Why won’t MacKeeper uninstall?

Usually because it’s still running. Quit it with ⌘Q from its menu, not the Dashboard, then try again. If it was closed from the Dashboard, open it again and quit properly.

Do I need an app to uninstall MacKeeper?

No. MacKeeper’s own steps use Finder and your admin password; the leftover folders are listed above.

MacKeeper ads keep appearing in Safari. What do I do?

Those come from websites, not the app. Remove website data for the sites showing them in Safari › Settings › Privacy › Manage Website Data, and check Safari › Settings › Extensions for anything you didn’t install.

Mac file guides

How to uninstall MacKeeper completely

By Vishva Variya · Updated November 2, 2026 · 4 min read

Short answer

Quit MacKeeper from its menu with ⌘Q, not by closing the window. Then drag it from Applications to the Trash, click Continue, and approve with Touch ID or your password so its own uninstaller can run. Empty the Trash, restart, and cancel the subscription separately: uninstalling doesn’t stop billing.

How do I remove MacKeeper?

1Check your version under MacKeeper › About MacKeeper. These steps are for versions 4 to 7.
2Quit MacKeeper with ⌘Q or from the MacKeeper menu. MacKeeper says closing it from the Dashboard stops the uninstaller from finishing.
3Open Finder › Applications and drag MacKeeper to the Trash.
4Click Continue when MacKeeper asks, then confirm with Touch ID or your admin password.
5In version 7, click Allow if the MacKeeper uninstaller asks for permission (it does when its StopAd Safari extension is installed).
6Empty the Trash and restart.

Which leftover files should I delete?

MacKeeper lists these for older versions. Open each with Finder › Go › Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) and move what’s inside to the Trash:

~/Library/Application Support/MacKeeper
~/Library/Application Support/com.mackeeper.MacKeeper
~/Library/Application Support/com.mackeeper.MacKeeperAgent
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.mackeeper.MacKeeperAgent.plist
~/Library/Caches/com.mackeeper.MacKeeper
~/Library/Caches/com.mackeeper.MacKeeperAgent

Then check Safari › Settings › Extensions for a MacKeeper extension, and System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions for anything carrying its name.

Does uninstalling cancel the subscription?

No. Billing continues until you cancel it: follow MacKeeper’s own “How to cancel MacKeeper subscription” help article, or cancel through the store you paid with.

Is MacKeeper safe?

It’s commercial software from Clario Tech, which bought it in 2019. Its reputation comes from earlier years: aggressive pop-up advertising, a 2014 US class action over its scan results that ended in a settlement with refunds, and a 2015 incident in which a database with about 13 million customer records was left exposed online. Whether it’s worth paying for today is up to you; nothing about removing it is risky.

Checking for leftovers with Peekaboo

Let MacKeeper’s own uninstaller run first; it removes the helpers it installed. Then Peekaboo’s App Uninstaller can look for leftovers of apps that are already gone and shows exactly what it found before anything moves. Everything goes to the Trash, so a mistake is one click to put back.

1Uninstall MacKeeper with the steps above.
2Open the App Uninstaller and check leftovers of deleted apps.⇧⌘X

Questions

Why won’t MacKeeper uninstall?: Usually because it’s still running. Quit it with ⌘Q from its menu, not the Dashboard, then try again. If it was closed from the Dashboard, open it again and quit properly.
Do I need an app to uninstall MacKeeper?: No. MacKeeper’s own steps use Finder and your admin password; the leftover folders are listed above.
MacKeeper ads keep appearing in Safari. What do I do?: Those come from websites, not the app. Remove website data for the sites showing them in Safari › Settings › Privacy › Manage Website Data, and check Safari › Settings › Extensions for anything you didn’t install.