Uninstall Slack on Mac
Open your usual Slack workspace in a browser and check that recent messages were sent. Save attachments downloaded only to this Mac before removing the desktop app. Do not rely on signing in again to recover drafts or unsent content. These steps cover the direct download, the Mac App Store version and the Homebrew cask; they store local data in different places.
Quit the desktop app
Leave calls, choose Quit from Slack’s menu, and move it from Applications to the Trash. Closing a window may leave the app running. If macOS says it is in use, check Activity Monitor first.
Clear the cache instead, if that is the goal
If you only want to fix a loading or display problem, use Slack's own cache troubleshooting first rather than deleting the app and all its local data. Clear Cache and Restart reloads the local cache and does not delete messages held by your workspace; treating the whole support directory as cache can also reset local settings and sign you out. Slack desktop troubleshooting
Where Slack keeps local data
In Finder, press Shift + Command + G and open each location that exists. Keep the Downloads or Documents folders where you saved attachments; they are not Slack leftovers.
| Location | What it holds | What to do |
|---|---|---|
~/Library/Application Support/Slack |
Settings, sign-in state and cache of the direct download | Remove only if you no longer need local settings |
~/Library/Containers/com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap |
The same local data for the App Store version, which is sandboxed | Remove only if you no longer need local settings |
~/Library/Caches/com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap |
Cache | Safe to remove after quitting |
~/Library/Logs/Slack |
Logs | Remove when you no longer need them for troubleshooting |
~/Library/Preferences/com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap.plist |
App preferences | Remove for a clean reinstall |
These paths come from the Homebrew Slack cask's cleanup list, which names both the direct-download folder and the App Store container. Not every Mac has every entry.
Check the result
Run these read-only commands in Terminal:
pgrep -ilf "Slack.app"
ls -d "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Slack" "$HOME/Library/Containers/com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap"
No output from pgrep means Slack is no longer running; a line with a process ID means it is still open. For ls, "No such file or directory" means the folder is gone. A listed path still exists, which is fine if you chose to keep it.
Then confirm that you can still sign in on the web and view sent content. Uninstalling the app does not remove workspace membership or cancel a paid plan.
If workspace notifications continue
Check whether they come from a browser, phone, or another Slack client still running on the Mac. Your account and workspace membership persist after the desktop app quits and is removed, so the Slack name alone does not identify the source. Leaving a workspace or changing a paid plan is a separate action in the relevant workspace or account settings.
For how Slack, Discord and Teams use disk space, see Discord, Slack, and Teams on Mac: Cache vs History vs Downloads.
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.
Running brew uninstall --cask --zap slack yourself runs the cask's zap list on its own, whatever you selected in Mole. It includes ~/Library/Application Support/Slack and every ~/Library/Containers/com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap* container, so local settings and sign-in state go with the app. The list also reaches Slack crash reports in /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports, outside ~/Library, so Mole removes a Homebrew install of Slack without --zap. Save attachments first. Homebrew Slack cask
To remove only the app and keep that local data:
brew uninstall --cask slack
What Mole lists
The unselected data rows below assume Remove data and settings with apps is off, the default. Turning it on can select eligible app-owned review rows; keep wanted data unchecked. Shared stores and protected data retain individual review or protection.
~/Library/Application Support/Slack is listed but not selected; the cache folders inside it, such as Cache, Code Cache and GPUCache, are separate rows selected by default. ~/Library/Containers/com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap, the App Store version's local data, is selected by default because it carries Slack's bundle id; uncheck it if you want to keep local settings. Caches, ~/Library/Logs/Slack, preferences, HTTP storage and saved window state are selected by default.
What this test covered
The recorded uninstall used the Homebrew cask on September 17, 2026, so Homebrew's zap list removed the files. On September 26, 2026, Slack 4.52.162 from Slack's own download was installed, opened once without signing in and removed with a development build of Mole with every row ticked. Mole's Status page showed Slack as one row of seven processes. All 14 items, ~/Library/Application Support/Slack included, went to the Trash, and none of them was still on disk afterwards. Neither test covered the App Store version or recovering drafts.