Uninstall LM Studio on Mac

Before removing LM Studio, record each model's name and actual storage folder in the app. Unload loaded models and stop the local API server, copy models you want to keep to a backup location, then quit the app and move it to the Trash. Models live in ~/.lmstudio/models by default or in the folder you chose, and are usually far larger than the app. These steps cover the official download and the Homebrew cask lm-studio.

Quit and remove the app

  1. In LM Studio, record the model storage locations, unload loaded models and stop the local API server. Back up the models you want to keep before continuing.
  2. Quit LM Studio, then check Activity Monitor for LM Studio processes and quit any that remain.
  3. Move LM Studio from Applications to the Trash.

A large model directory is not automatically disposable. Delete models only if you no longer need them.

If you installed it with Homebrew

The lm-studio cask's zap list covers ~/Library/Application Support/LM Studio, caches, logs, preferences and saved window state. It does not list the default model directory ~/.lmstudio or ~/.lmstudio-home-pointer. This describes Homebrew's list, not every row Mole can remove: Mole also removes the data you select. Check the current list and compare it with your actual model storage folder, especially if you chose a custom location:

brew cat --cask lm-studio

A custom model folder inside any path in zap trash: is deleted with that path even if .lmstudio is absent. To remove the app without running that zap list:

brew uninstall --cask lm-studio

Where LM Studio keeps its data

Open these locations with Shift + Command + G in Finder.

Location What it holds What to do
~/.lmstudio Settings, downloaded hub content and, by default, models in models Moving this folder to the Trash removes the models inside it too; back up the ones you want first
~/.lmstudio-home-pointer A 21-byte file holding the path of the data folder Inspect its destination; keep it while you still use relocated data
~/Library/Application Support/LM Studio App support data Remove with the app once you are done with LM Studio
~/Library/Caches/ai.elementlabs.lmstudio App cache Safe to remove after quitting

If you moved model storage, check that custom folder separately; it needs its own decision.

The lms command-line tool

lms ships with LM Studio and can be added to your PATH (lms README). Removing the app does not remove a PATH entry you added. Check for it with the read-only commands below and, if a line mentioning LM Studio remains in a shell profile you no longer need, remove that line.

Check the result

pgrep -il "lm studio"
command -v lms
ls -d ~/.lmstudio ~/.lmstudio-home-pointer
grep -n -i lmstudio ~/.zshrc ~/.zprofile ~/.bash_profile
  • When pgrep completes without an error, no output means no process name matched lm studio; it does not establish that every independent server has stopped. For a match, confirm that the executable belongs to this LM Studio installation before stopping it.
  • command -v lms printing a path means your shell still finds the command. If LM Studio is gone and you no longer use lms, remove the PATH entry that points there. No output means this shell cannot find it.
  • ls -d printing a path proves only that this directory or pointer file exists, which is expected if you kept it. Inspect the contents and the actual model locations you recorded to confirm wanted models and settings; a missing-path error covers only that path, and a permission error leaves its state unknown.
  • A grep match shows a profile line that mentions LM Studio. “No such file or directory” only means that profile file does not exist.

If models still use disk space

Use the model names and locations recorded before uninstalling, then inspect whether ~/.lmstudio-home-pointer redirects the data elsewhere. The pointer file is small: deleting it does not free the model space and may keep a later installation from finding the models. Remove the actual model directory only after verifying a backup and deciding the models are no longer needed.

If the local API still responds after removing the desktop app, check for another LM Studio installation or independent service before touching the model directory. For other local model tools, see How to Delete Ollama and LM Studio Models on Mac.

What Mole lists

When you remove it with Mole:

  • ~/.lmstudio and ~/.lmstudio-home-pointer are reviewed data, unselected while Remove data and settings with apps is off, the default. Enabling it can preselect eligible app-owned rows; untick both to retain them. Selecting ~/.lmstudio removes the models inside it.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/LM Studio is listed and stays unselected while Remove data and settings with apps is off, the default. Turning that option on can preselect eligible app-owned data; untick this row if you want to keep it. Separately, the rebuildable caches inside it (Cache, Code Cache, GPUCache, Crashpad and the like) and the caches, preferences, logs and saved window state filed under ai.elementlabs.lmstudio are selected by default.
  • Mole’s Clean tab never treats ~/.lmstudio/models as a cache.

What this test covered

LM Studio was installed from the Homebrew cask lm-studio and uninstalled with Mole on September 19, 2026. ~/.lmstudio, 1.5 GB, stayed on disk: the cask’s zap list does not include it, and Mole had no rule for it at the time. On September 26, 2026, LM Studio 0.4.25 was installed again from the official package and removed with a development build of Mole with every listed row ticked: 16 items went to the Trash, including ~/.lmstudio at 2.04 GB and ~/.lmstudio-home-pointer, and none of them remained afterwards. No custom model folder or lms command was part of the test.