How to uninstall React Native Debugger on Mac

React Native Debugger is a standalone desktop debugger that integrates Redux DevTools, React Developer Tools, and Chrome DevTools into a unified workspace. Removing React Native Debugger only removes the desktop application itself; it does not touch your React Native project source code, package.json, node_modules, CocoaPods dependencies, or local Git repositories. Your Metro bundler environment and command-line tools remain completely untouched. However, debugger window arrangements, custom DevTools layouts, and port configurations live in Electron application support. Copy ~/Library/Application Support/React Native Debugger first if you want to keep your debugger layout settings. This guide covers the official Mac app and Homebrew cask react-native-debugger.

Quit and remove the app

1. Press Command + Q inside React Native Debugger. Quitting the application cleanly disconnects its debugging proxy from Metro (default port 8081) without interrupting your running packager.
2. Open Finder, navigate to Applications, and drag React Native Debugger.app to the Trash.

Review local data

The support folder below was created by the app in the recorded test. The preferences file and saved-state folder are declared in the Homebrew cask. In Finder, press Shift + Command + G to inspect each path. Skip any path that is not present on your system.

Check the result

pgrep -il 'React Native Debugger'
ls -ld "/Applications/React Native Debugger.app" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/React Native Debugger" "$HOME/Library/Preferences/com.electron.react-native-debugger.plist" "$HOME/Library/Saved Application State/com.electron.react-native-debugger.savedState"

• No output from pgrep means no React Native Debugger process is running.
• A printed line from pgrep means a process is still active. Inspect it in Activity Monitor before proceeding.
• An error from pgrep does not prove the app has quit.
• A path printed by ls is still present on disk.
• No such file or directory confirms that path is absent.
• Permission denied means your account lacks read access for that directory.

If you installed it with Homebrew

brew uninstall --cask react-native-debugger

The cask zap list includes ~/Library/Preferences/com.electron.react-native-debugger.plist and ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.electron.react-native-debugger.savedState. Note that the cask does not declare the ~/Library/Application Support/React Native Debugger directory in its zap list. Running brew uninstall --cask --zap react-native-debugger removes only the declared zap paths and does not consult Mole's checkboxes. Mole checks the full removal list and skips --zap when it reaches unchecked data, shared files, or a path it cannot verify. Leftovers you selected still use Mole's own removal.

What Mole lists

Mole selects the app, ~/Library/Preferences/com.electron.react-native-debugger.plist, and ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.electron.react-native-debugger.savedState when those items are present. Inside ~/Library/Application Support/React Native Debugger, the cache folders Code Cache, DawnCache, GPUCache, and blob_storage are selected by default when they exist. The support folder itself is listed and not selected while Remove data and settings with apps in General › Cleaning is off. Your React Native code repositories are outside this list.

These defaults assume “Remove data and settings with apps” is off. Opting in also selects eligible reviewed app data; shared stores and protected data retain individual review or stay locked.

What this test covered

On October 9, 2026, React Native Debugger 0.14.0 from the official Universal package was copied into Applications, opened to the waiting-for-React screen, and removed. No project was attached. The recorded removal included the app, the preferences file, and the support folder after those rows were selected. The saved-state folder was not present. Status showed one React Native Debugger row while it was running. No new launch agent was found. Mole's update page was not opened. A Homebrew install was not tested.