How to Delete Mail App on Mac

You can’t fully remove the Mail app from Mac because it’s a built-in system application protected by macOS. You can, however, delete related data, attachments, and email accounts to reclaim storage and boost performance. Third-party tools like MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller help locate and safely remove leftover files.

Reasons to remove Mail app on Mac

Many users choose to uninstall the Mail app on a Mac to free storage, reduce background syncing, and simplify email management. Removing unnecessary attachments and cached data also improves Mac performance and prevents the app from running unwanted background processes.

Preparation before deleting Mail app on Mac

Before you get rid of the Mail app on a Mac, back up important emails, export mailboxes, and disconnect all linked accounts. It's also wise to note your login details and ensure System Integrity Protection is enabled afterward.

Now, follow our quick steps below to prepare your system and data to avoid losing anything important:

• Back up important emails using Time Machine or iCloud.
• Sign out of your Mail accounts in System Settings → Internet Accounts.
• Export mailboxes to a safe folder via Mail → Mailbox → Export Mailbox.
• Close the Mail app completely before deleting related files.

A note from our experts: 

 

Simply deleting apps on your Mac rarely clears everything. From our experience, hidden support files and leftover caches often stay behind, taking up storage and affecting performance. MacKeeper, developed by Clario Tech, offers a Smart Uninstaller feature that detects and removes every trace of unwanted apps.

 

Unlike manual deletion, which risks removing the wrong items or leaving junk behind, Smart Uninstaller performs a deep scan to locate associated components, plugins, and widgets. As our tests show, it helps free up disk space, prevent slowdowns, and keep your Mac running smoothly long-term.

 

Here's how you can use it:

1. Open MacKeeper and select Smart Uninstaller from the left sidebar.
2. Click Start Scan to detect apps, plugins, and leftover files.
3. Review the results, select what you want to remove, and hit Remove Selected.

Methods to uninstall Mail app on Mac

Although you can't entirely remove the Mail app, you can reclaim storage by clearing its data. To optimize space, delete mail attachments on a Mac, remove email accounts, or use a trusted uninstaller for leftover files.

1. Manually remove Mail app components

If you prefer a hands-on approach, manually clearing Mail data can help recover storage without removing the entire app. Based on our experience, it's a reliable method for IMAP users because emails stay safe on the server, but POP users should export mailboxes first.

Here's how you can do it step by step:

1. Export your mailboxes. Go to Mail > Mailbox > Export Mailbox… and save the files as .mbox to keep a backup.
2. Quit Mail completely. Use Mail > Quit Mail or press ⌘Q.
3. Delete attachments. In Finder, open Go > Go to Folder…, paste ~/Library/Mail/V*/Attachments/, and move everything to Trash.
4. Clear caches. Delete files in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Caches/ and ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.mail/.

We believe that knowing how to clear Mail cache on a Mac can resolve syncing delays, fix search issues, and make the Mail app load much faster. Learn how to do it with us!

2. Use Terminal commands

For advanced users, Terminal offers a faster way to delete Mail's stored data directly. As we’ve noticed, it's effective for freeing large amounts of space, though you must type commands precisely because there's no undo button.

Follow these steps carefully:

1. Open Terminal. Navigate to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Check folder sizes. Enter du -sh ~/Library/Mail/* to see how much space each folder takes.
3. Delete attachments. Type rm -rf ~/Library/Mail/V*/Attachments/* and press Return.
4. Clear caches. Use rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Caches/* && rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.mail/*.
5. Rebuild indexes. Run rm ~/Library/Mail/V*/MailData/Envelope\ Index*, restart your Mac, and reopen Mail.

If you want to learn how to delete Mail storage on your Mac, focus on removing downloaded attachments and message data that quietly accumulate over time.

3. Use third-party tools

If you'd rather not risk manual or command-line cleanup, third-party apps make the job easier and safer. As our team has seen during tests, MacKeeper's Smart Uninstaller and Safe Cleanup features locate hidden Mail leftovers and remove them completely without touching essential files.

Here's how you can clear space using MacKeeper:

1. Open MacKeeper and go to Smart Uninstaller. Click Start Scan.
2. Review results. Expand Leftovers, Plugins, and Widgets, select Mail-related items, then click Remove Selected.
3. Run Safe Cleanup. Delete temporary files, caches, and system junk while keeping personal files safe.
4. Use Duplicates Finder (optional). Check Downloads or Mail downloads to remove repeated attachments.
5. Restart your Mac. Reopen Mail and verify improved performance and available disk space.

This method saves the most time, ensures complete cleanup, and helps maintain a smoother, faster-running macOS environment. Understanding how to clear disk space on a Mac helps maintain speed and stability by removing outdated files, caches, and apps you no longer use.

Conclusion

Deleting or cleaning the Mail app on your Mac can help reclaim storage, improve performance, and reduce background syncing. You can do it manually, through Terminal, or with specialized software, depending on your comfort level.

For a smoother and safer experience, we recommend MacKeeper's Smart Uninstaller. It automatically finds hidden Mail components and safely removes them without affecting essential system files. MacKeeper is optimized for macOS, ensuring every cleanup task runs seamlessly while protecting system stability and improving overall performance.