How to uninstall iMovie on Mac

iMovie keeps your projects and media in a library, the file named iMovie Library in your Movies folder unless you moved it elsewhere (Apple: Move your iMovie for Mac library). Removing the app does not touch that library, and it is where nearly all of iMovie's disk space goes. Before you remove the app, back up the library if it holds work you care about. If you only want a fresh start, Apple's If iMovie for Mac isn't working page describes resetting iMovie to its default settings, which does not affect libraries. These steps cover the Mac App Store version, which is free, so you can download it again from your purchases.

Quit iMovie and remove the app

  1. Quit iMovie, then search Activity Monitor for iMovie and check that it has exited.
  2. Move iMovie from the Applications folder to the Trash.
  3. Keep your library and anything else in your Movies folder unless you mean to delete it.

Where iMovie 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.apple.iMovieApp The app's sandboxed data and settings, 11.3 MB on the test Mac after one launch Remove it with the app
~/Library/Application Scripts/com.apple.iMovieApp Scripts folder for the app Remove it with the app
~/Library/Application Support/iMovie A small support folder, 4 KB on the test Mac Review, then remove it with the app
com.apple.iMovieApp inside the per-user cache directory located below Temporary cache Remove only this child folder once the app is gone
~/Movies/iMovie Library Your projects, events and media Keep it unless you delete it on purpose
~/Movies/iMovie Theater.theater iMovie Theater; the first launch created it empty on the test Mac Keep it if you shared movies to Theater

To locate the temporary cache, run the read-only command getconf DARWIN_USER_CACHE_DIR in Terminal. Open the returned path with Shift + Command + G in Finder, then move only its com.apple.iMovieApp child folder to the Trash if it exists. Keep the parent cache directory and other apps' folders. If the command fails, leave that location alone.

If your library is not in the Movies folder, Apple suggests finding it with Spotlight. Apple also says not to keep a library on a Time Machine backup disk.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands in Terminal:

pgrep -il iMovie
mdfind "kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier == 'com.apple.iMovieApp'"
ls -d "$HOME/Library/Containers/com.apple.iMovieApp" "$HOME/Library/Application Support/iMovie"
mdfind -name "iMovie Library"
  • No output from pgrep means iMovie is not running.
  • With no command error, no output from the first mdfind means no matching entry in Spotlight’s metadata store, not that no app copy exists on unindexed disks; check each returned path in Finder because an index entry alone does not prove the file still exists.
  • ls -d printing a path means that folder is still there. "No such file or directory" means it is gone.
  • The last mdfind lists every iMovie library Spotlight knows about. Those are your data; seeing them after the uninstall is expected. No output means Spotlight finds none, which does not prove none exist on a disk it does not index.

What Mole lists

  • ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iMovieApp, ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.apple.iMovieApp and the app's temporary cache folder are selected by default.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/iMovie is listed for review. With Remove data and settings with apps off it starts unchecked; with it on, eligible app data can start checked. Uncheck it if you want those local settings to stay. This does not change the exclusions for project libraries and your Movies folder.
  • Nothing in your Movies folder is listed, including ~/Movies/iMovie Library and ~/Movies/iMovie Theater.theater. Mole's uninstall never reaches into Movies, Music, Pictures, Documents, Desktop or Downloads.

What this test covered

iMovie 10.4.4 from the Mac App Store was tested twice with a development build of Mole. On September 22, 2026, the app, its container, its Application Scripts folder and ~/Library/Application Support/iMovie, ticked by hand, went to the Trash. ~/Movies/iMovie Theater.theater, which the first launch had created, was not listed. On September 26, 2026, iMovie was installed and removed again with every listed row ticked. Mole's Status page showed iMovie as one row with 13 processes using 335 MB. Five items went to the Trash, including the 3.91 GB app and the 11.3 MB container. Afterwards only macOS's recent-documents entry for iMovie stayed on disk. No login item or launch agent appeared. No project was created and no media was imported, so the test does not show a library with content, and iCloud was not tested.