How to uninstall KNIME on Mac

Keep your KNIME workspace before removing the application. The official user guide describes it as the folder containing workflows, node settings and produced data. It is separate from the app's cache.

Save the workspace, then quit

Save workflows and stop active executions, then open Menu in the top-right corner and select Switch workspace to check the workspace directory in the launcher. Record the current path without choosing a different workspace. If you changed the app's bundled configuration, save a copy while the app is still installed. Then quit with Cmd + Q, copy the workspace directory to a backup location before resetting data, and move the intended KNIME app from Applications to the Trash. There is no single workspace path for every installation.

Independently installed Python environments and source datasets are separate decisions.

Review app settings

After backing up the workspace and wanted app configuration and quitting KNIME, press Shift + Command + G in Finder to open the three app-data paths below. Move the KNIME items you no longer need to Trash, keeping your workspace, environments and source datasets.

The cask names only ~/Library/Caches/org.knime.product, ~/Library/Preferences/org.knime.product.plist and ~/Library/Saved Application State/org.knime.product.savedState in zap. It does not name your workspace. Keep preferences if you want the same app settings after reinstalling.

Check the result

pgrep -ifl KNIME
find /Applications -maxdepth 1 -iname '*KNIME*.app' -print
ls -ld "$HOME/Library/Caches/org.knime.product" "$HOME/Library/Preferences/org.knime.product.plist"

Inspect the executable path of a matching process. A missing-path error means only that location is absent; a permission error leaves its state unknown. Check your saved workspace separately rather than treating it as an unwanted leftover.

If you installed it with Homebrew

brew uninstall --cask knime

A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap knime also resets the three app-specific locations above, regardless of Mole's checkboxes. Mole skips zap if it reaches unchecked or shared data, or cannot verify the full list, and still removes the leftovers you selected.

What Mole lists

Mole selects the app and exact org.knime.product cache, preferences and saved state by default when present. These rows do not authorize deleting a workspace or independently saved datasets.

What this test covered

On September 21, 2026, KNIME 5.12.0 from the official Mac package was launched and removed. The app, preferences and temporary cache were removed, with no review-data folder recorded. The test did not create a saved workflow or verify workspace restoration, external environments or a Homebrew installation.