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How to uninstall Visual Studio Code on a Mac completely

Remove VS Code, its settings and its extensions, and the Homebrew record that stays when the app is deleted by hand, as it had on our Mac.

4 min read

How do I completely uninstall VS Code on a Mac?

  1. Quit VS Code and move Visual Studio Code from Applications to the Trash.
  2. Move ~/Library/Application Support/Code to the Trash: settings, keybindings, workspace state and caches.
  3. Move ~/.vscode to the Trash: every extension you installed.
  4. Remove ~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.VSCode.plist and ~/Library/Caches/com.microsoft.VSCode.
  5. If Homebrew installed it: brew uninstall --cask visual-studio-code.

These are the folders VS Code's own documentation names for a clean reinstall.

Why does Homebrew still list VS Code after I deleted it?

Homebrew records casks in its Caskroom, and deleting the app by hand does not tell it. On our Mac, brew list --cask still listed visual-studio-code while the app was nowhere on the disk. brew uninstall --cask clears the record; add --force if Homebrew complains the app is missing.

How do I reset VS Code without uninstalling?

Remove only ~/Library/Application Support/Code with VS Code quit. Extensions in ~/.vscode stay; settings start fresh.

If you keep VS Code: VS Code taking up space. Casks in general: Homebrew cask leftovers.

Common questions

How do I uninstall VS Code completely on Mac?

Move the app to the Trash, then remove ~/Library/Application Support/Code and ~/.vscode.

Where are VS Code extensions stored on Mac?

In ~/.vscode/extensions in your home folder.

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