How to uninstall Steam and its games on a Mac

Before removing Steam: protect saves and access

Confirm that you can sign in again, including the account name, password and any required Steam Guard access. Removing local software is different from deleting the account or permanently removing a game license from it.

Check each important game’s save behavior. Steam Cloud supports participating games, but support and the files stored vary by game. A cloud icon does not establish that every local save, mod, screenshot or configuration has a recoverable remote copy.

Let intended synchronization finish before quitting. If Steam reports a cloud conflict or failed sync, resolve that before deleting local data. Valve warns that lost cloud data may not be recoverable. Back up the save locations documented by each game’s developer, including local-only games.

Valve documents default Mac cloud files under ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata. Preserve that folder when making a local backup, as well as the installed games you want to keep. It is not a guarantee that all saves from every game are confined to userdata.

Uninstall unwanted games before the client

1. Open your Steam Library. Identify the game and confirm you no longer need its local installation.
2. Check its saves and extras. Back up important local saves, custom mods and other files before removing the game.
3. Use the game’s removal control. Right-click the game and choose Manage › Uninstall, then review the confirmation.
4. Repeat only for the intended games. Keep Steam open until the removal completes. Do not simultaneously move the library folder in Finder.
5. Inspect the result. An uninstalled game can remain in your account library, available to download again. That is different from a local copy remaining on disk.

Check Steam › Settings › Storage for additional libraries. Games may have been placed outside the default user folder. Removing the main Steam support folder does not establish that another library on another volume has also been removed.

If you want to keep a large installation, Valve documents moving games through Steam’s Storage controls. Use that route with a backup and an available destination, rather than dragging an active game directory while Steam is updating it.

Remove the Steam app

After game decisions and backups, choose Steam › Quit Steam. Closing the window is not always the same as quitting. Wait for ongoing downloads and disk activity to finish, then open Finder’s Applications folder and move Steam to the Trash.

If macOS says it is in use, stop and check the running app rather than forcing deletion. The app-won’t-delete guide covers that situation. We did not uninstall Steam or change a game library while preparing this page.

Moving the app removes the client bundle. It does not remove the default support directory, other libraries or game-specific files in unrelated locations. That is why deleting only Steam.app can reclaim much less space than expected.

Keep or remove the default Steam data

In Finder choose Go › Go to Folder and enter:

~/Library/Application Support/Steam

Valve’s Mac removal article distinguishes keeping the SteamApps game-download folder from removing the whole Steam directory. We add the separate Steam Cloud warning because userdata and game-specific saves also matter; do not treat keeping game downloads as a complete save backup.

Do not delete the entire Application Support parent folder. If the Steam folder is absent, skip that location rather than removing an unrelated folder with a similar name. See how to open your Library if Finder navigation is unfamiliar.

Review before emptying the Trash

Valve’s final removal step empties the Trash. That permanently removes its contents through the normal Finder workflow, including unrelated items already there. Review the contents and verify your backups before deciding to do that.

Files moved to the Trash still occupy storage until removed from it. Avoid promising a particular number of gigabytes: game libraries differ, extra libraries may remain, and storage estimates can update later. Recheck the actual volume in Storage settings.

If you reinstall, sign in to the correct account before assuming games are missing. Restoring an old client folder is not the same as restoring a game’s latest save. Follow Valve’s library-recognition instructions and the game developer’s save procedure if necessary.

Where Tend fits

Tend’s free Space Map measures your home folder, including the user Steam directory, so you can see whether installations or support data account for the space. A separate library outside your home folder is outside that scan’s scope.

Moving eligible selected items to the macOS Trash requires Pro. Tend cannot certify that a save reached Steam Cloud, cancel a game’s subscription or decide which mods you need. Use Steam’s game controls first, then review leftover data deliberately.

Questions

Related guides

Sources

• Valve, Removing and reinstalling Steam on a Mac.
• Valve, Steam Cloud and local files and game library storage and moving games.
• Valve, documented Library › Manage › Uninstall control (game-specific support example; no Windows file-deletion steps used).

Sources checked 23 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.