Photo & Design

How to Completely Uninstall Luminar Neo on Mac

To remove Luminar Neo, quit the app and drag it to the Trash. However, this action alone does not remove associated data folders or license information.

Last updated: November 1, 20262 min read

Remove Luminar Neo and everything it leaves behind

Luminar Neo data usually takes 1 GB – 20 GB on a Mac. The free scan shows the exact size on your Mac before you change anything.

Scan your Mac free

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

Application: Luminar Neo
Typical data size: 1 GB – 20 GB
Category: Photo & Design
File Location: ~/Library/Application Support/Skylum

Manual cleanup steps

Quit the app completely (⌘+Q in the menu bar).
Move Luminar Neo from the Applications folder to the Trash.
Remove the folders Luminar Neo left behind, listed in the table below.
Empty the Trash to free up the space.

Everything Luminar Neo keeps on your Mac

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

~/Library/Application Support/Skylum App data · Luminar Neo settings, catalog data and cache Back up first: your data

Locations are the standard macOS folders Luminar Neo uses; some appear only after you use the matching feature.

What Luminar Neo leaves behind

Specific to Luminar Neo

Dragging the app to the Trash preserves your settings, catalog data, and cache in the Library. These files occupy between 1 GB – 20 GB of space. Since the app stores edits in a catalog rather than within the photo files, removing these folders means losing those edits. Your original photos remain untouched in their original folders.

License: Licences are linked to a Skylum account.
Account and sync: Luminar Neo is activated with a Skylum account.

Preparing to uninstall Luminar Neo

Before removal, ensure you have secured all custom work. Because licenses are linked to a Skylum account, sign out within the app to deactivate the current session. To access the hidden system folders later, use Finder > Go > Go to Folder and enter ~/Library/Application Support/Skylum.

Export any edited photos you wish to keepBack up the catalog to avoid losing editsSign out of your Skylum account in the appQuit the app before removing any files

0 of 4 done

By hand or with OptiClear

	By hand	With OptiClear
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

Try it without risk

Download and scan for freeSee every Luminar Neo file and its size. No account needed.
Clean free for 7 daysStart the 7-day free trial of the yearly plan inside the app.
Keep it or cancelCancel in your App Store settings at least 24 hours before the trial ends and you won't be charged.

Download free and scan

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 Luminar Neo data: back them up before removing them.

Will my original photos be deleted?

No, your original photos stay in their folders regardless of whether you remove the app or its data.

What happens to my license after uninstalling?

Licences are linked to your Skylum account and are not deleted when the app is removed.