How to uninstall Pandoc on a Mac, and why a document converter takes 263 MB
Pandoc is one command, and on our Mac it was 263 MB. How to remove it with Homebrew or the installer package, and the LaTeX install it may have pulled in.
How do I uninstall Pandoc on a Mac?
Check how it was installed, then remove it the same way:
which -a pandoc
# Homebrew
brew uninstall pandoc
# the pandoc.org installer package
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/pandoc /usr/local/share/man/man1/pandoc.1On our Mac pandoc was Homebrew's: a link into /opt/homebrew/Cellar/pandoc/3.10. Nothing else installed depended on it, so Homebrew removed it without asking.
Why is Pandoc 263 MB?
Pandoc ships as one self contained program with every reader and writer built in, more than forty formats, and Homebrew keeps it at 263 MB. Compare the 4.7 MB of a tool like fzf. There is no data folder to clear: the size is the program.
| Item | Size here | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Homebrew pandoc 3.10 | 263 MB | The whole install |
~/.local/share/pandoc | absent here | Your own templates and filters, if you made any |
| A LaTeX install | varies, often gigabytes | Only if you added one to make PDFs |
Did Pandoc install LaTeX?
No, but making PDFs with Pandoc needs a LaTeX engine, so many people add MacTeX or BasicTeX at the same time. MacTeX is several gigabytes and far bigger than Pandoc; see MacTeX taking up space.
Find what is left in one look
Free Mac shows Homebrew's Cellar by package on the Storage map, so the big ones stand out, and moves what you pick to the Trash. See also Homebrew packages taking up space.
Related: uninstall Watchman and uninstall mongosh.
Common questions
How big is Pandoc on a Mac?
263 MB for Homebrew's Pandoc 3.10 on our Mac. It is one self contained program, so there is no cache to clear.
Does uninstalling Pandoc remove LaTeX?
No. MacTeX or BasicTeX are separate installs with their own removal steps.
Where are Pandoc's templates on a Mac?
Your own templates and filters go in ~/.local/share/pandoc. The built in ones are inside the program.