How to uninstall Audio Hijack on Mac
COPY wanted recordings to an independent location outside sync and removal folders and open a sample copy. Review sessions, schedules and custom presets in Audio Hijack before clearing support data. Recordings saved to a user-selected folder are not disposable app caches.
The recorded test used the official Mac package; the Homebrew route below is separate.
Remove the app
Finish or safely stop active recordings and save the sessions first. Quit Audio Hijack, COPY the entire existing ~/Library/Application Support/Audio Hijack 4 folder to an independent private backup outside sync and all removal folders, and verify the copy of sessions, schedules and presets. Reopen Audio Hijack if needed for the next step. If you installed the optional Audio Hijack Scheduler, open Audio Hijack Settings and use its Uninstall button first. The current vendor manual then says to quit Audio Hijack and move the app to Trash. Do not manually remove audio components used by SoundSource or another Rogue Amoeba app.
Review local data
The path below is documented in the current Homebrew cask. In Finder, use Go › Go to Folder to inspect it. Do not remove its parent directory or another product’s data.
| Location | Decision |
|---|---|
~/Library/Application Support/Audio Hijack 4 |
Support folder in the cask zap list; inspect sessions and presets before removal. |
After the vendor flow and all app copies have quit, verify the independent backup, then use Finder’s Go to Folder to open each existing own location below and move only unwanted items to the Trash; keep shared parents, other versions and shared audio components:
~/Library/Application Support/Audio Hijack 4~/Library/Caches/com.rogueamoeba.audiohijack~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.rogueamoeba.audiohijack~/Library/Preferences/com.rogueamoeba.audiohijack.plist~/Library/WebKit/com.rogueamoeba.audiohijack
The tested package uses bundle ID com.rogueamoeba.audiohijack. Review only files that actually appear on this Mac. A missing path needs no cleanup.
Vendor documentation · Additional vendor instructions
Check what remains
Run these read-only commands after quitting the app:
pgrep -il 'Audio Hijack'
ls -d "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Audio Hijack 4"
No process output means this process-name pattern did not match; also inspect Activity Monitor for confirmed app processes, and do not treat it as proof every helper is gone. A listed process needs its owner checked. If ls prints the path, that item remains and needs review. “No such file or directory” means this path is absent; a permission error means its state was not established.
If you installed it with Homebrew
The current audio-hijack cask has a zap list covering Audio Hijack 4 support data, cache, HTTP storage, preferences and WebKit data. A direct brew command with --zap applies the cask list without consulting Mole’s checkboxes. After backing up, use this command without --zap:
brew uninstall --cask audio-hijack
Mole checks each zap path against your selections, other installed apps, and protected locations. An unchecked, shared, or unverifiable path suppresses --zap; selected remnants can still use Mole’s own removal flow. This cask was not the recorded installation channel.
What Mole lists
Mole selects exact bundle-ID cache, HTTP storage and preference rows by default. With Remove data and settings with apps off, the listed display-name support review row starts unchecked; with it on, an eligible existing own unshared row may start checked. Back up and uncheck wanted data. Mole does not replace the vendor flow for optional Scheduler or shared audio components.
What this test covered
The official ZIP build 4.6.0 was installed and removed on September 20, 2026. The first run did not write an Audio Hijack 4 support folder. The test did not establish whether a shared audio backend was installed or safely removed.
On October 4, 2026, Audio Hijack 4.6.0 was removed again. The app, its exact cache, preferences, HTTP and WebKit data, and the 20 KB ~/Library/Application Support/Audio Hijack 4 folder went to the Trash. This confirms removal of the files present in that run; it does not verify restoration of recordings or presets, Scheduler removal, or shared audio-backend removal.