How to uninstall LaunchOS on Mac
Save the LaunchOS layout and settings you want to reuse before removing this launcher. Apps displayed in its grid belong to their own installations; uninstall LaunchOS itself through Finder rather than deleting those apps from the grid. This covers the official-download app and cask launchos.
Keep settings and release a device slot
If moving a paid license to another Mac, the current FAQ says to open Settings › About › Device Management on the old device and remove that device before activating the new one. Keep your license details privately.
Quit LaunchOS and copy the existing support folders below to an independent backup, then verify it before deleting original data. Move LaunchOS.app from Applications to the Trash. Check System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions for an unwanted LaunchOS entry.
Review LaunchOS data
These locations are in the current cask and the recorded support-folder observations:
| Location | What to do |
|---|---|
~/Library/Application Support/app.remixdesign.LaunchOS |
Local app support data; back up before clearing. |
~/Library/Application Support/LaunchOS |
Display-name support data; keep or copy wanted contents. |
~/Library/Preferences/app.remixdesign.LaunchOS.plist |
Preferences; save if wanted. |
~/Library/Caches/app.remixdesign.LaunchOS |
App cache, removable after quitting. |
~/Library/HTTPStorages/app.remixdesign.LaunchOS |
Network storage, removable for a reset. |
The cask also lists LaunchOS_*.plist files inside ~/Library/Application Support/CrashReporter; inspect those entries individually and keep the shared CrashReporter parent. Skip missing paths.
If you installed it with Homebrew
The cask declares no separate ordinary uninstall step beyond its managed application.
brew uninstall --cask launchos
Zap additionally removes the two support folders, preferences, cache, network storage and matching crash-report entries. A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap launchos ignores Mole's checkboxes. Mole uses zap only if all targets pass selection, ownership and safety checks, otherwise selected remnants use its own Trash flow.
Check the result
pgrep -ifl LaunchOS
ls -ld "$HOME/Library/Application Support/app.remixdesign.LaunchOS" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/LaunchOS"
An empty process result means no matching arguments were found; identify a surviving match before quitting it. Printed folders still exist, expected if retained. A missing-path error means that exact folder is absent; other errors leave its state unknown. Other apps remaining installed is intentional.
What Mole lists
The exact bundle-ID support folder and preferences are selected by default, so back up and uncheck wanted settings. The display-name Application Support/LaunchOS row starts unchecked with Remove data and settings with apps off; enabling it can preselect eligible unshared data. Shared parent directories are not removal targets.
What this test covered
On September 21, 2026, LaunchOS 2.3.1 from the official download was copied into Applications and opened. Default-selected app, preferences and bundle-ID support data were removed; the display-name support folder stayed unchecked. License management, layout restoration and Homebrew removal were not tested.