How to uninstall fzf on a Mac without breaking your shell
fzf's key bindings are loaded from ~/.fzf.zsh by a line in .zshrc. Remove fzf first and every new Terminal window errors. The right order, measured.
How do I uninstall fzf on a Mac?
$(brew --prefix)/opt/fzf/uninstall
brew uninstall fzffzf's own uninstall script deletes ~/.fzf.zsh and ~/.fzf.bash and removes the line from your shell profiles. Run it while fzf is still installed; it ships with the formula and goes when Homebrew removes it.
What does fzf leave behind?
| Where | Size here | What it is |
|---|---|---|
Homebrew fzf 0.67.0 | 4.7 MB | The program |
~/.fzf.zsh | 156 bytes | Loads fzf's key bindings in zsh |
~/.fzf.bash | 157 bytes | The same for bash |
~/.zshrc | 1 line | Sources ~/.fzf.zsh |
Terminal says .fzf.zsh: no such file or directory
fzf was removed and the line loading its bindings was not. Open ~/.zshrc and delete the line that mentions .fzf.zsh. If you used Oh My Zsh's fzf plugin instead, remove fzf from the plugins list.
Find what is left in one look
Free Mac shows hidden files and folders in your home folder on the Storage map and moves what you pick to the Trash. For other shell setups, see uninstalling Oh My Zsh and terminal apps taking up space.
Related: uninstall CMake and uninstall pnpm.
Common questions
How do I remove fzf key bindings?
Run fzf's uninstall script, $(brew --prefix)/opt/fzf/uninstall, before removing fzf. It deletes ~/.fzf.zsh and the line that loads it.
Why does my terminal say .fzf.zsh not found?
A line in ~/.zshrc still loads fzf's bindings after fzf was removed. Delete that line.
Does uninstalling fzf affect my shell history?
No. fzf only searches your history; it does not store it.