How to uninstall TeXstudio on Mac

Save your TeX sources, bibliography and figures before uninstalling TeXstudio. Back up editor macros and settings separately, and keep the TeX distribution that builds your documents.

Quit and remove the app

Quit TeXstudio and remove its actual .app bundle from Applications. The cask includes the release and architecture in the bundle filename, so it may not simply be TeXstudio.app. The configuration manual distinguishes editor preferences from the external TeX commands.

Review the local data

In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder and open each exact path below. Copy anything you need first, then move only the app-owned item you have decided to discard to the Trash. These locations come from the Homebrew removal list or the recorded local check; a missing location needs no cleanup.

Check the result

These commands only list the app and the locations discussed above. The app filename comes from the cask; adjust it if your official-download bundle has a different name.

ls -ld "/Applications/texstudio-4.9.7-osx-m1.app"
ls -ld "$HOME/.config/texstudio"
ls -ld "$HOME/Library/Preferences/texstudio.plist"

An entry printed by ls still exists at that path. No such file or directory means that exact item is absent; Permission denied or Operation not permitted means the check could not establish its state. A retained data folder is expected if you chose to keep it. This check does not search every disk or cloud account.

If you installed it with Homebrew

Uninstall without running zap:

brew uninstall --cask texstudio

This removes Homebrew's managed app artifacts without applying its zap list. The ordinary uninstall stanza also asks the app to quit. The live cask contains a Gatekeeper-related disable declaration; this is removal guidance for an existing installation, not a recommendation to bypass that block. A “not installed” error means Homebrew has no matching cask installation; use the Finder route for a manually copied app.

The live cask source names these additional zap targets:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.sharedfilelist/com.apple.LSSharedFileList.ApplicationRecentDocuments/texstudio.sfl*
• ~/Library/Preferences/texstudio.plist
• ~/Library/Saved Application State/texstudio.savedState

Some targets can hold settings or personal data. Keep the paths you still need and back them up before considering brew uninstall --cask --zap texstudio. That direct command applies the cask's entire zap list regardless of Mole's checkboxes. Mole uses zap only when its complete scope passes its selection and shared-data checks; unchecked, shared, out-of-boundary or unsupported targets suppress zap, while selected remnants use Mole's own removal path.

What Mole lists

Mole lists ~/.config/texstudio for review, not selected by default. This explicitly identified leaf does not authorize deleting the whole .config directory, a texmf tree or another TeX editor. These defaults describe the app-data option switched off. Opting into Remove data and settings with apps also selects eligible reviewed app data; shared stores and protected data retain their individual review or protection.

What this test covered

The official Apple-silicon Mac bundle was removed on 21 September 2026. The configuration folder remained after that app removal, and its exact path was added to the review rules. The test did not remove a TeX distribution or verify personal document recovery; the bundle identifier was not independently verified in that record. Homebrew instructions were checked against the current cask, but this record does not establish a Homebrew-managed uninstall or removal of every possible leftover.