How to uninstall The Unarchiver on Mac
The Unarchiver only unpacks archives you already have somewhere else, so there is no document library to save before removing it, just its settings and, for the Mac App Store build, a small sandbox container. This covers the app downloaded from theunarchiver.com (bundle id com.macpaw.site.theunarchiver), the Mac App Store build (bundle id cx.c3.theunarchiver), and the Homebrew cask the-unarchiver, which installs the same file from theunarchiver.com.
Quit and remove the app
Quit The Unarchiver from its application menu, then find it in Finder's Applications folder and move it to Trash. If macOS says it is still in use, quit it again from Activity Monitor first.
Where the data lives
The two builds keep separate settings, because they use different bundle ids.
| Location | What it holds | What to do |
|---|---|---|
~/Library/Preferences/com.macpaw.site.theunarchiver.plist |
Archive-handling settings for the app downloaded from theunarchiver.com | Remove it for a clean start; it holds no files of yours |
~/Library/Preferences/cx.c3.theunarchiver.plist |
The same kind of settings, under the Mac App Store build's bundle id | Remove it if the Mac App Store build was ever installed |
~/Library/Containers/cx.c3.theunarchiver |
The Mac App Store build's sandbox container | Remove it with the app |
~/Library/Application Scripts/cx.c3.theunarchiver |
Scripts folder for the sandboxed build | Remove it with the app |
Skip whichever pair does not apply to the build you installed.
Check the result
pgrep -il "unarchiver"
ls -d ~/Library/Preferences/com.macpaw.site.theunarchiver.plist ~/Library/Preferences/cx.c3.theunarchiver.plist ~/Library/Containers/cx.c3.theunarchiver
No output from pgrep means no process from either build is running. For ls -d, "No such file or directory" means that file or container is gone, or was never created because you never installed that build; a printed path means it is still there and belongs to a build you installed at some point.
If you installed it with Homebrew
Mole skips --zap when its list reaches unchecked or shared data, or cannot be fully checked, and still cleans the leftovers you selected.
The the-unarchiver cask downloads the same package the direct download uses, but its zap list only names paths under the Mac App Store build's id, cx.c3.theunarchiver: ~/Library/Caches/cx.c3.theunarchiver, ~/Library/Cookies/cx.c3.theunarchiver.binarycookies, ~/Library/Preferences/cx.c3.theunarchiver.plist, and ~/Library/Saved Application State/cx.c3.theunarchiver.savedState. The app this cask actually installs writes its settings under its own id, com.macpaw.site.theunarchiver, so running brew uninstall --cask --zap the-unarchiver moves only files under the App Store id, which usually do not exist on a cask install, and leaves ~/Library/Preferences/com.macpaw.site.theunarchiver.plist in place. Both sets of files are settings, caches and window state rather than your archives; check both preference paths yourself if you want the settings gone completely, or remove only the app:
brew uninstall --cask the-unarchiver
What Mole lists
For the app downloaded directly from theunarchiver.com, ~/Library/Preferences/com.macpaw.site.theunarchiver.plist is selected by default alongside the app itself. For the Mac App Store build, the files named after cx.c3.theunarchiver, including its sandbox container and Application Scripts folder, are selected by default. Each build's rows follow its own bundle id, so uninstalling one build does not select the other build's preference file.
What this test covered
On September 19, 2026, the app was copied into Applications from the theunarchiver.com download, with no Homebrew receipt, and uninstalled with Mole 1.15 Preview (build 277) using the default selection; the app and its preferences file went to Trash. On September 21, 2026, the Mac App Store build 4.3.9 was reinstalled and removed again with Mole 1.15 Preview (build 282) using the default selection; the app, its Application Scripts folder, its 102 KB sandbox container and its temporary caches under /var/folders went to Trash, and nothing from that build was left. Neither run tested the Homebrew cask.