you saved them. If you don’t have them, ask your VPN provider or administrator before uninstalling.

What is the OpenVPN Connect folder in Applications?

It belongs to OpenVPN Connect: depending on the version, it holds the app and its Uninstall OpenVPN Connect app. Run the uninstaller from it first, then delete the folder together with the app.

Why does uninstalling OpenVPN Connect ask for my password?

It puts a framework and a privileged helper in system folders that only an administrator can change. Removing them needs the same rights.