How to uninstall Perplexity on Mac

Dragging Perplexity to Trash isn’t how you actually uninstall an app the right way. This way, you only delete the app bundle. Perplexity builds up files while running, like settings, caches, and support files, and leaves them hidden in Library folders you won’t stumble across by browsing normally.

Below, you’ll find three ways to get rid of it completely:

• An automated option embodied in App Cleaner & Uninstaller;
• The manual path, which lies through searches of each directory in Finder;
• The command way for anyone who’d rather type in Terminal than click.

You’ll also find out how to remove the browser-based version, if that’s installed. The FAQ section includes, inter alia, steps to cancel the Perplexity subscription and delete an account.

Uninstalling Perplexity fully in one click sounds great, doesn’t it?

App Cleaner & Uninstaller makes it real. It locates every particle of Perplexity and clears all of it, without you searching for and typing a single path into Finder.

App Cleaner & Uninstaller

Download

Why dragging Perplexity to Trash isn’t the way out

By moving the Perplexity app to Trash, you remove exactly one thing: its executable file. Any other files created by an app stay exactly where they were: containers, application scripts, group folders, each tucked into its own corner of your Mac. Consequently, you are supposed to uninstall an AI tool like Perplexity by removing all of its components.

Whichever removal path you take, close Perplexity first: Command+Q works, or force it closed from Activity Monitor or Terminal. A file macOS still treats as ‘in use’ won’t delete.

What Perplexity leaves behind on your Mac

I confirmed the existence of every path below against Perplexity v26.31.1.
The Mac I tested on was: MacBook M3 Pro with Tahoe 26.2.

/Applications/Perplexity.app

~/Library/Application Scripts/group.ai.perplexity

~/Library/Application Scripts/7S8W4W365S.ai.perplexity.macv3.shared

~/Library/Application Scripts/ai.perplexity.macv3.PerplexityRichNotification

~/Library/Application Support/ai.perplexity.macv3

~/Library/Application Support/EventsTracker

~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/NativeMessagingHosts/com.perplexity.comet.json

~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3

~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd

~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3.binarycookies

.perplexityd.binarycookies

~/Library/WebKit/ai.perplexity.macv3

~/Library/Caches/ai.perplexity.macv3

.perplexityd

/private/var/folders/

~/Library/Containers/ai.perplexity.macv3.PerplexityRichNotification

~/Library/Group Containers/group.ai.perplexity

7S8W4W365S.ai.perplexity.macv3.shared

~/Library/Preferences/ai.perplexity.macv3.plist

.perplexityd.plist

Uninstall Perplexity in a few clicks with the uninstaller

Every path listed above adds up to real time spent clicking through Finder one folder at a time. App Cleaner & Uninstaller collapses that into one-click removal: app and leftovers together.

1. Install and launch App Cleaner & Uninstaller.
2. Locate Perplexity in the application list → select it → click Uninstall.
3. Look over the file list in the preview window → confirm with Remove.
   • If Perplexity is still open, the tool prompts you to close it before continuing; no need to switch apps and come back.
   
4. Right-click Trash → Empty Trash.

Delete Perplexity in Finder manually

Nothing here happens automatically. Each path from the list below needs your attention in Finder, one at a time, until the list is clear.

Step 1: Quit Perplexity and stop all of its processes.

1. Find Perplexity in the Dock → right-click it → Quit.
2. Open Activity Monitor → type Perplexity in the search box → select all Perplexity processes → click the (x) Stop button.

Step 2: Delete the Perplexity main executable file.

1. Open Finder → Applications.
2. Right-click Perplexity.app → Move to Trash.

Step 3: Delete the Perplexity files from the Application Support folder.

1. In Finder, open the Go to Folder dialog (Command+Shift+G).
2. In the placeholder, copy and paste each of the directories below, one at a time → right-click each folder found → Move to Trash:

   • ~/Library/Application Support/EventsTracker

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Application Support/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/NativeMessagingHosts/com.perplexity.comet.json

     Copy

Step 4: Delete the Perplexity leftovers.

