How to uninstall Waterfox on Mac
Keep a separate backup of your Waterfox profiles before removing the browser. The official profile guide explains that they hold bookmarks, passwords, settings and browsing data, and that Sync is not an independent backup. This guide covers the official Mac app and Homebrew cask waterfox.
Locate wanted profiles while the app is available
Open about:profiles in Waterfox if you need to identify a profile. Save the browser data you want, quit with Command + Q, then copy ~/Library/Application Support/Waterfox outside that directory before deleting it. Keep profile folders you still need for a reinstall.
Move Waterfox.app from Applications to Trash after quitting. A closed window does not establish that all browser processes have exited; check Activity Monitor if macOS says the app is in use.
Keep profiles separate from cache
The Homebrew cask names the following locations.
| Location | What to do |
|---|---|
| ~/Library/Application Support/Waterfox | Profile data. Keep it or back it up before removal. |
| ~/Library/Caches/Waterfox | Browser cache. Inspect after quitting; it is separate from the support folder. |
| ~/Library/Preferences/org.waterfoxproject.waterfox.plist | A preference location named by the cask. It may be absent in a differently identified version. |
The cask also lists an old org.mozilla.waterfox recent-documents entry within Apple's sharedfilelist store. Do not delete that shared parent or other browsers' entries. Removing Waterfox does not delete your Mozilla account or its synced copies.
Check the application and command
pgrep -il Waterfox
ls -d /Applications/Waterfox.app "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Waterfox" "$HOME/Library/Caches/Waterfox"
command -v waterfox
No process output means no matching process name is running; a match needs inspection. ls prints paths still present, a missing-path error means that entry is absent, and permission errors leave the result unknown. A retained profile is expected. command -v shows the command this shell resolves; no output does not establish that every command entry on disk is gone.
If you installed it with Homebrew
brew uninstall --cask waterfox
The ordinary cask uninstall asks Waterfox to quit and removes its managed waterfox command wrapper as well as the app, without zap. A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap waterfox also applies the profile, cache, preferences and recent-documents list above, regardless of Mole's checkboxes.
Mole uninstalls browsers without --zap and removes the leftovers you select.
What Mole lists
~/Library/Application Support/Waterfox is listed but not selected. Browser profiles stay outside the Remove data and settings with apps opt-in and bulk selection; personal or sensitive profiles need an individual choice, and shared or unverified ownership cannot be selected. Waterfox's own cache and preferences matching its installed bundle identifier are selected by default when present.
What this test covered
Waterfox 153.3.0 from the official package was copied to Applications and uninstalled on September 21, 2026, without signing in or a Homebrew receipt. The app, preferences, 29.6 MB browser cache and identified helper cache went to Trash. The 59.8 MB support folder was retained by the browser-data policy. The run did not verify signed-in Sync, profile restoration or Homebrew's command wrapper.