How to uninstall Google Chrome on a Mac completely
Remove Chrome, its 5 GB cache that lives outside the profile, and the updater most guides forget, without losing the bookmarks you synced.
How do I completely uninstall Chrome on a Mac?
Quit Chrome, move it from Applications to the Trash, then move its profile, its cache and, if no other Google app needs it, Google's updater to the Trash too. The app is one piece of four.
- Sync or export first. Signed in Chrome keeps bookmarks and passwords in your Google account. Not signed in, export bookmarks (Bookmarks, Bookmark Manager, the three dots, Export) and passwords (Settings, Passwords) before you start.
- Quit Chrome with
⌘Q. If it will not quit, use Activity Monitor. - Move Google Chrome to the Trash from Applications.
- Move the profile to the Trash: in Finder press
⌘⇧Gand go to~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome. - Move the cache to the Trash:
~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome. - Remove the updater only if Chrome was your last Google app (see below).
Where does Chrome store its files on a Mac?
In at least five places outside the app. On our Mac, with Chrome 155:
| Where | Size here | What it is |
|---|---|---|
/Applications/Google Chrome.app | 1.4 GB | The browser |
~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome | 5.0 GB | Cached pages, images and code. Safe to remove |
~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome | not readable without Full Disk Access | Profiles: history, extensions, saved passwords, cookies |
~/Library/Application Support/Google/GoogleUpdater | 777 MB | Google's updater, shared by Google apps |
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.google.GoogleUpdater.wake.plist and two com.google.keystone files | 12 KB | What starts the updater in the background |
~/Library/Preferences/com.google.Chrome.plist | 4 KB | Settings |
Most guides send you to the profile folder and stop. On our Mac the biggest single piece was the cache, in a different folder entirely.
Will uninstalling Chrome delete my bookmarks and passwords?
Removing the app keeps them; removing the profile folder deletes the copy on this Mac. If you are signed in to Chrome with sync on, they are also in your Google account and come back when you sign in elsewhere. If not, export them first, because the profile folder is the only copy.
Should I delete the Google updater?
Only if Chrome was the last Google app on your Mac. The updater keeps every Google app current, and other apps use it too: on our Mac, the Google folder also held Android Studio and Chrome for Testing. With no Google apps left, move ~/Library/Application Support/Google/GoogleUpdater and the three launch agent files above to the Trash, then restart.
How do I uninstall Chrome if it will not move to the Trash?
Chrome or one of its helpers is still running. Open Activity Monitor, search for Chrome, select each process and click the stop button, then try again. Restarting the Mac also clears it.
Staying with Chrome and only want the space? See where Chrome's space goes, and why dragging an app to the Trash is not uninstalling it.
Common questions
Does deleting Chrome on a Mac delete my bookmarks?
Deleting the app does not. Deleting ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome does, unless they are synced to your Google account. Export them first if you are not signed in.
Where is the Chrome cache on a Mac?
In ~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome, separate from the profile. It was 5 GB on our Mac.
Is it safe to delete GoogleUpdater on a Mac?
Only when no Google apps remain. Other Google apps, such as Android Studio, use the same updater.