Mac guides

How to uninstall Google Chrome on Mac completely, updater included

By Qiffe · Tested on macOS 27.0.1,

Chrome keeps your whole profile, including bookmarks, history and extensions, in ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome. Deleting the app keeps all of it, and Google’s updater too: a folder and three launch agents that start it in the background.

The updater is shared by Google’s Mac apps. If you still use one, such as Google Drive, keep the updater and its launch agents.

You may also see Chrome for Testing or Chrome-headless in the same Google folder. Developer and automation tools download those for testing; they aren’t part of the Chrome you installed.

What Google Chrome leaves behind

Measured on macOS 27.0.1 with Google Chrome 154.0.8037.98 (downloaded from its website, bundle ID com.google.Chrome). Your Mac may have fewer items, or more, depending on how you used it.

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome

    Your Chrome profile: bookmarks, history, passwords saved in Chrome, extensions and settings. Export anything you need first.

  • ~/Library/Caches/Google/Chrome

    Chrome's cache. Safe to remove.

  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.google.Chrome.plist

    Chrome's Mac settings.

  • ~/Library/WebKit/com.google.Chrome

    WebKit data macOS keeps for the app.

  • ~/Library/Application Support/Google/GoogleUpdater

    Shared · Google's updater, which keeps Chrome and other Google apps up to date.

  • ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.google.GoogleUpdater.wake.plist

    Shared · Starts Google's updater regularly.

  • ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.google.keystone.agent.plist

    Shared · Starts Google's older updater (Keystone).

  • ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.google.keystone.xpcservice.plist

    Shared · A service of Google's older updater (Keystone).

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

Remove Google Chrome by hand

  1. Quit Google Chrome (Command-Q).
  2. In Finder, open Applications and drag Google Chrome 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. Restart your Mac so the removed launch agents stop running.
  5. 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 Google Chrome 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

How do I keep my bookmarks before uninstalling Chrome?

Sign in to Chrome and turn on sync, or export them from Chrome's Bookmark Manager, before you remove ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome.

Does Google's updater keep running after Chrome is deleted?

Its launch agents stay in ~/Library/LaunchAgents until you remove them. Keep them if you still use another Google app on this Mac, such as Google Drive.

What are Chrome for Testing and Chrome-headless in the Google folder?

Copies of Chrome that developer and automation tools download for testing. They aren't part of the Chrome you installed; remove them only if you no longer use those tools.