How to uninstall GitHub Copilot for Xcode on Mac
Save your Xcode project changes before removing GitHub Copilot for Xcode. The official troubleshooting guide distinguishes the host app, source-editor extension and background bridge. This guide removes the Mac companion app, while leaving Xcode and other Copilot clients in place.
Quit and remove the app
Copy wanted configuration from the paths below before removing any data. Quit Xcode and GitHub Copilot for Xcode, then search System Settings for Xcode Source Editor and disable the GitHub Copilot entry. In Activity Monitor, search for CommunicationBridge and check its executable path; quit it only if it belongs to the GitHub Copilot for Xcode app you are removing. Then move GitHub Copilot for Xcode.app from Applications to the Trash. The extension is inside the app; keep Xcode and your projects.
Review local settings and leftovers
In Finder, press Shift + Command + G and open each path below. Copy wanted settings to a backup outside these folders before deleting them. After the app, Xcode and the bridge have quit, move only the listed files or folders you no longer need to the Trash; skip missing paths.
| Location | What to do |
|---|---|
~/Library/Application Support/com.github.CopilotForXcode |
Companion-app settings. Back up wanted configuration before removal. |
~/Library/Preferences/com.github.CopilotForXcode.plist |
App preferences. Keep for a reinstall, or remove for a clean start. |
~/Library/Logs/GitHubCopilot |
The vendor's log folder. Can be removed after quitting. |
~/Library/Containers/com.github.CopilotForXcode.EditorExtension |
Bundled editor extension's data. Inspect and back up wanted state before removal. |
~/Library/Application Scripts/com.github.CopilotForXcode.EditorExtension |
Editor extension's sandbox scripts folder. Review before removal. |
~/Library/Group Containers/VEKTX9H2N7.group.com.github.CopilotForXcode |
App-group data. Back up wanted contents and retain it if another installed app uses it. |
~/Library/Application Scripts/VEKTX9H2N7.group.com.github.CopilotForXcode |
The app group's scripts folder. Keep it while the group is still in use. |
~/Library/Preferences/VEKTX9H2N7.group.com.github.CopilotForXcode.prefs.plist |
App-group preferences. Apply the same backup and shared-use check. |
These paths are named by the Homebrew cask; the vendor's troubleshooting guide also documents the log folder. ~/.config/github-copilot is shared with other Copilot clients, so keep it while any of those clients still uses it. Do not remove the parent Containers, Application Scripts or Group Containers folders.
Check the result
pgrep -ifl "CopilotForXcode|GitHub Copilot|CommunicationBridge"
launchctl list | grep -F com.github.CopilotForXcode.CommunicationBridge
ls -ld "/Applications/GitHub Copilot for Xcode.app" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/com.github.CopilotForXcode"
No process output means this name was not found, not that every helper has gone. Check any match against the app’s actual executable path. A missing-path error from ls means only that location is absent; permission errors leave its state unknown. A surviving folder can be intentional data to keep.
A surviving launchctl label means the bridge is still loaded; no matching label means it was not listed in this user session, while a launchctl error leaves that check incomplete.
If you installed it with Homebrew
Ordinary cask uninstall unloads com.github.CopilotForXcode.CommunicationBridge. Zap includes host support data, extension containers/scripts, the group container and group preferences, HTTP storage, logs and an Apple recent-document-list entry.
To uninstall without zap, use:
brew uninstall --cask github-copilot-for-xcode
Mole checks the entire removal list before using --zap. It leaves zap out if a path is unchecked, shared or cannot be verified, then handles the leftovers you selected. A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap github-copilot-for-xcode uses Homebrew's full list without following your choices in Mole.
Removing this app does not cancel GitHub Copilot billing or remove another editor’s Copilot extension. Check GitHub’s account settings separately.
What Mole lists
Mole selects the app, its own support folder, preferences and caches by default. Containers and Application Scripts folders for Copilot for Xcode's bundled extensions can also be selected by default. Logs found only through the cask are listed but not selected by default. Before removing app-group data, Mole checks whether another installed app still uses it. Shared ~/.config/github-copilot stays outside this uninstall.
These are the defaults with “Remove data and settings with apps” turned off. Enabling it can also select reviewed app data, so check the folders and uncheck anything you want to keep before confirming. Shared data still requires its own review.
What this test covered
On September 25, 2026, the official 0.51.0 app was copied from its package, launched and uninstalled with a development build of Mole, without Homebrew installation. The bridge was observed on first launch and gone after uninstall. A missed nested extension entry was fixed and rechecked. This did not verify signed-in Copilot work, shared credentials or the published Mole package.