How to uninstall Anki on Mac

Everything you have studied in Anki lives in one folder, and removing the app does not remove it. Anki's manual puts it at ~/Library/Application Support/Anki2: a prefs.db file plus one folder per profile, each holding collection.anki2 (your notes, cards and review history), the collection.media folder with your images and audio, and a backups folder. Treat that folder as the thing to protect, and never delete it to finish an uninstall. This guide covers Anki from its disk image and the Homebrew cask anki.

Back up your collection first

  1. If you use AnkiWeb, sync once more and check on another device or on AnkiWeb that your latest reviews are there.
  2. For a copy that includes images and audio, choose File › Export, pick Anki collection package (.colpkg) and turn on the option to include media. Anki's backup page explains that automatic backups and File › Create Backup keep the card text and scheduling but not the media files.
  3. Save the exported file outside the Anki2 folder and check its size looks right for your media.

Anki's manual also warns never to copy or move the collection while Anki is open. If you want a copy of the Anki2 folder itself as an extra backup, quit Anki first.

Quit Anki and remove the app

  1. Quit Anki from the Anki menu.
  2. Search Activity Monitor for Anki and check that it has exited.
  3. Move Anki from Finder's Applications folder to the Trash.

Removing the app does not delete your AnkiWeb account or the collection stored there.

Where Anki keeps its data

Location What it holds What to do
~/Library/Application Support/Anki2 Every profile's collection, media and backups Keep it; if you reinstall, Anki opens it again
~/Library/Caches/Anki Caches, listed in the Homebrew zap list Safe to remove after quitting

Check the result

Run these read-only commands after the app is in the Trash:

pgrep -il anki
ls "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Anki2"
  • No output from pgrep means Anki is not running. A listed process means it is still open; quit it before touching the collection.
  • ls listing prefs.db and your profile names means the collection is still on this Mac, which is the expected result unless you deliberately removed it after checking your backup. No such file or directory means it is gone; restore from your .colpkg or AnkiWeb if that was not intended.

If you installed it with Homebrew

The anki cask's zap list trashes ~/Library/Application Support/Anki*, and that wildcard matches Anki2. brew uninstall --cask --zap anki therefore moves your whole collection, media and backups to the Trash, together with ~/Library/Caches/Anki and the saved window state. Do not run it unless your export is safe and you want the collection gone.

To remove only the app and keep the collection:

brew uninstall --cask anki

Mole adds --zap only when every path on the zap list sits inside ~/Library, none of them touches a row you left unchecked, and no other installed app claims them. ~/Library/Application Support/Anki2 is listed but unselected by default, so Mole leaves --zap out unless you tick that row. A brew command you type yourself never consults Mole's checkboxes.

What Mole lists

For Anki from its disk image:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Anki2 is listed but not selected, so the collection stays unless you tick it.
  • Caches, preferences and saved window state filed under net.ankiweb.anki are selected by default.
  • Your exported .colpkg files are wherever you saved them and are not listed.

What this test covered

On September 19, 2026, Anki was copied from its disk image into Applications, opened, and uninstalled with a Preview build of Mole 1.15. There was no Homebrew receipt. In that build Mole did not recognize Anki2 as Anki's folder, because the name does not match the app name, so the folder was not listed and stayed on disk. The Anki2 row was added to Mole the same day; how Mole handles it is described above. No study data, AnkiWeb sync or Homebrew install was tested.