How to uninstall Rancher Desktop on Mac

Rancher Desktop runs a container and Kubernetes engine inside a virtual machine, so clear that engine before you touch the app. Its Factory Reset removes most data and the VM, so save any images or volumes you still need first; snapshots are kept even after a reset. These steps cover the official DMG download and the Homebrew cask rancher; Rancher Desktop's docs recommend the DMG and say the Homebrew package is not maintained by their team.

Reset first, then quit and remove the app

Open Rancher Desktop and run Factory Reset from its Troubleshooting page, or run rdctl reset --factory, to remove its VM and most of its data (Rancher Desktop installation and uninstall docs). Quit Rancher Desktop from its menu, check Activity Monitor for Rancher Desktop, then move it from Applications to the Trash.

Where Rancher Desktop keeps its data

After backing up wanted images, volumes and snapshots, completing Factory Reset and quitting, use Shift + Command + G in Finder to open each existing exact path below. Move only Rancher Desktop’s own items you no longer need to the Trash. For wildcard names, open the stated parent folder and select the matching items instead of pasting * into Go to Folder. Preserve organisation-managed deployment profiles. Rancher Desktop’s docs identify remaining folders after app removal.

Location What it holds What to do
~/.rd Command-line tools Rancher Desktop installs Review the row; the data setting can preselect eligible app-owned data
~/Library/Preferences/rancher-desktop Preferences folder Review the row; the data setting can preselect eligible app-owned data
~/Library/Application Support/Rancher Desktop App data under the display name Review the row; the data setting can preselect eligible app-owned data
~/Library/Application Support/rancher-desktop App data, including snapshots under its snapshots folder Review the row; the data setting can preselect eligible app-owned data; snapshots survive a factory reset, so check them before removing
~/Library/Caches/rancher-desktop, ~/Library/Logs/rancher-desktop Cache and logs Selected by default
~/Library/Caches/io.rancherdesktop.app* App cache under the bundle id Selected by default
~/Library/Preferences/io.rancherdesktop.app.plist, ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/io.rancherdesktop.app* App and per-host preferences Selected by default
~/Library/Saved Application State/io.rancherdesktop.app.savedState Window state Selected by default
~/Library/Preferences/io.rancherdesktop.profile.{defaults,locked}.plist A deployment profile, if your Mac has one Deployment profiles deliberately survive the vendor uninstall; keep organisation-managed files and review them separately
~/.kuberlr Data named in the Homebrew zap list Not part of Mole's list

Check the result

pgrep -il "rancher desktop"
ls -d ~/.rd
ls -d ~/Library/Application\ Support/Rancher\ Desktop ~/Library/Application\ Support/rancher-desktop
  • No output from pgrep means Rancher Desktop has quit.
  • The second line prints ~/.rd if you kept the command-line tools; "No such file or directory" means it is gone.
  • The third line checks both Application Support folders; a printed path means that folder is still there.

If you installed it with Homebrew

Mole skips --zap when its list reaches unchecked or shared data, or cannot fully be checked, and still cleans the leftovers you selected.

The rancher cask's zap list moves ~/.rd and ~/.kuberlr to the Trash, and both sit outside ~/Library, so Mole always leaves --zap out for a Homebrew-installed Rancher Desktop and removes only the rows you selected.

Separate from zap, the cask's uninstall step quits Rancher Desktop and deletes /opt/rancher-desktop, a sudoers file for its Lima VM, and its Docker socket files under /private/var/run, whether or not you add --zap; macOS may ask for your password for that part.

brew uninstall --cask rancher

Adding --zap yourself also moves every path in the cask's zap list to the Trash, including ~/.rd, ~/.kuberlr, both Application Support folders with any snapshots, and ~/Library/Preferences/rancher-desktop, whatever you selected in Mole.

What Mole lists

  • ~/.rd and ~/Library/Preferences/rancher-desktop are exact Rancher Desktop rows. They start unchecked with Remove data and settings with apps off; turning it on can preselect eligible app-owned data, so review them before removal.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/Rancher Desktop and ~/Library/Application Support/rancher-desktop are review rows whose eligible app-owned data can be preselected by the app-data setting; the snapshots live in the second one, so check their backups before removal.
  • ~/Library/Caches/rancher-desktop, ~/Library/Logs/rancher-desktop, the io.rancherdesktop.app caches, preference files and saved window state are selected by default.
  • Review deployment profiles in ~/Library/Preferences separately, keeping organisation-managed files. Do not rely on a fixed Mole selection state for these profiles; check the actual rows and uncheck any profile you must keep. ~/.kuberlr is not part of Mole’s list.

What this test covered

Rancher Desktop was installed on September 19, 2026 by copying the app from its official DMG, without ever starting its VM or container engine, and uninstalled the same day with Mole Preview build 277. Its six processes, the app plus its helper and renderer with no qemu or Lima backend, folded into one Status row, and no login item was recorded. The exact ~/.rd and Preferences/rancher-desktop rows came from this test. A factory reset, a running Lima VM and the Homebrew cask were not part of this test.