How to uninstall Dolphin on Mac

Before removing Dolphin, save and copy your game images, Wii data, memory cards and save states to a separate backup, then open the copy. This guide covers the official Mac download; Homebrew-specific removal is separate below.

Keep game images, save files and memory-card data. A library or emulator support folder can contain your progress, so copy the entire folder before reviewing it for removal.

Quit and remove the app

Finish current work and quit Dolphin. Check Activity Monitor for its process before removing the app in Finder. In Applications, move Dolphin.app to the Trash; if you keep it elsewhere, use its actual location. Keep the Trash until your backup has been checked.

Review local data

These exact locations were observed in the removal record. Open them through Finder’s Go › Go to Folder. Copy wanted contents first; leave them if you want to keep settings or cannot establish ownership. They are optional data removal, not a prerequisite for removing the app.

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Dolphin

Check the result

This read-only check searches full process command lines, not disk contents.

pgrep -ifl 'Dolphin'

No output with exit status 1 means no matching command line was found. A printed entry needs inspection in Activity Monitor because names can match unrelated processes. An error is not proof of removal. Also check that the app is absent from its original Finder location; a retained data folder or independent component does not mean the app is still installed.

If you installed it with Homebrew

Use the installed cask receipt and uninstall without zap.

brew uninstall --cask dolphin

Ordinary uninstall requests the app to quit and removes its managed application without running zap. The live cask additionally names these zap targets, which can erase settings, local data or integration files; this is Homebrew’s list, not a vendor data-location claim.

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Dolphin
  • ~/Library/Preferences/org.dolphin-emu.dolphin.plist
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/org.dolphin-emu.dolphin.savedState

A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap dolphin runs its own zap scope without consulting Mole’s checkboxes. Mole uses zap only when the complete scope passes its gate; unchecked or shared paths, paths outside the review boundary, unknown stanzas and unsupported directives suppress it. Selected remnants still use Mole’s deletion path.

What Mole lists

~/Library/Application Support/Dolphin is listed for review and is not selected by default.

These defaults assume “Remove data and settings with apps” is off. Opting in also selects eligible reviewed app data; shared stores and protected data retain individual review or stay locked.

What this test covered

The September 21, 2026 record covers the following test. The official download ran and was removed with a small support folder after selection. ROM files were excluded; no populated game library or save restoration was tested.