Mac guides

How to uninstall the ChatGPT app on Mac completely

By Qiffe · Tested on macOS 27.0.1,

On the Mac we measured, the ChatGPT desktop app identifies itself as com.openai.codex, so its caches, logs and settings carry that name rather than “ChatGPT”. Searching your Library for “ChatGPT” finds almost nothing, which is why it’s easy to miss what it leaves.

Some folders use only the name Codex or sit in OpenAI’s vendor folder. Other OpenAI tools, such as the Codex command-line tool, can use the same names, so they’re marked as shared: remove them only if you don’t use another OpenAI app on this Mac.

What ChatGPT leaves behind

Measured on macOS 27.0.1 with ChatGPT 26.930.31730 (downloaded from its website, bundle ID com.openai.codex). Your Mac may have fewer items, or more, depending on how you used it.

  • ~/Library/Application Support/com.openai.codex

    The app's own data.

  • ~/Library/Caches/com.openai.codex

    Cache. Safe to remove; the app rebuilds it.

  • ~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.openai.codex

    Web storage used by the app's network requests.

  • ~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.openai.codex.binarycookies

    Cookies of the app's network requests.

  • ~/Library/Logs/com.openai.codex

    Log files.

  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.openai.codex.plist

    Settings.

  • ~/Library/Group Containers/2DC432GLL2.com.openai.codex.notifications

    Data for the app's notifications (2DC432GLL2 is OpenAI's developer ID).

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Codex

    Shared · Browser-engine data under the name Codex, such as caches and cookies.

  • ~/Library/Caches/Codex

    Shared · Cache under the name Codex.

  • ~/Library/Application Support/OpenAI/Codex

    Shared · Data under OpenAI's vendor folder.

  • ~/Library/Group Containers/2DC432GLL2.com.openai.sky.CUAService

    Shared · Data of an OpenAI helper service; another OpenAI app may use it.

Items marked shared are used by other apps too. Keep them if you still use those apps.

Remove ChatGPT by hand

  1. Quit ChatGPT (Command-Q).
  2. In Finder, open Applications and drag ChatGPT to the Trash.
  3. For each location in the list above, choose Go > Go to Folder… in Finder (Shift-Command-G), paste the path, and drag the item to the Trash. Skip the ones marked shared if you still use those apps.
  4. When you're sure nothing is missing, empty the Trash.

macOS protects some of these folders, such as those in Containers and Group Containers. If you can't move one, an uninstaller with Full Disk Access, such as Doff, can.

Or let Doff do it

Doff finds these leftovers for you. Drag ChatGPT to the Trash as usual and Doff offers to take the rest too, showing every item and its size first. Only confident matches are preselected, and everything goes to the Trash, so you can put it back. Scanning is free; removing takes a one-time $12.99 license.

Questions

Why does the ChatGPT app use the name Codex?

On the Mac we measured, the ChatGPT app's bundle ID is com.openai.codex, so macOS and the app store its files under that name.

Will removing these files sign me out or delete my chats?

It signs the Mac app out and removes its local data. Your chats are stored in your OpenAI account, not only on the Mac.