1. Repeat the process for the following paths:

   • ~/Library/Application Scripts/group.ai.perplexity

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Application Scripts/7S8W4W365S.ai.perplexity.macv3.shared

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Application Scripts/ai.perplexity.macv3.PerplexityRichNotification

     Copy

   • ~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd

     Copy

   • ~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

   • ~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd.binarycookies

     Copy

   • ~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3.binarycookies

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Containers/ai.perplexity.macv3.PerplexityRichNotification

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Group Containers/7S8W4W365S.ai.perplexity.macv3.shared

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Group Containers/group.ai.perplexity

     Copy

   • ~/Library/WebKit/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Preferences/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd.plist

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Preferences/ai.perplexity.macv3.plist

     Copy

Step 5: Delete the Perplexity user and system caches.

1. Using the Go to Folder box, reach and delete the following user cache folders:

   • ~/Library/Caches/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Caches/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd

     Copy

2. Find the system-level caches, which are unique for each user: Go to

   /private/var/folders/

   Copy

   → enter

   ai.perplexity.macv3

   Copy

   in the search box → switch Finder’s search to Folders, if appropriate → trash whatever comes up and is related to Perplexity. On my Mac, these files looked like this:

   • /private/var/folders/21/69gs01gd2xng466w2zvdcwjw0000gn/T/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

   • /private/var/folders/21/69gs01gd2xng466w2zvdcwjw0000gn/C/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd

     Copy

   • /private/var/folders/21/69gs01gd2xng466w2zvdcwjw0000gn/C/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

Step 6: Empty Trash.

Remove Perplexity in Terminal with commands

In this method, there will be no way back. These commands delete permanently; nothing lands in Trash first. If you’re not certain a path exists, list it with ls first before you run removal commands.

1. Open Terminal.
2. Quit Perplexity with this command:
   pkill -f “Perplexity”

   Copy

3. Remove the Perplexity app bundle by running this command and confirming with admin password:
   sudo rm -rf /Applications/Perplexity.app

   Copy

   

4. Remove the Perplexity leftover files by entering the following commands, one by one:

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Scripts/group.ai.perplexity

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Scripts/7S8W4W365S.ai.perplexity.macv3.shared

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Scripts/ai.perplexity.macv3.PerplexityRichNotification

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/EventsTracker

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd

     Copy

   • rm -f ~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3.binarycookies

     Copy

   • rm -f ~/Library/HTTPStorages/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd.binarycookies

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/WebKit/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/ai.perplexity.macv3.PerplexityRichNotification

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.ai.perplexity

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Group\ Containers/7S8W4W365S.ai.perplexity.macv3.shared

     Copy

   • rm -f ~/Library/Preferences/ai.perplexity.macv3.plist

     Copy

   • rm -f ~/Library/Preferences/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd.plist

     Copy

   • rm -f ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/NativeMessagingHosts/com.perplexity.comet.json

     Copy

5. Clear user-level caches related to Perplexity:

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/ai.perplexity.macv3

     Copy

   • rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd

     Copy

   

6. Clear the system–level cache related to Perplexity:

   • rm -rf “$(getconf DARWIN_USER_CACHE_DIR)ai.perplexity.macv3”

     Copy

   • rm -rf “$(getconf DARWIN_USER_CACHE_DIR)ai.perplexity.macv3.perplexityd”

     Copy

   • rm -rf “$(getconf DARWIN_USER_TEMP_DIR)ai.perplexity.macv3”

     Copy

7. Check whether Perplexity left any files behind in the Library folder:

   find ~/Library -iname “*ai.perplexity.macv3*”

   Copy

   • If so, remove Perplexity remnants:

     find ~/Library -iname “*ai.perplexity.macv3*” -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null

     Copy

Final summary

• App Cleaner & Uninstaller is perfect for removing the app and every leftover in one click.
• Finder works fine by hand; just budget time for over a dozen separate paths.
• Terminal is good if you’re okay with removal commands and its lack of an undo button.
• Uninstalling doesn’t cancel billing, and canceling doesn’t delete your account. They’re three different actions, in that order if you want all three done.