How to uninstall Hex Fiend on Mac
Save edited binary files and keep original copies before removing Hex Fiend. The official site describes a hex editor, not a store of every file it opens. This page covers the official Mac disk-image app and its bundled command.
Quit and remove the app
Save or cancel open edits, quit Hex Fiend with Cmd + Q, then move Hex Fiend.app to the Trash. Keep the files you edited and any separately saved templates or scripts.
Data to keep or review
~/Library/Preferences/com.ridiculousfish.HexFiend.plistheld preferences in the test. Copy it if you want the settings.- The app’s exact recent-document-list file and temporary cache were observed. A recent-document list is not the document contents.
- The current cask names
~/Library/Application Support/com.ridiculousfish.HexFiend,~/Library/Caches/com.ridiculousfish.HexFiend,~/Library/Cookies/com.ridiculousfish.HexFiend.binarycookiesand~/Library/Saved Application State/com.ridiculousfish.HexFiend.savedState. Back up wanted templates or app-local state before removing support data.
After backing up wanted files, open Finder and press Shift + Command + G. Paste each full path separately and move only confirmed app-owned data to the Trash. For recent-document records, open ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.sharedfilelist/com.apple.LSSharedFileList.ApplicationRecentDocuments and inspect only existing com.ridiculousfish.hexfiend.sfl* files. The star is a filename pattern; move only verified unwanted Hex Fiend records to the Trash and leave the shared parent intact.
Check the result
pgrep -ifl "Hex Fiend"
command -v hexf
ls -ld "/Applications/Hex Fiend.app" "$HOME/Library/Preferences/com.ridiculousfish.HexFiend.plist"
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.
command -v reports the command found by this shell, not a running process. No path means it is absent from this shell’s PATH; a surviving command may belong to another installation.
If you installed it with Homebrew
The cask has no separate uninstall helper. Ordinary uninstall removes the cask-managed hexf command. Zap covers exact support data, caches, cookies, preferences, saved state and the app-specific recent-document pattern, not the edited binary files.
To uninstall without zap, use:
brew uninstall --cask hex-fiend
Mole checks Homebrew's full removal list and skips --zap when it reaches unchecked data, shared files or anything it cannot verify. It still removes the leftovers you selected. A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap hex-fiend runs Homebrew’s full zap list without consulting Mole’s checkboxes.
What Mole lists
Mole selects the app, exact preferences, its own recent-document-list file and attributable cache rows by default. Uncheck wanted preferences or support data. Edited files and the shared recent-document parent are not blanket uninstall targets.
These are the defaults with “Remove data and settings with apps” turned off. Enabling that preference can also select eligible reviewed app data; shared stores, protected profiles and agent archives keep their individual review or remain locked. Check the final list before confirming.
What this test covered
On September 25, 2026, Hex Fiend 2.18.1 was copied from the official disk image and uninstalled with a development build of Mole. Its recorded preference, recent-document-list and temporary-cache rows were removed. Edited-file recovery, custom templates and an independent hexf installation were not verified.