Complete LockDown Browser Removal on Mac (2026 Procedure)
Complete LockDown Browser removal on Mac requires deleting eight things: the .app bundle, Application Support, Caches, Group Containers, Preferences, Saved Application State, LaunchAgents (if present), and TCC permission entries. Below: both Terminal and Finder procedures.
Terminal procedure (recommended - 30 seconds)
Quit LockDown Browser first. Force-quit if needed (⌘+⌥+Esc).
# Move app to Trash
rm -rf "/Applications/LockDown Browser.app"
# Remove user-scope state
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/LockDown\ Browser/
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.respondus.lockdownbrowser/
rm -rf ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.respondus.lockdownbrowser/
rm -f ~/Library/Preferences/com.respondus.lockdownbrowser.plist
rm -rf ~/Library/Saved\ Application\ State/com.respondus.lockdownbrowser.savedState/
# Remove LaunchAgents if present (MDM-deployed only)
launchctl bootout gui/$(id -u) ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.respondus.lockdownbrowser.plist 2>/dev/null
rm -f ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.respondus.lockdownbrowser.plist
# System-wide artefacts (only if your Mac is managed by IT and they pushed LDB)
sudo rm -rf "/Library/Application Support/LockDown Browser/" 2>/dev/null
sudo rm -f /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.respondus.lockdownbrowser.plist 2>/dev/null
# Reset TCC permissions so a fresh install does not inherit stale denials
tccutil reset Camera com.respondus.lockdownbrowser
tccutil reset Microphone com.respondus.lockdownbrowser
tccutil reset ScreenCapture com.respondus.lockdownbrowser
tccutil reset Accessibility com.respondus.lockdownbrowser
tccutil reset SystemPolicyAllFiles com.respondus.lockdownbrowserGUI procedure (Finder, no Terminal)
- Quit LDB.
- Open Finder. Drag LockDown Browser from Applications to Trash.
- Finder menu: Go → Go to Folder… (or ⌘+⇧+G).
- Type
~/Library/Application Support/and Enter. Drag LockDown Browser folder to Trash. - Repeat for
~/Library/Caches/: drag com.respondus.lockdownbrowser to Trash. - Repeat for
~/Library/Group Containers/: drag group.com.respondus.lockdownbrowser. - Repeat for
~/Library/Preferences/: drag com.respondus.lockdownbrowser.plist. - Repeat for
~/Library/Saved Application State/: drag com.respondus.lockdownbrowser.savedState. - Empty Trash.
- Reset TCC: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera/Microphone/Screen Recording, click LockDown Browser if present, click (-) to remove.
Verifying the uninstall is complete
After running either procedure:
find / -iname "*lockdown*" -o -iname "*respondus*" 2>/dev/null | head -20Should return empty (or only your Trash if you haven't emptied it). If LDB-related paths still exist, target them individually with rm -rf.
Why all eight locations matter
| Location | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| /Applications/LockDown Browser.app | Main bundle. Drag-to-Trash gets this; rest is the gap. |
| ~/Library/Application Support/ | Cached Dashboard configs, exam state. Reused on next install if not cleared. |
| ~/Library/Caches/ | WebKit cache. Doesn't affect new install but takes disk. |
| ~/Library/Group Containers/ | Monitor recording buffer pre-upload. Largest item - multi-GB after a semester. |
| ~/Library/Preferences/ | App preferences. Tiny but reused. |
| ~/Library/Saved Application State/ | Window restoration state. |
| ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ | Auto-launch agent (MDM only). Persists across reboots. |
| TCC entries | If not reset, fresh install inherits old permission grants. Sometimes desired, sometimes not. |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need admin rights to uninstall?
Mostly no - the user-scope items don't need admin. Only the system-wide /Library paths (rare on personal Macs) need sudo. tccutil doesn't need admin either.
Will my saved exam answers be lost?
No - exam answers live in your LMS, not on your Mac. Uninstalling LDB has zero effect on exam history or grades.
Should I reboot after uninstalling?
Recommended if you're going to reinstall fresh. Reboot ensures any stuck kernel-level handles to LDB are released.