How to uninstall Kodi on Mac

Back up anything you want to keep from Kodi's media library, sources, and addon settings before removing it. The Library support folder and cask-only ~/.kodi start unchecked with the app-data option off; enabling it can preselect eligible own data, so review and uncheck anything you want to keep. This covers the official Kodi download from kodi.tv and the Homebrew cask kodi, which install the same signed app.

Quit Kodi and remove the app

  1. Quit Kodi from its application menu or Cmd+Q. No menu bar helper or login item was found registered for Kodi in testing, so there is nothing else to stop first.
  2. Find Kodi in Finder's Applications folder and move it to Trash. If macOS says it is in use, quit any remaining Kodi process before deleting its data.

Where the data lives

Location What it holds What to do
~/Library/Application Support/Kodi Your library database, addon settings, and skins Unticked with “Remove data and settings with apps” off; eligible app data can be selected with it on. Review its contents and back up anything you want before removing it.
~/.kodi A Kodi folder in your home folder; it was empty in this test Mole can also list ~/.kodi from Homebrew’s zap list. This folder starts unchecked with Remove data and settings with apps off; enabling it can preselect eligible own data. Back up and uncheck wanted data before removal.
~/Library/Preferences/org.xbmc.kodi.plist App preferences Selected by default.
~/Library/Logs/kodi.log Kodi's log file Selected by default.
Kodi's per-session temporary cache A cache macOS creates automatically each run, in the per-user cache directory printed by getconf DARWIN_USER_CACHE_DIR, in its org.xbmc.kodi subfolder Selected by default. Safe to remove; macOS recreates it as needed.

After backing up wanted settings, open Finder and press Shift + Command + G. Paste each full path separately and move unwanted Kodi-owned items to the Trash.

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.

The kodi cask's zap list includes ~/.kodi, ~/Library/Application Support/Kodi, ~/Library/Logs/kodi.log, ~/Library/Logs/kodi.old.log, ~/Library/Preferences/org.xbmc.kodi.plist, and ~/Library/Saved Application State/org.xbmc.kodi.savedState. With Remove data and settings with apps off, the Application Support folder starts unchecked; enabling it can preselect eligible own data there. The cask-only ~/.kodi also starts unchecked with the option off; enabling it can preselect eligible own data there. Because the zap list reaches outside ~/Library, Mole leaves --zap out and removes only your selected rows.

To keep your media library and addon settings, back them up first, or remove only the app:

brew uninstall --cask kodi

Running brew uninstall --cask --zap kodi yourself moves every path above to the Trash, whatever you ticked in Mole.

Check the result

pgrep -il kodi
ls -d ~/.kodi
ls -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/Kodi
ls -d ~/Library/Preferences/org.xbmc.kodi.plist
  • No output from pgrep means no Kodi process is running.
  • ls -d ~/.kodi printing the path means this folder is still there, expected if you left it unticked; "No such file or directory" means it is gone.
  • ls -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/Kodi printing the path proves only that the folder exists, not that its database or settings are intact. Open the folder and check the files against your backup if you kept it for reuse.
  • ls -d on the preferences file returning "No such file or directory" confirms it was removed; a permission error is a different result worth investigating on its own.

What Mole lists

For a Kodi app installed from the official download or the Homebrew cask:

  • ~/Library/Preferences/org.xbmc.kodi.plist, ~/Library/Logs/kodi.log, and the per-session temporary cache are selected by default.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/Kodi is listed for review and stays unticked with “Remove data and settings with apps” off; eligible app data can be selected with it on.
  • Mole can also list ~/.kodi from Homebrew’s zap list. This folder starts unchecked with Remove data and settings with apps off; enabling it can preselect eligible own data. Back up and uncheck wanted data before removal.

What this test covered

On September 25, 2026, Kodi 21.3 was downloaded from kodi.tv's official mirror, the same address the Homebrew cask declares, copied into /Applications without running brew, opened once, and uninstalled with a development build of Mole on a Mac that had Homebrew's cask list cached. Mole listed five rows: the preferences file, kodi.log and the temporary cache as selected rows, and the 8 MB Application Support folder and an empty ~/.kodi as unselected rows. Every row was ticked for the test, all five went to the Trash with the app, and a check of everything Kodi wrote on its first run found nothing left. The test did not cover keeping the Application Support folder unmarked, which is its normal default state, nor addon installation, media playback, or remote-control pairing.