How to uninstall WhatsApp on a Mac, and where your chats really are
Log out, remove the app, then clear the shared folder that holds your chats and media. The paths most guides list belong to the old WhatsApp app.
How do I uninstall WhatsApp on a Mac?
Log out inside WhatsApp, quit it, move it to the Trash, then move its folders in ~/Library/Group Containers and ~/Library/Containers to the Trash. Logging out first matters more than any folder.
- Log out. On your phone, open WhatsApp, Settings, Linked devices, tap the Mac and choose Log out. The Mac stops receiving your messages at once.
- Quit WhatsApp with
⌘Q. - Move WhatsApp to the Trash from Applications. If you installed it from the App Store, you can also hold it in Launchpad until it shakes and click the cross.
- Move the leftovers to the Trash. In Finder press
⌘⇧Gand open~/Library/Group Containers. Move every folder startinggroup.net.whatsappto the Trash. Then do the same in~/Library/Containersfor the folders startingnet.whatsapp.
Where does WhatsApp store chats on a Mac?
In ~/Library/Group Containers/group.net.whatsapp.WhatsApp.shared, a folder the app shares with its helpers. Our Mac, with WhatsApp 26.38 from the App Store, had nine WhatsApp folders:
| Folder | Where |
|---|---|
group.net.whatsapp.WhatsApp.shared | Group Containers: chats and media |
group.net.whatsapp.WhatsApp.private, group.net.whatsapp.family, group.net.whatsapp.WhatsAppSMB.shared | Group Containers |
net.whatsapp.WhatsApp and three helpers (Intents, ServiceExtension, WAAppKitBridgeService) | Containers, 124 KB together |
macOS would not let Terminal size the group containers at all. They are protected for the app that owns them, so the rm commands some guides print fail with "Operation not permitted" unless Terminal has Full Disk Access. Moving them to the Trash in Finder, with WhatsApp quit, is the simpler route.
Why are the folders in other guides missing on my Mac?
Because they belong to the older WhatsApp desktop app. Paths like ~/Library/Application Support/WhatsApp and ~/Library/Caches/WhatsApp were where it kept data. None of them existed on our Mac. If you still have the old app, look there; if you have the current one, look in Group Containers.
Will uninstalling WhatsApp on my Mac delete messages on my phone?
No. Your phone holds your account and its own copy of every chat. Removing the Mac app, or its folders, only removes the Mac's copy. Logging out removes the Mac from Linked devices.
Keeping WhatsApp and only short of space? See why WhatsApp keeps every photo you were sent, and why dragging an app to the Trash is not uninstalling it.
Common questions
Does uninstalling WhatsApp on Mac delete my chats on my phone?
No. The phone keeps its own copy. Removing the Mac app and its folders only removes the Mac's copy.
Where are WhatsApp files on a Mac?
In ~/Library/Group Containers/group.net.whatsapp.WhatsApp.shared, with smaller folders starting net.whatsapp in ~/Library/Containers.
How do I log WhatsApp out of my Mac from my phone?
On the phone, open Settings, Linked devices, tap the Mac and choose Log out.