How to uninstall Tor Browser on Mac

Tor Browser has no sync and no account, so bookmarks and settings you care about exist only in its data folder, TorBrowser-Data. Export the bookmarks you want before you remove that folder. The Tor Project's own uninstall steps delete the folder, and so does Mole if you tick it. These steps cover Tor Browser downloaded from torproject.org and the Homebrew cask tor-browser; the recorded test used the download from torproject.org.

Export your bookmarks

In Tor Browser, open ≡ › Bookmarks › Manage bookmarks. In the Library window, click Import and Backup, then choose Export Bookmarks to HTML to save a bookmarks.html file, or Backup to save a .json copy. Keep the file outside the Tor Browser folders. Tor Project: manage bookmarks

Quit Tor Browser and remove the app

Quit Tor Browser from its menu, then follow the Tor Project's uninstall steps: Uninstalling Tor Browser

  1. Find Tor Browser in Applications and move it to the Trash.
  2. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder, type ~/Library/Application Support/, and move the TorBrowser-Data folder to the Trash once your bookmarks are exported.
  3. Empty the Trash when you are sure.

If you kept Tor Browser somewhere other than Applications, the Tor Project says TorBrowser-Data sits in the same folder as the app instead of in Application Support. Look for it there.

Where Tor Browser keeps its data

These are the paths in the Homebrew cask's zap list. Open each with Shift + Command + G in Finder; skip the ones that do not exist.

Location What it holds What to do
~/Library/Application Support/TorBrowser-Data Tor Browser's profile and Tor settings, including bookmarks Export bookmarks first; then remove it as the Tor Project describes
~/Library/Preferences/org.torproject.torbrowser.plist App preferences Safe to remove with the app
~/Library/Saved Application State/org.torproject.torbrowser.savedState Window state Safe to remove

The cask also lists ~/Library/Preferences/org.mozilla.tor browser.plist, a preferences file under another name, and Tor Browser's entry in macOS's recent-documents list.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands in Terminal after the app is in the Trash:

pgrep -ilf "Tor Browser.app"
ls -d "$HOME/Library/Application Support/TorBrowser-Data"
  • No output from pgrep means Tor Browser is not running. Its processes carry Firefox names, which is why this matches the app path; a listed process means it is still open.
  • ls printing the path means the data folder is still there, so bookmarks and settings remain on this Mac. "No such file or directory" means it is gone, or that you installed Tor Browser outside Applications and the folder sits next to the app.

If you installed it with Homebrew

Tor Browser is a browser, so Mole removes a Homebrew install with brew uninstall --cask tor-browser and never adds --zap, whatever you tick in its review list.

A zap you run yourself is different. brew uninstall --cask --zap tor-browser moves every path above to the Trash, TorBrowser-Data included. Export bookmarks first, or leave --zap out:

brew uninstall --cask tor-browser

Homebrew Tor Browser cask

What Mole lists

For Tor Browser downloaded from torproject.org:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/TorBrowser-Data is listed as sensitive browser data. It is never selected by default or by select-all. You can tick it on its own; Mole asks you to confirm and moves it to the Trash, where it stays recoverable until you empty the Trash.
  • The preferences and saved window state filed under org.torproject.torbrowser are selected by default.
  • A TorBrowser-Data folder kept next to an app outside Applications is not listed.

What this test covered

Tor Browser was downloaded from torproject.org, copied into Applications and uninstalled with Mole Preview 277 on September 19, 2026. TorBrowser-Data, about 34 MB, stayed on disk as sensitive browser data; that build did not offer it for deletion. While Tor Browser ran, Mole's Status tab showed its 13 processes as one row using about 718 MB. On September 26, 2026, Tor Browser 15.0.23 from torproject.org was installed again and removed with a development build of Mole with every row ticked: the app, its preferences and its temporary folder went to the Trash, and TorBrowser-Data, about 35 MB, stayed because select-all never takes browser data. Status showed 14 processes as one row using about 695 MB. Bookmark export, a Tor Browser kept outside Applications and the Homebrew cask were not tested.