How to uninstall qutebrowser on Mac
Before removing qutebrowser, open qute://version and copy the configuration and data directories it reports. The configuration documentation distinguishes hand-written configuration from auto-saved settings on macOS. Keep bookmarks, sessions and any needed login data before removing a browser profile.
Quit and remove the app
Close downloads and quit qutebrowser with Cmd + Q. Move qutebrowser.app from Applications to the Trash. A separately configured browser script or a Python installation is a separate component, not a reason to delete the whole Python environment.
Review local data
~/.qutebrowser/config.pyis the usual hand-written Mac configuration location; usequte://versionto confirm your actual path.~/Library/Application Support/qutebrowserheld browser data in the local test. Keep it if you need its profile.~/Library/Caches/qutebrowserand~/Library/Preferences/qutebrowseralso appear in the cask; read each location before removal. Linux XDG defaults do not establish Mac paths.
After confirming bookmarks, sessions and configuration backups and quitting, press Shift + Command + G in Finder to open the exact paths copied from qute://version, or the verified qutebrowser locations above. Move only the qutebrowser folder or file you chose to discard to the Trash. Treat any shared or protected profile as an individual decision and leave Python environments intact.
Check the result
pgrep -ifl qutebrowser
ls -ld /Applications/qutebrowser.app "$HOME/.qutebrowser" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/qutebrowser"
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 cask is disabled for its Gatekeeper check, but existing installations can still need removal. It manages the app and its command wrapper. Zap targets Application Support, Caches and Preferences under qutebrowser; rmdir only removes an empty ~/.qutebrowser. Do not use zap to preserve the browser profile.
To uninstall without zap, use:
brew uninstall --cask qutebrowser
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 qutebrowser runs Homebrew’s full zap list without consulting Mole’s checkboxes.
What Mole lists
Mole selects the app and attributable cache/preference rows by default. Browser profile rows do not join default selection or select-all; a protected row can remain locked. The exact ~/.qutebrowser leaf is a review row, unchecked when Remove data and settings with apps in General > Cleaning is off. Turning it on can preselect eligible configuration data; uncheck what you want to keep. Read each row’s protection state before removing personal data.
Protected browser profiles stay out of automatic selection even with that option on; a locked profile cannot be removed by ticking its row. Check the final list before confirming.
What this test covered
On September 21, 2026, the official arm64 qutebrowser 3.7.0 app was opened and removed. The app, cache, preferences and Darwin cache were removed; the 2.1 MB Application Support profile stayed protected. The empty ~/.qutebrowser was not meaningful profile coverage. No bookmarks, account login or separately installed Python browser was tested.