Safari is sitting in your Dock or Applications folder, and you would rather it just went away. On current macOS you cannot delete it: Apple protects Safari as a system app, so there is no supported uninstall.
What you can do is switch to another default browser, clear Safari's stored site data, or simply stop opening the app. Skip the old Terminal commands and cleaner apps that claim otherwise.
In this guide, I have covered:
Contents
Why you cannot fully uninstall Safari on a Mac
Safari is taking up a slot in your Applications folder, or you have moved to Chrome and want the old app out of the way. On current macOS there is no supported way to delete it. Apple treats Safari as a protected system application, and System Settings has no uninstall button for it.
So if your goal is to remove the Safari app from your Mac, the practical route is to change your default browser and clear the data Safari has stored. Dragging the app to the Trash is not a full uninstall, and it will not stay gone.
Why the Terminal and Finder methods no longer work
You have probably found an older guide that tells you to open Terminal and run sudo rm -rf Safari.app/. That command does not work on a modern Mac. Administrator rights do not override System Integrity Protection (SIP), so macOS blocks the deletion, usually with an Operation not permitted message.
SIP arrived with OS X El Capitan 10.11. Turning it off means booting into Recovery Mode and giving up a core layer of macOS security. Not worth it for one app.
The Finder routine from those same old guides was never a real uninstall either. It deleted preferences, caches, plugins, saved state, and crash reports. None of that is Safari.app. What you get is a browser that has forgotten your logins and local data, with the app still sitting in Applications.
Do not disable SIP just to delete Safari. Unsupported deletion can affect system files, and macOS may put the app back during a later update.
Set another browser as the default
If Safari keeps opening links you never asked it to open, you do not need to delete anything. Install the browser you actually want, then make it the macOS default.
Still deciding? Our guide to the alternative browser for your Mac covers the main options.
- Install the browser you want to use.
- Open the Apple menu.
- Choose System Settings.
- Select Desktop & Dock in the sidebar.
- Scroll to the Default web browser dropdown.
- Choose the installed browser from the dropdown.
- Close System Settings.
- Open a web link from another app and confirm it launches in the new browser.
The test passes when a link from Mail or Notes opens in the new browser instead of Safari. If links still land somewhere unexpected, stop Safari from opening the app version of websites covers the app-versus-browser handoff.
After that, Safari can stay installed and closed. The app remains in the Applications folder whenever you need it.
Clear Safari data if removal is not the real goal
Sometimes the app is not the problem, the data is. If you want to sign out of sites, drop stored cookies, or hand the Mac to someone else, clear Safari’s data instead of chasing a delete that macOS will not allow. For the full cleanup, see Clear Cookies and Cache from the Safari app.
- Launch the Safari app on your Mac computer.
- Click on the Safari menu from the menu bar, and select the Settings... sub-menu.
It will open the Safari Settings window. - Switch to the Privacy tab, and click to open the button.
It will load the list of websites currently storing the cache and cookies in the browser. - Hit on the command and then the button.
It will flush the cookies and cache for all sites in Safari.
You’ll know it worked when Safari’s website data list is empty and sites that used those cookies treat you as signed out.
Why CleanMyMac X cannot remove Safari
Maybe you landed here after CleanMyMac X failed to do the job. Its Uninstaller cannot bypass the macOS protection that keeps Safari installed. Safari may show up in the app list, but the result is not a supported full uninstall. Older instructions for this article got that wrong.
Do not install another utility just for this. If you already use CleanMyMac for other cleanup work, get it from the official source:
Fix a Safari redirect instead of removing the app
If Safari opens a different search engine than the one you set, or injects results you never asked for, deleting the app would not help anyway. The cause is a redirect or an unwanted component that lives outside Safari.app. Fix that instead of hunting for system files to remove.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the questions that come up most often.
Can you uninstall Safari on a Mac?
Not through any supported method on current macOS. Safari is protected as a system app, so the practical choice is to switch browsers and leave it installed unless Apple ships an official removal option.
Does the Terminal command remove Safari on modern macOS?
No. System Integrity Protection normally blocks sudo rm -rf Safari.app/ with an Operation not permitted message, even when the command runs with administrator rights. Disabling SIP is not recommended for this task.
Can CleanMyMac X remove Safari?
No. Its Uninstaller cannot override the macOS protection that keeps Safari installed. It can manage other applications, but it does not fully remove Safari.
How can I make another browser my default on macOS?
Open System Settings, choose Desktop & Dock, and use the Default web browser dropdown. Confirm the change by opening a link from another app.
Can I clear Safari data without deleting the app?
Yes. Safari’s Privacy settings can remove cached site data and cookies while the app stays installed. This clears site data, not Safari itself.
I’ve had CleanMyMac for several years. Safari came on my Mac in 2015. My Mac is up to date with the latest system softward. I quit using it a couple of years ago and now use Google Chrome. When I go to the uninstaller on CleanMyMac, Safari is not there.
when i tried the method it popped up with a bunch of stuff all saying operation not permitted
please help
On OS 10.11.6 and the command-line method does not work. ‘Operation not permitted.’ Can’t do it with CleanMyMac either.
Cleanmymac doesn’t show safari on my mac???
Hi Leon, the software needs to be installed, it not something readily available on a Mac computer.