How to uninstall Meld on Mac
Save merged files and keep the original comparison inputs before removing Meld. The official Meld site describes file and directory comparisons; this page covers the Mac package, not removal of the files or repositories you compare.
Quit and remove the app
Save or cancel pending merge edits, quit Meld with Cmd + Q, then move Meld.app to the Trash. Keep working trees, comparison inputs and saved merge results.
Data to keep or review
~/Library/Application Support/org.gnome.Meldheld exact-ID app support data in the test and is selected by default; copy wanted settings first.- Preferences and caches are at
~/Library/Preferences/org.gnome.Meld.plistand~/Library/Caches/org.gnome.Meld. - The current cask also names
~/.local/share/meldand~/Library/Saved Application State/org.gnome.Meld.savedState. Review any populated home-data directory before removal. Compared source files are not disposable settings.
After backing up wanted settings, open Finder and press Shift + Command + G. Paste each full path separately, inspect its contents and move only confirmed app-owned data to the Trash.
Check the result
pgrep -ifl Meld
command -v meld
ls -ld /Applications/Meld.app "$HOME/Library/Application Support/org.gnome.Meld" "$HOME/.local/share/meld"
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 and manages a meld command wrapper, which ordinary uninstall removes. Zap includes the home-data directory, exact support data, caches, preferences and saved state; keep wanted configuration first.
To uninstall without zap, use:
brew uninstall --cask meld
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 meld runs Homebrew’s full zap list without consulting Mole’s checkboxes.
What Mole lists
Mole selects the app, exact-ID support data, preferences and attributable caches by default. Uncheck wanted settings. With “Remove data and settings with apps” off, additional home data supplied by the available Homebrew catalog stays unticked; turning it on can select eligible app data. Shared folders still need individual review; compared files and repositories 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, Meld 3.22.3 was copied from the macOS port disk image and tested with a development build of Mole. The app and recorded exact support, preference and cache rows were removed. Populated merge sessions, source-file recovery and independent command installations were not verified.