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How to uninstall Proton Drive on Mac completely

Proton Drive for Mac has no window of its own: it runs from the menu bar and shows your Drive folder in Finder through a File Provider extension. Deleting the app leaves that extension’s data and several containers behind. Here is how to remove all of it without losing 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 Proton Drive 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

Make sure your files are safe first

Proton warns that once you uninstall the app, Proton Drive deletes the data stored in its folder on your Mac. Before you start, check that everything you need is uploaded to Proton Drive or copied somewhere else.

Files marked online-only are in the cloud, not on your Mac. If you want a local copy of a folder, right-click it in the Drive folder, choose Make Available Offline, wait until it downloads, then copy it out of the Drive folder.

Uninstall Proton Drive the way Proton describes

Proton Drive has no uninstaller. Proton’s help describes these steps:

  1. Click the Proton Drive icon in the menu bar, click Settings, then click Sign out.
  2. Click the Proton Drive icon again and click Quit.
  3. Open Finder › Applications and drag Proton Drive to the Trash.
  4. Delete the leftover folders from the list below. Proton’s list also names ~/Library/Containers/ch.protonmail.drive.launcher.ProtonDriveMacLauncher and ~/Library/Preferences/2SB5Z68H26.ch.protonmail.protondrive.plist.

What Proton Drive leaves behind

These are the places to check. All of them are in the Library folder inside your home folder:

  • ~/Library/Containers/ch.protonmail.drive — the app’s container.
  • ~/Library/Containers/ch.protonmail.drive.fileprovider — the container of the extension that shows the Drive folder in Finder.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/FileProvider/ch.protonmail.drive.fileprovider — sync data of that extension.
  • ~/Library/Group Containers/2SB5Z68H26.ch.protonmail.protondrive and ~/Library/Group Containers/group.ch.protonmail.protondrive — data shared by the app and its extension.
  • ~/Library/Application Scripts/ch.protonmail.drive and ~/Library/Application Scripts/ch.protonmail.drive.fileprovider — folders macOS creates for the app and its extension.

After you sign out, files that were on your Mac, including ones that failed to upload, are in ~/Library/CloudStorage, in a folder whose name starts with ProtonDrive- and contains your Proton address and the date and time you signed out. They are your files, not leftovers: delete them only when you are sure everything you need is in Proton Drive or copied somewhere else.

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, so the Finder extension is no longer running, then empty the Trash.

Proton Drive 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 Proton Drive creates in your Library folder and removes them together with the app, its Finder extension included. 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 Proton Drive?

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 Proton Drive 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 Proton Drive 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 Proton Drive delete my files in the cloud?

No. Files in Proton Drive stay in your Proton account, and you can open them in the web app. Only the local Drive folder on your Mac is affected, so copy out anything that exists only there.

Does uninstalling the app cancel my Proton plan?

No. Uninstalling the app doesn’t delete your Proton Account or change your plan, and your other Proton services keep working.

Can I reinstall Proton Drive later?

Yes. Download it again from proton.me and sign in: your Drive folder appears in Finder, and files download when you open them or make them available offline.