How to uninstall QOwnNotes on Mac
Keep a copy of your notes and attachments before uninstalling QOwnNotes. Its official overview explains that notes are ordinary files in folders you choose. If a folder is synced, verify the web copy, then copy the local files outside the sync root and open the copy before removing anything.
Quit and remove the app
Save open notes and quit QOwnNotes with Cmd + Q. The official Mac installation uses a disk-image app copied into Applications; move that app to the Trash. Leave your notes folder and any separately installed Nextcloud or ownCloud client in place.
Review local data
- Your chosen notes folders contain the Markdown files and attachments; they are not disposable preferences.
~/Library/Application Support/PBEwas observed locally and is listed for review. Inspect its contents instead of deleting the whole PBE family.~/Library/Preferences/com.pbe.QOwnNotes.plistholds preferences. Thecom.PBEspelling can refer to the same file on a case-insensitive disk. The test did not create~/.config/PBE.
After confirming the notes backup and quitting, press Shift + Command + G in Finder to open ~/Library/Preferences/com.pbe.QOwnNotes.plist and ~/Library/Application Support/PBE. Move the preference file or verified QOwnNotes content you chose to discard to the Trash; keep other PBE content, your notes and the sync client's data.
Check the result
pgrep -ifl QOwnNotes
ls -ld /Applications/QOwnNotes.app "$HOME/Library/Application Support/PBE" "$HOME/Library/Preferences/com.pbe.QOwnNotes.plist"
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.
If you installed it with Homebrew
The existing cask is disabled for its Gatekeeper check, so this is an uninstall route for an already installed cask. Ordinary uninstall asks QOwnNotes to quit. Zap removes its preference file and saved state, not every notes folder.
To uninstall without zap, use:
brew uninstall --cask qownnotes
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 qownnotes runs Homebrew’s full zap list without consulting Mole’s checkboxes.
Removing the app does not remove your Nextcloud or ownCloud account or cancel any separately paid sync service.
What Mole lists
Mole selects the app and exact preference/cache rows by default. ~/Library/Application Support/PBE is listed unchecked when Remove data and settings with apps in General > Cleaning is off. Turning it on can preselect eligible app data, so inspect this folder and uncheck anything you want to keep. Notes saved in folders you chose are not a blanket uninstall target.
What this test covered
On September 21, 2026, the official universal QOwnNotes 26.9.0 app was opened and uninstalled without Homebrew. The app, preferences and Darwin cache were removed. A 32 KB PBE support folder was absent from that test’s list; Mole now lists the exact folder for review. No real notes or cloud sync was tested.