How to fully uninstall OneDrive on Mac
Dragging OneDrive to Trash leaves behind Finder extensions, a background updater, sync databases, and shared Group Containers. Here's how to remove everything.
9+
Leftover locations
300 MB – 1 GB
Typical leftover size
Yes — file provider extension
Finder integration
What OneDrive leaves behind
OneDrive installs a Finder Sync extension, a background updater, and uses Group Containers shared with other Microsoft apps. Files persist across 9+ Library locations:
| Location | Contents |
|---|---|
| ~/Library/Application Support/OneDrive/ | Sync database, account data, and settings |
| ~/Library/Caches/com.microsoft.OneDrive/ | Thumbnail cache and sync metadata |
| ~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDrive.plist | App preferences and sync settings |
| ~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdater.plist | Auto-updater preferences |
| ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.microsoft.OneDrive.savedState/ | Window state |
| ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.microsoft.OneDriveStandaloneUpdater.plist | Background updater |
| ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.OneDriveStandaloneSuite/ | Shared container with Microsoft apps |
| ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.OneDrive.FinderSync/ | Finder extension data |
| ~/Library/Logs/OneDrive/ | Sync logs and crash reports |
Manual removal (step-by-step)
- 1. Quit OneDrive completelyClick the OneDrive icon in the menu bar, choose Settings, then click Quit OneDrive.
- 2. Unlink your accountBefore uninstalling, open OneDrive preferences and unlink your account to disconnect sync.
- 3. Delete the app bundleOpen /Applications in Finder, drag OneDrive.app to Trash.
- 4. Open Library in FinderPress ⌘ Shift G in Finder and type
~/Library. - 5. Delete these folders/filesNavigate to each location in the table above and delete the OneDrive files. Pay special attention to the Finder extension in
~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.OneDrive.FinderSync/and the Group Container. Use ⌘ Delete to move to Trash. - 6. Empty TrashOnce you're confident, empty the Trash to reclaim disk space.
Automated removal with Zapper
Instead of hunting through 9+ directories manually, Zapper finds everything in seconds:
- Before deleting OneDrive, drop
OneDrive.apponto Zapper's window. - Zapper scans all 11 Library directories and shows every leftover file with its path and size.
- Review the list, check the files you want to remove, and click Zap.
- Files move to Trash — including the Finder extension and Group Container. Restore with ⌘Z if needed.
OneDrive's Finder integration
OneDrive installs a FinderSync extension that adds overlay icons to files and folders — showing sync status with small blue checkmarks, spinning arrows, or cloud icons directly in Finder.
This extension lives in ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.OneDrive.FinderSync/. Even after deleting OneDrive.app, the Containers directory persists because macOS treats container data independently from the app bundle. The extension may also appear in System Settings under Extensions until its data is manually removed.
~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.OneDrive.FinderSync/
Delete this directory to fully remove the Finder extension data. Zapper detects and removes it automatically during the scan.