Tor is a browser that allows you to protect your identity, and maintain your anonymity when surfing the web. Considering the fact that it disguises your communications and other activity, thus preserving your privacy, it’s become one of the most popular internet browsers around the world.
However, many users have complained that Tor is too slow, and prefer some other ways of preserving their anonymity online. If this is the case with you as well, or you simply decided that Tor wasn’t the right option for you, here are some ways you could delete this browser from your Mac computer:
Method 1: Manually uninstalling the Tor browser
The first and most commonly used method for removing any unwanted applications from your Mac device is to delete them manually. Here’s how:
- Firstly, make sure to quit Tor before deletion. You could do so by pressing Utilities>Activity Monitor>Tor Browser Helper>Quit Process.
- Now, locate the Tor browser icon in the Launchpad or the Applications folder, and drag it into the Trash.
- Right-click on the trashcan icon, and then select the Empty Trash option to delete Tor. You might also need to type in your password here.
- Next, click on Command + Shift + G keys on your keyboard to load the ‘Go to Folder’ window. Here, type in ~/library/ and then press Go.
- In the following window, click on the Search feature and then type in tor to locate all folders related to this application.
- Then, delete all relevant folders one by one, by right-clicking on them, and pressing the Move to Trash option.
- Once all Tor-related folders have been removed, ensure to delete them permanently by right-clicking on the trashcan icon and then selecting the Empty Trash option.
Note: Keep in mind that unless you manually delete all of the folders on your Mac that are related to Tor, you won’t actually be able to remove the application in its entirety from your device.
Method 2: Uninstalling Tor using a third-party application
If the first, manual method is too extensive and tedious for you, there are also a number of third-party applications available, which will do the job for you, such as App Cleaner & Uninstaller or Osx Uninstaller. Here’s how to use them:
- Firstly, download your chosen cleaner from the App Store or directly from their website, and install it on your Mac.
- The app will now usually scan all the other applications you have on your computer, and present you with a list.
- Here, you should click on the Tor browser, and then press Remove/Uninstall or something similar to remove both the Tor app and all its relevant folders from your Mac.
Note: Although the exact process might vary from one cleaner to another, all of them work in quite similar ways, and can delete Tor from your device with similar steps to the ones described above.
And there you have it! Whether you decide to remove Tor from your computer manually or with the help of a third-party cleaner, you can now do so in just a couple of quick and easy steps.
