How to uninstall nteract on Mac
Before removing nteract, save and copy your notebooks, notebook attachments and local Python environments to a separate backup, then open the copy. This guide covers the official Mac download; Homebrew-specific removal is separate below.
Save notebooks before quitting and finish any running kernels. The official nteract README identifies runtimed as a per-user background daemon. Preserve separately managed runtimes and Python environments; do not delete a runt cache just because it appeared during the same session.
Quit and remove the app
Finish current work and quit nteract. If the following user launch agent exists, inspect its Program or ProgramArguments and confirm it points inside your nteract application before touching it.
plutil -p "$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/io.nteract.runtimed.plist"
A missing file means this agent is absent; an unreadable file or a target outside nteract needs investigation rather than deletion. For the confirmed nteract agent, stop its user service before moving that plist to Trash.
launchctl bootout "gui/$(id -u)" "$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/io.nteract.runtimed.plist"
Check Activity Monitor to confirm runtimed has stopped; a command error alone does not establish that. Then move nteract.app to Trash from its actual Finder location. Keep the Trash until your backup has been checked. Official documentation
Review local data
The locations below come from the test record or the live cask; their individual treatment is explained below. Open them through Finder’s Go › Go to Folder. Copy wanted contents first; leave them if you want to keep settings or cannot establish ownership. They are optional data removal, not a prerequisite for removing the app.
~/Library/Application Support/org.nteract.desktop/.window-state.json~/Library/Caches/runt
Check the result
This read-only check searches full process command lines, not disk contents.
pgrep -ifl 'nteract|runtimed|notebook'
No output with exit status 1 means no matching command line was found. A printed entry needs inspection in Activity Monitor because names can match unrelated processes. An error is not proof of removal. Also check that the app is absent from its original Finder location; a retained data folder or independent component does not mean the app is still installed.
Before using the cask command, inspect these entries. ls can show symlink targets, but a regular file needs its ownership checked separately; absence is only absence of that entry and a permission error is inconclusive.
ls -l /usr/local/bin/nb /usr/local/bin/runt
If you installed it with Homebrew
Use the installed cask receipt and uninstall without zap.
brew uninstall --cask nteract
Ordinary uninstall unloads io.nteract.runtimed and deletes /usr/local/bin/nb and /usr/local/bin/runt. These actions happen without zap and do not consult Mole’s data checkboxes; inspect ownership first if you also installed runt separately. The live cask additionally names these zap targets, which can erase settings, local data or integration files; this is Homebrew’s list, not a vendor data-location claim.
~/Library/Application Support/nteract~/Library/Application Support/org.nteract.desktop~/Library/Caches/org.nteract.desktop~/Library/WebKit/org.nteract.desktop
A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap nteract runs its own zap scope without consulting Mole’s checkboxes. Mole uses zap only when the complete scope passes its gate; unchecked or shared paths, paths outside the review boundary, unknown stanzas and unsupported directives suppress it. Selected remnants still use Mole’s deletion path.
What Mole lists
~/Library/Application Support/org.nteract.desktop is a bundle-identity support row selected by default when present and not protected. Save notebooks and check its contents before confirming. The late .window-state.json was not in the original reviewed plan; its survival is not a deletion failure. The independent ~/Library/Caches/runt has unverified ownership and should remain.
These defaults assume “Remove data and settings with apps” is off. Opting in also selects eligible reviewed app data; shared stores and protected data retain individual review or stay locked.
What this test covered
The October 5, 2026 record covers the following test. The official Apple Silicon app was launched and removed using a source-built Mole app. Its user service stopped and the newly created launch plist was removed. A window-state file appeared after the original scan and was retained; the independent runt cache was retained with ownership unverified. No notebook execution or runtime selection was tested.