Utilities

How to Completely Uninstall Karabiner-Elements on Mac

To remove Karabiner-Elements completely, use the internal uninstaller rather than dragging the app to the Trash. This ensures all system-level components are deactivated and deleted.

Last updated: October 31, 20263 min read

Remove Karabiner-Elements and everything it leaves behind

Karabiner-Elements data usually takes 50 MB – 500 MB on a Mac. The free scan shows the exact size on your Mac before you change anything.

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Free scan · No account · Nothing is deleted without your OK · Moves to the Trash first · macOS 14+

Application: Karabiner-Elements
Typical data size: 50 MB – 500 MB
Category: Utilities
File Location: ~/.config/karabiner

Karabiner-Elements has its own uninstaller

Quit the app completely (⌘+Q in the menu bar).
Karabiner-Elements has its own uninstaller in the Misc tab of its settings, which also removes the virtual keyboard driver and background services.
Remove the folders Karabiner-Elements left behind, listed in the table below.
Empty the Trash to free up the space.

Everything Karabiner-Elements keeps on your Mac

4 locations. Tick each one as you remove it; back up anything marked as your data first.

~/.config/karabiner App data · karabiner.json, automatic backups and complex modification rules Back up first: your data~/.local/share/karabiner Logs · user-level log files Yes, rebuilt automatically/Library/Application Support/org.pqrs Other · system components, virtual keyboard driver and uninstall scripts Yes, once the app is gone/Applications/Karabiner-EventViewer.app Other · companion key event viewer installed with it Yes, once the app is gone

Locations are the standard macOS folders Karabiner-Elements uses; some appear only after you use the matching feature.

Why dragging Karabiner-Elements to the Trash is insufficient

Specific to Karabiner-Elements

Moving the application icon to the Trash leaves behind the DriverKit virtual keyboard driver, background daemons, and the companion EventViewer app. These core system footprints, along with various support folders, account for a typical size of 50 MB – 500 MB. Because these elements run independently, they remain active on your Mac until removed by the dedicated uninstall script.

Background items: It installs a DriverKit virtual keyboard driver, background daemons and the Karabiner-EventViewer app, which stay if only the main app is deleted.
License: Karabiner-Elements is free and open source.

Preparing to remove Karabiner-Elements

Before starting, decide if you wish to preserve your custom keyboard configurations. Your remapping rules and automatic backups are stored as small text files in a configuration folder. Since using the built-in tool requires administrative privileges, expect a password prompt to authorize the removal of the system driver.

Copy karabiner.json from the config folder to save your remappingsOpen the Misc tab in settings and select the uninstall optionEnter your administrator password when promptedRestart your Mac to fully unload the driver extension

0 of 4 done

By hand or with OptiClear

	By hand	With OptiClear
Places to check	4 folders, one by one	One scan
File sizes	You look them up yourself	Shown for every item
Removing the wrong thing	Easy to delete the wrong folder	Goes to the Trash first, so it can be restored
Cost	Free	Scan is free; cleaning needs Pro (yearly plan has a 7-day free trial)

See it working

OptiClear — Scan overview — every category on one screen — Scan overview — every category on one screen

OptiClear — Privacy audit: what each app has been allowed to reach — Privacy audit: what each app has been allowed to reach

OptiClear — Large and aging files, ranked by what they cost you — Large and aging files, ranked by what they cost you

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Frequently asked questions

Not all of them. Folders marked “Back up first: your data” hold your own Karabiner-Elements data: back them up before removing them. Folders marked “Yes, rebuilt automatically” are rebuilt automatically; removing them only makes the next start slower. Items marked “Yes, once the app is gone” only matter while Karabiner-Elements is installed, so remove them after the app.

Will the built-in uninstaller remove my personal remapping rules?

No, the uninstaller focuses on system components; you must manually delete the .config/karabiner folder to remove your data.

What happens if I forget to restart after uninstalling?

The virtual keyboard driver extension may remain loaded in memory until the next reboot.