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How to uninstall Thunderbird on Mac completely

Deleting Thunderbird from Applications doesn’t touch your profile: mail stored on the Mac, local folders, address books, passwords and settings stay in your Library folder, as do caches and an updater that runs with administrator rights. Here is how to remove all of it — and how to keep your mail first.

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 Thunderbird 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 mail first

  • With IMAP accounts, messages also stay on the mail server. Messages in Local Folders and in POP accounts usually exist only in your profile.
  • To back up the profile, quit Thunderbird and copy your profile folder from ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles to another disk. Thunderbird’s own export tool works too.
  • To find the profile while Thunderbird is open, click ≡, choose Help › Troubleshooting Information and click Show in Finder next to Profile Folder.

Delete Thunderbird the way Mozilla describes

Thunderbird has no separate uninstaller. Mozilla’s support site describes deleting the app:

  1. Quit Thunderbird: in the menu bar, choose Thunderbird › Quit Thunderbird.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and drag Thunderbird to the Trash.

Mozilla keeps your profile separate from the app, so you can uninstall and reinstall Thunderbird without losing mail and settings. To remove them too, delete the folders below — after you have backed up what you need.

What Thunderbird leaves behind

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

  • ~/Library/Thunderbird — Thunderbird’s data folder with the list of profiles and the Profiles folder (see the note below).
  • ~/Library/Application Support/Thunderbird — app data.
  • ~/Library/Caches/Thunderbird — the cache.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/org.mozilla.thunderbird.plist — macOS-side settings of the app.
  • /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.mozilla.updater.plist and /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/org.mozilla.updater — the updater that runs with administrator rights.

Your profiles are in ~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles: messages stored on the Mac, Local Folders, address books, saved passwords, filters and settings. They are your files, not leftovers: back them up before deleting that folder, or keep it.

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

The org.mozilla.updater files have the same names as the ones Firefox uses. If you keep Firefox, leave them in place.

Thunderbird 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 Thunderbird creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app, updater included. Folders that may hold your own files, like your Thunderbird profiles with mail, 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 Thunderbird?

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 Thunderbird 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 Thunderbird 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 Thunderbird delete my emails?

Not by itself. Mozilla stores your profile separately from the app, so mail, contacts and settings stay on the Mac until you delete the Thunderbird folder in your Library.

Is my mail still on the server after I uninstall?

For IMAP accounts, yes: Thunderbird shows what is on the server. Mail downloaded with POP or moved to Local Folders is only in your profile, so back it up first.

Can I reinstall Thunderbird later?

Yes. Download it again from thunderbird.net. If you kept the profile folder or restore it from a backup, your accounts, mail and settings come back.