How to uninstall Scribus on Mac

Save the document and linked assets before removing Scribus. The official Collect for Output guide explains how File > Collect for Output copies a document and its linked images into one directory, with optional fonts and colour profiles. A .sla file alone may not contain every needed asset.

Collect the project and quit

Save wanted work, collect the assets you need and open the collected document to check its links before uninstalling. Keep the collected project directory, original assets and independently installed fonts. Quit Scribus with Cmd + Q, then move Scribus.app from Applications to the Trash.

The local test found settings in ~/Library/Preferences/Scribus, not a generated ~/.scribus folder. Back up these settings if you want the same application setup after reinstalling; they are separate from saved projects.

After checking the collected project and backing up settings, quit Scribus and use Shift + Command + G in Finder to open ~/Library/Preferences/Scribus and ~/Library/Application Support/Scribus when present. Move only the Scribus folders you chose to discard to the Trash; keep collected projects, linked assets and independently installed fonts.

Check the result

pgrep -ifl Scribus
ls -ld /Applications/Scribus.app "$HOME/Library/Preferences/Scribus" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Scribus"

Inspect matching executable paths. Missing locations are absent paths; permission errors leave them unverified. Confirm the collected project and its assets separately, rather than treating them as leftovers.

If you installed it with Homebrew

brew uninstall --cask scribus

The cask defines its managed removal. Its zap list names ~/Library/Application Support/Scribus, ~/Library/Preferences/Scribus and ~/Library/Saved Application State/net.scribus.savedState. Resetting these directories discards app setup; it does not name your independently saved project directory.

A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap scribus runs its whole zap list regardless of Mole's checkboxes. 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.

What Mole lists

Mole selects the app and exact bundle-owned cache, preferences and saved state when present. The named Scribus preferences and support directories are review rows, unchecked when Remove data and settings with apps in General > Cleaning is off. Turning it on can preselect eligible app settings; shared assets and fonts need their own review. Leave wanted setup unchecked. Project documents, linked assets and independent fonts are separate decisions.

What this test covered

On September 21, 2026, Scribus 1.6.6 from the official Mac package was launched and removed. The selected named preferences directory and temporary cache were removed with the app, and no ~/.scribus folder was created. Project creation, Collect for Output recovery and a Homebrew installation were not verified.