How to uninstall PopClip on Mac
PopClip keeps your installed extensions and supporting files, including logs and purchase information, in ~/Library/Application Support/PopClip, so back that folder up first if you plan to reinstall PopClip later. This covers the app downloaded from popclip.app (bundle id com.pilotmoon.popclip) and the Homebrew cask popclip, which installs the same download.
Quit and remove the app
PopClip runs in the background with no Dock icon. PopClip's own instructions only say to quit it first if it is running; if you cannot find a Quit command, quit it from Activity Monitor. Then find PopClip in Finder's Applications folder (or the Setapp folder inside Applications, if you installed it through Setapp) and move it to Trash.
Where the data lives
Press Shift + Command + G in Finder and check each path. These come from PopClip's own published list of its paths.
| Location | What it holds | What to do |
|---|---|---|
~/Library/Application Support/PopClip |
Your installed extensions and supporting files, such as logs and purchase information | Back it up first if you plan to reinstall PopClip later; otherwise move it to Trash |
~/Library/Application Support/com.pilotmoon.popclip |
Backups and log files | Remove it with the app unless you want the backups |
~/Library/Application Support/PopClip_backup, ~/Library/Preferences/com.pilotmoon.popclip_backup.plist |
Backups PopClip may have made | Check them before removing; they only exist if PopClip created a backup |
~/Library/Preferences/com.pilotmoon.popclip.plist |
PopClip's own settings | Remove it for a clean start |
~/Library/Caches/com.pilotmoon.popclip |
Cache for the standalone or Mac App Store build | Safe to remove |
~/Library/Caches/com.pilotmoon.popclip-setapp |
The same cache under the Setapp build's identifier | Only present if you installed PopClip through Setapp |
Passwords and login tokens for extensions are stored in your iCloud keychain under com.pilotmoon.popclip, and removing the app does not delete them. PopClip also needs the Accessibility permission to read the text you select in other apps. Removing the app does not revoke that grant; open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility and remove PopClip's entry yourself if it is still listed there.
Check the result
pgrep -il popclip
ls -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/PopClip ~/Library/Preferences/com.pilotmoon.popclip.plist
No output from pgrep means no PopClip process is running. For ls -d, "No such file or directory" means that folder or file is gone; a printed path means it is still there.
If you installed it with Homebrew
Mole skips --zap when its list reaches unchecked or shared data, or cannot be fully checked, and still cleans the leftovers you selected.
The popclip cask's zap list includes ~/Library/Application Support/com.pilotmoon.popclip, ~/Library/Application Support/PopClip, ~/Library/Caches/com.pilotmoon.popclip, ~/Library/Preferences/com.pilotmoon.popclip.plist, and an iCloud key-value sync token at ~/Library/SyncedPreferences/com.apple.kvs/ChangeTokens/NoEncryption/PopClip. ~/Library/Application Support/PopClip holds your installed extensions, so Mole lists it without a tick, and unless you tick it Mole's Homebrew removal drops --zap and removes only the rows you left ticked. Running brew uninstall --cask --zap popclip yourself moves it, and the sync token with it, whatever you ticked in Mole.
To keep your extensions, back up that folder first, or remove only the app:
brew uninstall --cask popclip
What Mole lists
~/Library/Application Support/PopClip is listed but not selected, so you choose between keeping your extensions and reclaiming the space. ~/Library/Application Support/com.pilotmoon.popclip, ~/Library/Preferences/com.pilotmoon.popclip.plist and ~/Library/Caches/com.pilotmoon.popclip are selected by default when they exist; untick the first if you want to keep its backups. Mole does not touch the Accessibility permission or your iCloud keychain; handle those separately.
What this test covered
PopClip 2026.8.1 was copied into Applications from the official download, with no Homebrew receipt, and uninstalled on September 20, 2026, with Mole 1.15 Preview (build 280), without granting it the Accessibility permission it asks for. The review list was expanded and every row was ticked; ~/Library/Application Support/PopClip (864 KB) went to Trash along with the app. Extensions, purchases, the Homebrew cask and the Setapp build were not tested.