How to uninstall MarkEdit on Mac
Save open Markdown documents and copy wanted custom extensions before removing MarkEdit. The official project describes a native Markdown editor with CSS and JavaScript customization. This page covers the official Mac disk-image app and its bundled Quick Look extension.
Quit and remove the app
Save or cancel unfinished edits, close active MarkEdit Quick Look previews, then quit the app with Cmd + Q. Move MarkEdit.app to the Trash after it exits. Keep the Markdown files and any custom resources you saved separately.
Review local settings and leftovers
Before deleting app data, copy the settings or custom resources you want to keep to a backup outside these folders. In Finder, press Shift + Command + G and open each path below. Once MarkEdit and its Quick Look previews have closed, move only the app data you no longer need to the Trash; skip missing paths.
| Location | What to do |
|---|---|
~/Library/Containers/app.cyan.markedit |
Main app's local data. Inspect and back up wanted settings before removal. |
~/Library/Application Scripts/app.cyan.markedit |
Main app's sandbox scripts folder. Review before removal. |
~/Library/Containers/app.cyan.markedit.quicklook-extension |
Bundled Quick Look extension's local data. Back up wanted state before removal. |
~/Library/Application Scripts/app.cyan.markedit.quicklook-extension |
The Quick Look extension's sandbox scripts folder. Review after closing previews. |
~/Library/Group Containers/group.app.cyan.markedit |
App-group data observed in the test. Back up wanted contents and retain it if another installed app uses it. |
~/Library/Application Scripts/group.app.cyan.markedit |
The corresponding group scripts folder observed in the test. Keep it while that group is still in use. |
The cask names main/extension containers and Application Scripts paths; the separate group folders above were observed in the Mac test, not included in its zap list. Mole can select these own-app folders by default when ownership permits, so uncheck any local state you want to keep. The app's recent-document-list file is separate from your Markdown documents; do not remove the shared recent-document parent folder.
Check the result
pgrep -ifl MarkEdit
ls -ld /Applications/MarkEdit.app "$HOME/Library/Containers/app.cyan.markedit" "$HOME/Library/Group Containers/group.app.cyan.markedit"
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.
If you installed it with Homebrew
The cask has no separate uninstall helper. Zap includes the app and extension containers and scripts, the app's recent-document list and saved window state. Its current list does not include the separately named group container; inspect wanted local state before using zap.
To uninstall without zap, use:
brew uninstall --cask markedit
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 markedit uses Homebrew's full list without following your choices in Mole.
What Mole lists
Mole selects the app, its own caches and recent-document-list file, and the main app's Containers and Application Scripts folders by default. The bundled Quick Look extension's folders can also be selected by default. The app-group folders above are selected when they belong to this app; Mole checks for another installed app using the group before removal. Uncheck wanted local state. Your Markdown documents and the shared recent-document parent folder stay 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, MarkEdit 1.36.0 was copied from the official disk image and tested with a development build of Mole. The app-group container and scripts folder could not be moved in the initial run; they were removed in the recorded retest. Protected system state was kept. Unsaved-document recovery and populated custom extensions were not verified.