How to uninstall LyX on Mac

Save your LyX documents, linked figures and bibliography files before removing LyX. Keep your TeX distribution and texmf resources separate, since the document processor is not the whole typesetting toolchain.

Quit and remove the app

Quit LyX after saving your documents, then move LyX.app to the Trash. A Homebrew installation also manages commands bundled with LyX, whereas an independent TeX installation should not be deleted with the GUI.

Review the local data

In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder and open each exact path below. Copy anything you need first, then move only the app-owned item you have decided to discard to the Trash. These locations come from the Homebrew removal list or the recorded local check; a missing location needs no cleanup.

Check the result

These commands only list the app and the locations discussed above. The app filename comes from the cask; adjust it if your official-download bundle has a different name.

ls -ld "/Applications/LyX.app"
ls -ld "$HOME/Library/Application Support/LyX-2.5"
ls -ld "$HOME/Library/Preferences/org.lyx.LyX-2.5.plist"
ls -ld "$HOME/Library/Preferences/org.lyx.lyx.plist"

An entry printed by ls still exists at that path. No such file or directory means that exact item is absent; Permission denied or Operation not permitted means the check could not establish its state. A retained data folder is expected if you chose to keep it. This check does not search every disk or cloud account.

If you installed it with Homebrew

Uninstall without running zap:

brew uninstall --cask lyx

This removes Homebrew's managed app artifacts without applying its zap list. The ordinary uninstall stanza also asks the app to quit. Homebrew also removes its managed command links or wrapper; a separately installed command-line package is independent. The live cask contains a Gatekeeper-related disable declaration; this is removal guidance for an existing installation, not a recommendation to bypass that block. A “not installed” error means Homebrew has no matching cask installation; use the Finder route for a manually copied app.

The live cask source names these additional zap targets:

• ~/Library/Application Support/LyX-2.5
• ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.python/Applications/LyX.app
• ~/Library/Preferences/org.lyx.LyX-2.5.plist
• ~/Library/Preferences/org.lyx.lyx.plist
• ~/Library/Saved Application State/org.lyx.lyx.savedState

Some targets can hold settings or personal data. Keep the paths you still need and back them up before considering brew uninstall --cask --zap lyx. That direct command applies the cask's entire zap list regardless of Mole's checkboxes. Mole uses zap only when its complete scope passes its selection and shared-data checks; unchecked, shared, out-of-boundary or unsupported targets suppress zap, while selected remnants use Mole's own removal path.

What Mole lists

Mole lists the specific LyX-2.5 support and versioned preference leaves for review, not selected by default; the exact org.lyx.lyx.plist app preference is selected by default. This does not establish a wildcard cleanup for every LyX version or texmf tree. These defaults describe the app-data option switched off. Opting into Remove data and settings with apps also selects eligible reviewed app data; shared stores and protected data retain their individual review or protection.

What this test covered

The official universal Mac bundle, exact app preferences and selected temporary cache were removed on 21 September 2026. The version-specific support and preference leaves received explicit review rules after the gap was found. Personal documents and the TeX distribution were not removed or recovery-tested. Homebrew instructions were checked against the current cask, but this record does not establish a Homebrew-managed uninstall or removal of every possible leftover.