Uninstall VirtualBox on Mac

Shut down every VirtualBox virtual machine and back up its VM files before uninstalling VirtualBox. Removing a VM is separate from removing the app. The September 19, 2026 record covers the app copied from the official package.

Quit and remove the app

For a full Oracle installer, first shut down every VM, quit VirtualBox and keep independent copies of the wanted VM folders and ~/Library/VirtualBox registration data. Open the official VirtualBox .dmg in Finder and double-click VirtualBox_Uninstall.tool, the uninstall icon on that mounted image. Complete its removal prompts and administrator authentication. Oracle documents this macOS removal route in its 7.2 user guide. The recorded test only copied VirtualBox.app out of a package; moving that app-only copy to the Trash did not exercise installer components or a reboot.

Review the app’s data

After verifying your backups, open ~/Library/VirtualBox in Finder with Shift + Command + G and move this registration-data folder to the Trash only if no longer needed. In ~/Library/Preferences and ~/Library/Saved Application State, remove only unwanted items whose names begin org.virtualbox.app.VirtualBox, leaving their parent folders intact. ~/VirtualBox VMs holds VM files, so keep wanted machines and decide on each unwanted VM separately. The cask attempts to remove that folder only when empty. Its zap list also names /Library/Application Support/VirtualBox; use the official uninstaller for system components before considering that system folder.

If you installed it with Homebrew

The Homebrew cask has its own --zap list. brew uninstall --cask virtualbox runs VirtualBox_Uninstall.tool --unattended with administrator privileges, handles its org.virtualbox.pkg.* package files and receipts, and deletes /usr/local/bin/vboximg-mount, without running zap; brew uninstall --cask --zap virtualbox also acts on its listed data without consulting Mole’s checkboxes. Zap names both system support and user VM registration; it is not a substitute for the vendor installer’s removal flow. Mole skips --zap when its list reaches unchecked or shared data, or a removal scope it cannot verify; selected remnants still follow Mole’s own removal flow.

brew uninstall --cask virtualbox

Check the result

These commands inspect the running process and one relevant location. They do not remove anything:

pgrep -il "VirtualBox"
ls -ld "$HOME/Library/VirtualBox"

No pgrep match means no process with that name is running; a match needs identification before quitting anything. A listed path still exists, while an ls “No such file” error means only that exact path is absent. A permission error is inconclusive.

What Mole lists

With Remove data and settings with apps off, Mole lists ~/Library/VirtualBox for review and leaves it unchecked. With it on, this eligible registration-data row can be preselected; back it up and uncheck it if you plan to reuse your VM registrations. It does not select VM images by default or equate an app-only test with removal of system components.

What this test covered

The test used the app copied from the official package. On September 19, 2026, version 7.2.18 was tested by copying only its .app; the installer was not run and the Mac was not restarted. Review coverage for ~/Library/VirtualBox was added, but driver and receipt removal remain unverified.