Search
ENRU
Sign in
ENRU
Sign in

How to uninstall Tor Browser on Mac completely

Tor Browser doesn’t use a system installer, but deleting the app isn’t enough: its data folder with your settings, bookmarks and bridges stays in your Library folder, and an updater may stay in the system folders. Here is how to remove all of it.

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 Tor Browser 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

Delete Tor Browser the way the Tor Project describes

Tor Browser has no uninstaller. The Tor Project’s support site describes these steps:

  1. Quit Tor Browser: right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Quit.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and move Tor Browser to the Trash.
  3. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder, type ~/Library/Application Support/ and click Go.
  4. Move the TorBrowser-Data folder to the Trash — after you have saved anything you need from it.
  5. Empty the Trash.

If you didn’t install Tor Browser in Applications, the TorBrowser-Data folder is not in Application Support but in the same folder as the app.

What Tor Browser leaves behind

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

  • ~/Library/Application Support/TorBrowser-Data — the browser’s data folder (see the note below).
  • ~/Library/Application Support/TorBrowser-Data/Browser/Caches — the cache, inside the data folder.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/org.torproject.torbrowser.plist and ~/Library/Preferences/org.mozilla.tor browser.plist — macOS-side settings of the app.
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/org.torproject.torbrowser.savedState — saved window state.
  • /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.mozilla.updater.plist and /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/org.mozilla.updater — an updater that runs with administrator rights.

TorBrowser-Data holds your profile: bookmarks, settings, bridges and other connection settings you entered. Tor Browser doesn’t keep your history by design, but if you saved bookmarks or bridge addresses there, copy them before deleting the 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 and Thunderbird use. If you keep one of those apps, leave them in place.

Tor Browser 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 Tor Browser creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app. Folders that may hold your own files, like the browser’s data folder, 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 Tor Browser?

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 Tor Browser 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 Tor Browser 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 Tor Browser remove everything?

No. Deleting the app leaves the TorBrowser-Data folder in Application Support, and the Tor Project tells you to delete it separately. Files you downloaded with Tor Browser stay wherever you saved them.

Is there a Tor Browser uninstaller?

No. Tor Browser doesn’t use the system’s uninstall tools: you delete the app and its data folder yourself, as described above.

Can I reinstall Tor Browser later?

Yes. Download it again from torproject.org. If you deleted TorBrowser-Data, it starts with default settings, and you will need to enter your bridges again if you use them.