How to uninstall Shift on Mac
Save wanted tabs, downloads and local workspace data before uninstalling Shift. This guide covers the recorded Shift 9 Mac app, identified internally as Shift Legacy, and Homebrew cask shift. It does not establish the storage layout of the newer Shift Browser. The Shift v9 Mac uninstall guide names ShiftData as a separate deletion step.
Back up ShiftData before following the reset steps
Quit Shift with Command + Q. Copy ~/Library/Application Support/ShiftData and, if you need its contents, ~/Library/Caches/ShiftData to backups outside those folders. A directory under Caches is not automatically disposable when it contains browser-profile data.
After backup, move Shift.app from Applications to Trash. The vendor's full reset also deletes the support ShiftData folder; skip that part if you want to keep your workspace for a reinstall. Keep Trash available until you have checked what you saved.
Check the exact version's directories
| Location | Keep or remove |
|---|---|
| ~/Library/Application Support/ShiftData | Recorded Shift 9 workspace/profile root. Back up before removing. |
| ~/Library/Caches/ShiftData | Another recorded browser-data root. Review individually. |
| ~/Library/Application Support/.Shift | A different support path named by the current cask. Inspect if it exists. |
| ~/Library/Application Support/Shift | Another current cask path, not a substitute for checking ShiftData. |
| ~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.rdbrck.shift | Website storage. Keep when ownership or contents are unverified. |
The cask also names the following bundle-specific paths. After quitting and checking your backup, use Shift + Command + G in Finder, then move only the existing app-owned items you no longer need to the Trash.
~/Library/Caches/com.rdbrck.shift~/Library/Caches/com.rdbrck.shift.ShipIt~/Library/Preferences/com.rdbrck.shift.plist~/Library/Saved Application State/com.rdbrck.shift.savedState
Do not expand its list into a deletion of all Shift-named files. Removing the Mac app does not cancel a subscription or delete your Shift account.
Check the result
pgrep -il Shift
ls -d /Applications/Shift.app "$HOME/Library/Application Support/ShiftData" "$HOME/Library/Caches/ShiftData"
No process output means no matching name is running; confirm a match in Activity Monitor. Printed paths remain, missing-path errors mean absence, and permission errors leave the result unknown. Preserved profile folders are expected if you chose to keep your data.
If you installed it with Homebrew
brew uninstall --cask shift
This removes the cask app without zap. Direct brew uninstall --cask --zap shift applies the cask's .Shift and Shift support paths, bundle caches, HTTP storage, preferences and saved state without reading Mole's checkboxes. The current stanza does not name the recorded ShiftData roots, so it is not proof that every Shift 9 data folder will disappear.
Mole uninstalls browsers without --zap and removes the leftovers you select.
What Mole lists
Both ShiftData roots are listed but not selected. Profiles remain outside bulk selection and the Remove data and settings with apps opt-in. Personal or sensitive profiles need an individual choice; shared or unverified rows are locked, including unverified browser auxiliary storage. Exact app preferences and ordinary bundle caches are selected by default when present.
What this test covered
Shift 9.6.8.1270 was copied from its official package to Applications and uninstalled on September 21, 2026, without sign-in or a Homebrew receipt. The app, preferences and helper temporary data went to Trash. The 42.7 MB support ShiftData and 3.9 MB cache ShiftData roots were not listed and remained; HTTP storage was protected. The current source adds those roots as profile review rows, without a repeated official-package uninstall. Account deletion, signed-in sessions, the newer browser and a full installer run were not verified.