How to uninstall Day One on Mac

Day One's own guide asks you to verify your journal is synced before uninstalling, at dayone.me if you use Day One Sync, and to export a JSON backup as a second copy. Include wanted media and verify the export before relying on it; JSON can be imported again later. Do this before you remove the app. Your entries live in a local database folder that Mole lists but keeps, which is still no reason to skip the backup. This guide covers the Mac App Store build.

Back up, then quit and remove the app

  1. In Day One, use File > Export to export all journals as JSON, or right-click one journal and choose Export > JSON. Include wanted media and verify the exported files outside all sync and removal folders, even if Day One Sync is on.
  2. Save your encryption key privately from Day One › Settings › Journals › Show Encryption Key.
  3. Quit Day One, including its menu bar Quick Entry helper if you turned it on.
  4. Copy the existing ~/Library/Group Containers/5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp2 folder to an independent location outside the removal folders and verify the backup.
  5. Remove Day One from Launchpad, or move Day One.app from Finder’s Applications folder to the Trash.

Where Day One keeps its data

In Finder, press Shift + Command + G and open each location that exists.

Location What it holds What to do
~/Library/Containers/com.bloombuilt.dayone-mac Day One's sandboxed container Selected by default, removed with the app
~/Library/Application Scripts/com.bloombuilt.dayone-mac Scripts folder tied to the container Selected by default, removed with the app
~/Library/Group Containers/5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp2 Your local journal database and media, named in Day One's own uninstall and reinstall guide Keep it until the independent backup is verified; remove only unwanted local data after that
~/Library/Group Containers/5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp and ~/Library/Group Containers/5U8NS4GX82.ob Two more App Group containers Day One declares Keep them unless their contents and exclusive ownership are confirmed; the journal backup above does not establish what these two contain
Share, Safari and widget extension containers (a few KB each) Small extension data Confirmed own embedded extension folders are selected by default; uncheck wanted data

Check the result

pgrep -il "day one"
ls -d ~/Library/Group\ Containers/5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp2 ~/Library/Group\ Containers/5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp ~/Library/Group\ Containers/5U8NS4GX82.ob

No output from pgrep means Day One is not running. For ls, a printed path is expected for all three Group Containers, since Mole keeps them; "No such file or directory" means that folder is gone, so if you did not delete it yourself, check your export before you rely on this Mac's copy.

Account and subscription

Removing the app does not cancel a Day One Premium subscription or delete your account. Manage those inside the app before removing it, or later from dayone.me.

What Mole lists

For a Day One app installed from the Mac App Store:

  • ~/Library/Containers/com.bloombuilt.dayone-mac and ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.bloombuilt.dayone-mac are named after the bundle id and selected by default.
  • The Share, Safari and widget extension containers and their scripts folders are selected by default, because those extensions ship inside Day One and their ids continue Day One's bundle id.
  • The three Group Containers (5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp2, 5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp and 5U8NS4GX82.ob) and their Application Scripts folders are listed but not selected. If you tick them, Mole still keeps them and the row reads "Kept: couldn't confirm no other app uses this group": Mole's App Group check does not accept a two-part name like 5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp2, so it never removes these folders, and your journal data stays put.

What this test covered

Day One was first tested on September 21, 2026 with a Preview build of Mole and Full Disk Access, without ticking the review rows: the app, its scripts folder and its temporary cache went to the Trash, the 360 KB container stayed because macOS refused to move it to the Trash, and the extension containers and the Group Containers were left unticked. Day One 2026.19 was reinstalled from the Mac App Store and uninstalled again on September 26, 2026, with a development build of Mole and every listed row ticked. The app, its container, Application Scripts, the three extension containers and the temporary cache went to the Trash. The three Group Containers, including about 4.5 MB in 5U8NS4GX82.dayoneapp2, and their scripts folders were ticked but kept by the App Group check. No new login item was found before or after either run, and the update channel was the Mac App Store. Uninstalling and Reinstalling Day One for macOS · Backup and Sync options on iOS and macOS