How to uninstall Opera on Mac

Opera keeps its profile, with bookmarks, Speed Dial, history, saved passwords, extensions and settings, in ~/Library/Application Support/com.operasoftware.Opera. Sign in to Opera Sync or copy that folder before you remove anything, because deleting it takes every unsynced item with it. These steps cover Opera downloaded from opera.com and the Homebrew cask opera; the recorded test used the download from opera.com. Opera GX is a separate app with its own profile.

Sync or back up first

Opera Sync carries bookmarks, Speed Dial entries, browsing history, passwords, settings and open tabs to your other Opera browsers through an Opera account. Turn it on in Settings › Synchronization and click Sign in; Advanced sync settings lets you choose which of those types are synced, so check that passwords are included if you need them. Opera help: Sync

If you do not use Sync, quit Opera and copy ~/Library/Application Support/com.operasoftware.Opera somewhere outside Library. Opera's help notes that signing out of Sync does not delete the data on this Mac, so signing out is not a way to clear it either.

Quit Opera and remove the app

Quit Opera with Command-Q, then move Opera from Applications to the Trash. Opera runs several helper processes; in the recorded test they used about 960 MB of memory together, so confirm they are gone before touching the profile.

Where Opera keeps its data

These are the paths in the Homebrew cask's zap list. Open each with Shift + Command + G in Finder; skip the ones that do not exist.

Folders such as com.operasoftware.OperaGX belong to other Opera editions. Leave them alone unless you are removing those apps too.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands in Terminal after the app is in the Trash:

pgrep -ilf "Opera.app"
ls -d "$HOME/Library/Application Support/com.operasoftware.Opera"

• No output from pgrep means Opera is no longer running. A listed process means Opera or a helper is still open; quit it before copying or deleting the profile. Opera GX runs from a different app and does not match this pattern.
• ls printing the path means your profile is still on this Mac, which is what you want if you kept it. "No such file or directory" means it is gone.

If you are keeping Opera and only want disk space back, see Free Up Chrome and Safari Storage on Mac Safely; Opera is Chromium-based and the same cache layers apply.

If you installed it with Homebrew

Opera is a browser, so Mole removes a Homebrew install with brew uninstall --cask opera and never adds --zap, whatever you tick in its review list.

A zap you run yourself is different. brew uninstall --cask --zap opera moves every path in the table above to the Trash, the profile folder included. Back up first, or leave --zap out:

brew uninstall --cask opera

Homebrew Opera cask

Account

Removing the app does not delete your Opera account or the data already synced to it. For account questions, see Opera account help.

What Mole lists

For Opera downloaded from opera.com:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.operasoftware.Opera is listed as sensitive browser data, because Opera profiles can hold wallet, key or extension data. It is never selected by default or by select-all. You can tick it on its own; Mole asks you to confirm and moves it to the Trash, where it stays recoverable until you empty the Trash.
• ~/Library/Cookies/com.operasoftware.Opera.binarycookies is listed as unverified browser data and kept, with no checkbox.
• The caches, preferences and saved window state filed under com.operasoftware.Opera are selected by default.
• Profiles of other Opera editions, such as Opera GX, belong to other bundle IDs and are not listed when you remove Opera.

What this test covered

Opera was downloaded from opera.com, copied into Applications and uninstalled with Mole Preview 277 on September 19, 2026. The profile folder already existed on the test Mac before this install, and the test run kept writing to it; at removal it held about 93 MB and stayed on disk as sensitive browser data. On September 26, 2026, Opera 136.0.6008.52 from opera.com was installed again, opened once and removed with a development build of Mole with every selectable row ticked. Mole's Status page showed Opera as one row of eight processes. The app and four cache rows, including a 588 MB code-signing clone in the temporary folder, went to the Trash, and the profile folder stayed on disk as sensitive browser data, as designed. No login item or launch agent appeared. Opera Sync, a signed-in account and the Homebrew cask were not tested.