How to Uninstall Acorn on Mac
Save editable Acorn 8 images as .acorn files before uninstalling. A flat PNG or JPEG can lose editable layers; copy the saved source to an independent location outside sync and removal folders and open the copy before quitting. The recorded test used a direct download, not a Homebrew installation.
Remove the app and inspect its data
Quit Acorn and move Acorn.app from Applications to Trash. Inspect the app-named support folder for presets; leave images in user-chosen folders where they are. The cask names Application Support/Acorn and the Acorn8 preference plist. The display name has no 8, while the bundle ID does; do not treat that difference as another app. Vendor guidance.
After quitting, copy wanted state to an independent private backup outside all removal folders and verify it. In Finder, press Shift + Command + G to open each location or its parent, then move only existing unwanted items confirmed to belong exclusively to this installation to the Trash. Keep shared parents and retained versions' data:
~/Library/Application Support/Acorn~/Library/Caches/com.flyingmeat.Acorn8~/Library/Preferences/com.flyingmeat.Acorn8.plist~/Library/Saved Application State/com.flyingmeat.Acorn8.savedState
Check the result
ls -ld ~/Library/'Application Support'/Acorn ~/Library/Preferences/com.flyingmeat.Acorn8.plist
Run this read-only check after quitting the app. A printed path still exists; “No such file or directory” means that path is absent, while a permission error needs its own investigation.
If you installed it with Homebrew
The Homebrew cask has a zap list that includes Application Support/Acorn, cache, preferences and saved state; not images saved outside Library. Run the command below without --zap if you want to keep those files and inspect them separately. A manual --zap follows the whole cask list regardless of Mole’s checkboxes. Mole skips --zap when its list reaches unchecked or shared data, or a removal scope it cannot verify; selected remnants still follow Mole's own removal flow.
brew uninstall --cask acorn
What Mole lists
With Remove data and settings with apps off, the display-name support review row starts unchecked; with it on, an eligible existing own unshared row may start checked. Back up wanted presets and uncheck that row to retain them. Exact Acorn8 cache and preferences are normally selected. Separately saved .acorn files are not cleanup targets.
What this test covered
The official Acorn 8.6.3 archive was removed on September 20, 2026. The selected display-name support folder was removed; no layered document or export recovery was tested.