How to Uninstall Path Finder on Mac

If Path Finder replaced Finder, turn that option off first in Path Finder › Settings › General. Check any files in Drop Stack or on remote volumes separately; removing a file manager does not delete those files. The recorded test used a direct download, not a Homebrew installation.

Remove the app and inspect its data

Quit Path Finder, then move Path Finder.app from Applications to Trash. Inspect the support folder for preferences worth keeping. Embedded HexFiend and helper items are part of the app bundle; do not hunt for unrelated installed helpers by name. ~/Library/Application Support/Path Finder holds app settings from the recorded installation, and the plist stores preferences. Keep either if you expect to reinstall with the same layout. Vendor guidance.

Check the result

ls -ld ~/Library/'Application Support'/'Path Finder' ~/Library/Preferences/com.cocoatech.PathFinder.plist

Run this read-only check after quitting the app. A printed path still exists; “No such file or directory” means that path is absent, while a permission error needs its own investigation.

If you installed it with Homebrew

The Homebrew cask has a zap list that includes Application Support/Path Finder and preferences. Run the command below without --zap if you want to keep those files and inspect them separately. A manual --zap follows the whole cask list regardless of Mole’s checkboxes. Mole uses zap only when its targets are selected, owned and within the checked boundary; otherwise it removes selected remnants through its own flow.

brew uninstall --cask path-finder

What Mole lists

The display-name support folder is a review row, unselected by default; exact bundle-ID preferences are normally selected. Embedded helper entries are for confirmation, not a request to remove unrelated software.

What this test covered

Path Finder 26.1.8 from the official package was removed on September 20, 2026. The empty display-name support folder was selected and removed; the embedded helpers were only confirmed. No separate helper installation was performed.