How to uninstall ScummVM on Mac

Before removing ScummVM, save and copy your game resources, saved games and custom game paths to a separate backup, then open the copy. This guide covers the official Mac download; Homebrew-specific removal is separate below.

Keep game images, save files and memory-card data. A library or emulator support folder can contain your progress, so copy the entire folder before reviewing it for removal.

Quit and remove the app

Finish current work and quit ScummVM. Check Activity Monitor for its process before removing the app in Finder. In Applications, move ScummVM.app to the Trash; if you keep it elsewhere, use its actual location. Keep the Trash until your backup has been checked.

Review local data

These exact locations were observed in the removal record. Open them through Finder’s Go › Go to Folder. Copy wanted contents first; leave them if you want to keep settings or cannot establish ownership. They are optional data removal, not a prerequisite for removing the app.

  • ~/Library/Application Support/ScummVM
  • ~/Library/Preferences/ScummVM Preferences

Check the result

This read-only check searches full process command lines, not disk contents.

pgrep -ifl 'ScummVM'

No output with exit status 1 means no matching command line was found. A printed entry needs inspection in Activity Monitor because names can match unrelated processes. An error is not proof of removal. Also check that the app is absent from its original Finder location; a retained data folder or independent component does not mean the app is still installed.

If you installed it with Homebrew

For the desktop app cask, uninstall without running zap:

brew uninstall --cask scummvm-app

The current cask manages the desktop app and names these additional zap locations:

  • ~/Documents/ScummVM Savegames
  • ~/Library/Caches/org.scummvm.scummvm
  • ~/Library/Logs/scummvm.log
  • ~/Library/Preferences/org.scummvm.scummvm.plist
  • ~/Library/Preferences/ScummVM Preferences
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/org.scummvm.scummvm.savedState

~/Documents/ScummVM Savegames contains saved games; copy and check your saves before considering zap. A separately installed ScummVM formula is not this desktop cask.

A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap scummvm-app acts on the cask’s full zap list without consulting Mole’s checkboxes. Mole suppresses zap when it reaches unchecked or shared data, an unreviewed scope, or unsupported actions; selected remnants still use its own removal flow.

What Mole lists

~/Library/Application Support/ScummVM is listed for review and is not selected by default. ~/Library/Preferences/ScummVM Preferences is a name-based review row and is not selected by default.

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

The September 21, 2026 record covers the following test. The official download ran and was removed with an empty support folder and preferences. Game resources were excluded, and no game or save restoration was tested.