Uninstall Android Studio on Mac
Treat Android Studio, the SDK, and virtual devices separately. Replacing your editor does not require removing the whole Android development environment. Before anything else, back up your projects, your release signing keystores wherever you saved them, and ~/.android/debug.keystore, the debug signing key Android Studio created for you. These steps cover the download from developer.android.com and the Homebrew cask; a Toolbox-installed copy is managed through Toolbox.
Locate data before uninstalling
Open Tools › SDK Manager and note the Android SDK Location; by default it is ~/Library/Android/sdk. Keep that SDK if another IDE or a command-line build still uses it. To reclaim some space, deselect unused versions in SDK Manager and apply the changes instead of deleting the entire SDK. Official SDK management instructions
Stop running emulators in Device Manager. Each virtual device keeps its data in ~/.android/avd/<name>.avd (emulator data directory). Delete a virtual device only after deciding that you no longer need its test data. The debug keystore sits in ~/.android too (Sign your app); if it is missing, Android Studio creates a new one the next time you run or debug a project.
Quit and remove the IDE
Finish builds and debugging sessions, quit Android Studio, and move it from Applications to the Trash.
Where Android Studio keeps its files
| Location | What it holds | Keep or remove |
|---|---|---|
~/Library/Android/sdk |
The default Android SDK | Keep if any other tool builds Android apps. |
~/.android/avd |
Virtual devices and their data | Remove only devices you no longer need. |
~/.android/debug.keystore |
Debug signing key | Back it up; keep it if you will build again. |
~/.android/cache, ~/.android/build-cache |
Caches | Safe to remove. |
~/Library/Application Support/Google/AndroidStudio<version> |
IDE settings for that version | Keep for a reinstall; otherwise remove. |
~/Library/Caches/Google/AndroidStudio<version>, ~/Library/Logs/Google/AndroidStudio<version> |
IDE caches and logs | Safe to remove. |
~/.gradle |
Gradle's downloads and build caches, shared by every Gradle project | Not part of the IDE; see Clear Developer Caches Without Breaking Builds. |
<version> is the release, such as AndroidStudio2026.1. Remove only the folders for Android Studio, never the shared Google parent folder, and keep your projects (by default in ~/AndroidStudioProjects).
Check the result
pgrep -il 'studio|qemu-system|emulator'
ls -d ~/Library/Android/sdk ~/.android/avd ~/.android/debug.keystore
ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google | grep -i androidstudio
No output from pgrep means Android Studio and its emulators have quit; a qemu-system or emulator entry means an emulator is still running. For ls -d, a listed path is still on disk, which is right for anything you chose to keep, and No such file or directory means it is gone. Lines from the last command are IDE settings folders that remain.
If you installed it with Homebrew
Mole skips --zap when its list reaches unchecked or shared data, or cannot be fully checked, and still cleans the leftovers you selected.
Running brew uninstall --cask --zap android-studio yourself runs the zap list regardless of which rows you check in Mole. It deletes the whole ~/.android directory, including every virtual device and the debug keystore, and ~/Library/Android/sdk, along with the IDE settings, caches, logs, and preferences for the current version. In the recorded test this is what happened to ~/.android. Back up the keystore and anything else you need first, or run brew uninstall --cask android-studio without zap to keep them.
What Mole lists
The unselected data rows below assume Remove data and settings with apps is off, the default. Turning it on can select eligible app-owned review rows; keep wanted data unchecked. Shared stores and protected data retain individual review or protection.
| Location | In the plan |
|---|---|
~/.android/cache, ~/.android/build-cache |
Selected by default. |
~/Library/Application Support/Google/AndroidStudio<version> |
Listed but not selected. |
Library items named com.google.android.studio (preferences, saved state) |
Selected by default. |
Mole does not list the SDK, virtual devices, the debug keystore, the rest of ~/.android, ~/.gradle, or the shared Google folder. Mole can help locate related local files, but it cannot determine which SDK versions your projects still require.
What this test covered
Android Studio was installed from the Homebrew cask on September 19, 2026 and uninstalled through Mole; the build used then ran the zap list. The zap step deleted the whole ~/.android directory. The ~/Library/Application Support/Google/AndroidStudio2026.1.4 folder stayed, because that listed-but-unselected row was left unchecked. SDK downloads, virtual devices with real data, release signing, and a Toolbox installation were not tested.