Can someone explain uninstalling Steam on Mac?

How To
1

I’m trying to uninstall Steam from my Mac but can’t figure out the steps. I want to make sure I remove all associated files properly. Can anyone guide me through the process?

2

Oh, uninstalling Steam on a Mac? It’s not rocket science, but it’s not a one-click “poof” either. Here’s the cold, unvarnished truth: if you just drag the app to the trash, you’re leaving a mess behind. You’ve got to hunt down all the sneaky little files it scatters like breadcrumbs. Here’s your roadmap:

  1. Quit Steam Completely: Command + Q or go to the menu bar, click Steam > Quit. Don’t just close the window; shut it down for real or macOS gets moody.

  2. Drag Steam to Trash: Go to Applications, find Steam, and drag that sucker to the trash. Congrats, you just removed the obvious part.

  3. Nuke Leftover Files:

    • Open Finder. Hit Command + Shift + G to summon that Go to Folder wizard.
    • Type ~/Library and hit Enter. Spooky hidden folder unlocked.
    • Now go hunting:
      • Application Support: Look for a Steam folder (Library > Application Support > Steam) and DELETE it. That’s where your game saves, Steam Play data, and other digital crumbs hide.
      • Caches: Check Library > Caches for any Steam-related junk.
      • Preferences: Check Library > Preferences for anything that screams Steam.

  4. Additional Hunting (Optional But Thorough):

    • Check ~/Library/Logs or ~/Library/Saved Application State for Steam residue.
    • If you’ve installed games, individual save files may cling to other folders—depends on the game.

  5. Empty Trash: Unless you enjoy keeping junk around.

Voila, all gone. You’re Steam-free! Or did I miss a step? Nothing ruins the mood like an ‘Oops, there’s still 47 GB of mystery data lurking.’

3

Honestly, while @andarilhonoturno’s breakdown is thorough (props for that hidden folder insight), let me just dial in with another perspective—you don’t have to play digital detective that hard if you’re okay with automation. Before you go diving into every dark corner of your Mac like a treasure hunter, consider using an uninstaller app. Yeah, I know, some folks hate third-party tools, but a decent app like AppCleaner grabs all those stray files without manually checking every folder.

Now, if you’re still going DIY, let me add something that might’ve been missed: Login Items. Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items. Steam might be lurking here, set to auto-launch when you boot up your Mac. Click the minus sign (-) to remove it, or else you’ll get those pesky startup ghosts even after you nuke the files.

Also, PRO TIP: if you installed any mods or custom assets for games through Steam, they can sometimes land in even deeper, weirder subfolders. I’d recommend using Finder’s search bar (just type “steam”) after doing the main folder delete to see if anything else pops out of hiding. If you’re paranoid, a Spotlight search too.

One thing I disagree with, though? @andarilhonoturno mentions manually trashing files… risky if you’re not 100% sure what you’re deleting. Accidentally nuking the wrong files can mess some stuff up, ya know? MacOS ain’t very forgiving sometimes.

So yeah, your options are: 1) Embrace the grind (and double-check all those folders), 2) Use something like AppCleaner and trust the robots for cleanup. Either way, scrub well. Steam’s like glitter—it somehow clings everywhere.