How to uninstall ToDesk on Mac

ToDesk is more than an app in Applications. Its official installer adds background services under /Library, a privileged helper, an audio output driver and a device registration file, so dragging ToDesk.app to the Trash leaves most of it running or on disk. Before you start, copy any session recordings you want to keep out of ~/Library/ToDesk, and note your device code if you plan to reinstall. This guide covers the official download from todesk.com. ToDesk has no Homebrew cask, so there is no Homebrew route to describe.

Quit ToDesk first

Click the ToDesk icon in the menu bar and choose to quit ToDesk. In the recorded test ToDesk ran as five processes started by launchd, and one of its services is set to keep the app alive, so the app can reopen after you quit it until its launch items are gone. Check Activity Monitor for ToDesk processes before you move anything. If ToDesk keeps coming back, stop its loaded launch jobs before moving service files. Deleting a plist alone does not unload a running job; restarting only after deleting files is not a substitute for stopping it first.

Removing ToDesk does not cancel a paid ToDesk plan or delete your ToDesk account.

Stop the registered launch jobs

For the recorded service labels, use the following only when removing ToDesk from this Mac. The system-domain commands request administrator authorization; the last two address the current user’s session. If a job is absent, leave that one alone. If stopping a present job fails with a permission or other error, resolve it before deleting its files. These commands do not cover another signed-in user’s session.

sudo launchctl bootout system/com.youqu.todesk.service
sudo launchctl bootout system/com.youqu.todesk.UninstallerHelper
sudo launchctl bootout system/com.youqu.todesk.UninstallerWatcher
launchctl bootout "gui/$(id -u)/com.youqu.todesk.startup"
launchctl bootout "gui/$(id -u)/com.youqu.todesk.session"

Check Activity Monitor again and confirm ToDesk has stopped before removing the items below.

What the official installer puts on your Mac

The system items need an administrator password to move. In Finder, press Shift + Command + G, paste the folder path, and move only the ToDesk item named below to the Trash. Never remove the parent folders.

These paths are local observations from Mole's tests of ToDesk 4.10 and 5.1, not a list published by ToDesk. The same bundle identifier, com.youqu.todesk.mac, names its preferences and caches under ~/Library.

Because the uninstall helper and watcher are not documented publicly, do not assume that moving the app to the Trash makes ToDesk clean up after itself. Check the result instead.

After removal, ToDesk may still be listed under System Settings › Privacy & Security for Screen Recording, Accessibility or similar permissions. Remove those entries there with the minus button if you like; they grant nothing once the app is gone.

Check the result

Run these read-only commands in Terminal. They search for com.youqu rather than the word "todesk", because Cursor and other apps built with ToDesktop carry com.todesktop identifiers that have nothing to do with ToDesk.

pgrep -il todesk
ls /Library/LaunchAgents /Library/LaunchDaemons | grep -i com.youqu
ls -d /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/ToDeskOutputDriver.driver
ls -d /private/etc/todesk
ls -d ~/Library/ToDesk
pkgutil --pkgs | grep -i com.youqu

• No output from pgrep means ToDesk is not running. A listed process means something matching ToDesk is still running; identify it and stop the relevant loaded job before deleting service files.
• No output from the ls /Library/... line means all five launch items are gone. Any com.youqu.todesk name means that file is still installed.
• For the three ls -d lines, "No such file or directory" means the item is gone. A printed path means it is still there, which for ~/Library/ToDesk is expected if you kept your recordings.
• pkgutil lists installer receipts. A receipt is only a record of the installation; it does not run anything. A reinstall writes new ones.

For other apps that leave services running after the app is gone, see App Still Running After Uninstall on Mac? Find Login Items and Launch Tasks.

What Mole lists

When you remove it with Mole:

• The five launch items, the uninstall helper, /Library/Application Support/ToDesk and the audio driver are listed but not selected. Ticking them asks for an administrator password, and Mole removes the launch items before the files that depend on them. /private/etc/todesk is listed the same way, and only while it holds nothing but reg.conf.
• ~/Library/ToDesk (recordings) and ~/Library/Application Support/ToDesk start unchecked with Remove data and settings with apps off; turning it on can preselect eligible ToDesk-owned data. Back up recordings and review both rows.
• Preferences and caches named after com.youqu.todesk.mac are selected by default.
• Mole matches ToDesk by its exact bundle identifier and file list, never by the word "todesk", so Cursor's com.todesktop data is never offered here.
• Privacy permissions in System Settings are not changed by Mole.

What this test covered

ToDesk was tested twice with Mole Preview builds. On September 19, 2026, ToDesk 5.1.0.0 was taken out of the official .pkg without running the installer, so no system components were present; the uninstall removed the app and found an empty recordings folder in ~/Library/ToDesk. On September 24, 2026, the official installer was run and the result removed with Preview 287: the five launch items, the uninstall helper, /Library/Application Support/ToDesk, the user log files and ~/Library/ToDesk went to the Trash. The audio driver was skipped as needing administrator access, and /private/etc/todesk was not on Mole's list in that run; both were moved to the Trash by hand, and neither has been re-tested on a live install. Signing in, remote sessions and real recordings were not part of either test.