To uninstall Google Drive, quit the application and move it to the Trash. However, simply deleting the app icon does not remove its associated system folders or your personal cloud storage data.
Last updated: 4 min read
Remove Google Drive and everything it leaves behind
Google Drive data usually takes 1 GB – 50 GB on a Mac. The free scan shows the exact size on your Mac before you change anything.
Move Google Drive from the Applications folder to the Trash.
Remove the folders Google Drive left behind, listed in the table below.
Empty the Trash to free up the space.
Everything Google Drive keeps on your Mac
14 locations. Tick each one as you remove it; back up anything marked as your data first.
Locations checked on a Mac with Google Drive installed.
What Google Drive leaves behind
Specific to Google Drive
Dragging the app to the Trash leaves behind several directories containing settings, account databases, and extension data. It also retains a content cache of streamed files that typically ranges from 1 GB – 50 GB. Background components like the File Provider and Finder extensions remain, along with a shared Google updater used by other apps from the same company.
Background items
Google Drive installs File Provider and Finder extensions that macOS manages, plus the Google updater and its launch agent, which Chrome and other Google apps share.
Account and sync
Files are stored in your Google account; in streaming mode only files you opened or made available offline are on the Mac.
Preparing to remove Google Drive
Before deletion, ensure all pending uploads are complete to avoid losing new files. Because some files are only cached locally during streaming, identify and copy any data marked for offline use. You should disconnect your account within the app settings and exit the program fully before removing any files from the Library.
After the free trial, Pro costs $39.99 per year in your country's App Store; cancel any time.
Frequently asked questions
Not all of them. Folders marked “Back up first: your data” hold your own Google Drive data: back them up before removing them. Items marked “Only if no other app uses it” are also used by other apps from the same company; keep them while any of those apps is installed. Folders marked “Yes, rebuilt automatically” are rebuilt automatically; removing them only makes the next start slower. Folders marked “Yes, settings reset” hold settings, which return to their defaults. Items marked “Yes, once the app is gone” only matter while Google Drive is installed, so remove them after the app.
Will deleting the app remove my files in ~/Library/CloudStorage?
No, deleting the application does not remove your own documents or the mount point folders.
Can I delete the Google updater folders?
Keep these folders if you have other software from the same company installed, as they are shared.
