How to uninstall Defold on Mac
Save your Defold projects and copy their assets before removing the editor. The editor support directory contains local state and logs, while the game project can live elsewhere and should remain available independently.
Quit and remove the app
Stop running builds or game previews and quit Defold, then move Defold.app to the Trash. If Activity Monitor shows a Java process, inspect its executable path before deciding it belongs to Defold; other software also uses Java. The editor manual documents the Mac support location.
Review the local data
In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder and open each exact path below. Copy anything you need first, then move only the app-owned item you have decided to discard to the Trash. These locations come from the Homebrew removal list or the recorded local check; a missing location needs no cleanup.
| Location | What to keep or remove |
|---|---|
~/Library/Application Support/Defold |
Editor support data and logs documented by Defold and observed locally; copy useful settings before resetting. |
~/Library/Preferences/com.defold.editor.plist |
Editor preferences named by the cask; remove only to reset local setup. |
Check the result
These commands only list the app and the locations discussed above. The app filename comes from the cask; adjust it if your official-download bundle has a different name.
ls -ld "/Applications/Defold.app"
ls -ld "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Defold"
ls -ld "$HOME/Library/Preferences/com.defold.editor.plist"
An entry printed by ls still exists at that path. No such file or directory means that exact item is absent; Permission denied or Operation not permitted means the check could not establish its state. A retained data folder is expected if you chose to keep it. This check does not search every disk or cloud account.
If you installed it with Homebrew
Uninstall without running zap:
brew uninstall --cask defold
This removes Homebrew's managed app artifacts without applying its zap list. The ordinary uninstall stanza also asks the app to quit. A “not installed” error means Homebrew has no matching cask installation; use the Finder route for a manually copied app.
The live cask source names these additional zap targets:
~/Library/Application Support/Defold~/Library/Caches/com.defold.editor~/Library/Preferences/com.defold.editor.plist~/Library/Saved Application State/com.defold.editor.savedState
Some targets can hold settings or personal data. Keep the paths you still need and back them up before considering brew uninstall --cask --zap defold. That direct command applies the cask's entire zap list regardless of Mole's checkboxes. Mole uses zap only when its complete scope passes its selection and shared-data checks; unchecked, shared, out-of-boundary or unsupported targets suppress zap, while selected remnants use Mole's own removal path.
What Mole lists
Mole lists ~/Library/Application Support/Defold for review, not selected by default. Matching caches and exact bundle preferences are selected by default. A Java process name alone does not make files from another application Defold remnants. These defaults describe the app-data option switched off. Opting into Remove data and settings with apps also selects eligible reviewed app data; shared stores and protected data retain their individual review or protection.
What this test covered
The repeat removal used a source-built Mole app and checked the original reviewed paths, rather than every possible data location.
The official Apple-silicon bundle and selected support data were removed on 21 September 2026. A repeat removal on 26 September checked the original selected paths and process grouping again. The test did not remove a personal game project or verify its recovery. Homebrew instructions were checked against the current cask, but this record does not establish a Homebrew-managed uninstall or removal of every possible leftover.