How to Uninstall Google Drive on Mac

How to completely uninstall Google Drive from Mac

Though you may know how to uninstall apps on Mac, removing Google Drive from your device requires more effort than just dragging it to the Trash. If you feel frustrated and hesitate to try it yourself, stay calm, as you don’t need technical knowledge to complete this task. In this guide, you can learn all the best possible ways to delete Google Drive from your Mac, including hidden system files and preferences:

1. Disconnect Google account.
2. Delete Google Drive app.
3. Clean up Google Drive leftover files.
4. Use third-party uninstallers.

A couple of hints from our team: 

 

Before uninstalling Google Drive from your Mac, learn how to back up your MacBook to avoid losing any of your important data.

 

Also, remember that using a third-party cleaning software like MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller will help you remove all of the app data safely and completely.

1. Disconnect Google Account

If you decide to uninstall Google Drive on Mac, start by disconnecting your Google account properly to be sure that synchronization is fully stopped. This means your data remains secure, and there is no risk of running into any problems if you need to reinstall your Google Drive or use it on another device. Remember that if you skip this step, then your Google account may leave background processes active, cluttering your space and causing you to experience the iCloud storage full issue.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to disconnect your Google account:  

1. Launch Google Drive for desktop by clicking the Google Drive icon in the Mac’s menu (at the top right of your screen).  
2. Click the Settings (gear icon) in the upper-right corner ➙ choose Preferences in the dropdown menu.
3. Select the account you’re signed in with in the Preferences window ➙ choose the option Disconnect account.
4. Confirm the action ➙ click Done.  

2. Delete Google Drive app

I’m sure you know how to remove apps from Launchpad, so you should definitely understand that when your Google account is disconnected, you need to safely delete the app itself from your macOS.  

Here are some detailed instructions on how to delete the Google Drive app from your MacBook:

1. Choose the Google Drive icon ➙ Settings ➙ select Quit option.
2. Open the Applications folder ➙ scroll down to find the Google Drive app.
3. Click and drag the Google Drive app to the Trash (or right-click on the app and choose the Move to Trash option).
4. Go to the Trash ➙ select Empty Trash.

Sometimes, when moving the Google Drive app to Trash, the system may ask you for your administrator password to confirm the deletion. It’s an ordinary practice for system-level apps available for all user accounts on a Mac.  

3. Clean up Google Drive leftover files

Technically, you remove Google Drive from Mac by dragging the app to the Trash, but this action doesn’t completely erase all of your system’s related files. Similar to most apps, Google Drive creates cache data, preferences, and logs, which we used to call leftovers. The thing is that leftover files remain alive even after deletion, taking up valuable storage space. Obviously, you need to clean up these files when uninstalling Google Drive from your Mac.

Here’s how to find and delete Google Drive leftover files on your Mac:

1. Open Finder ➙ click the Go option in the top menu bar ➙ select Go to folder (or press Shift + Command + G combination to open the Go to Folder window).
2. Enter the path  ~/Library/ to go to the Library.  
3. Find Google Drive and google.drive ➙ choose Library instead of This Mac.
4. Select all the matching files ➙ move them to the Trash.  

4. Use third-party uninstallers

If manually removing the Google Drive is such a tiresome process for you, think of using third-party uninstallers, which are created to do more than just delete an icon from the desktop. MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller is one of the most reliable and popular tools for quick and safe app removal.  

The main advantages of MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller:

• One-click uninstallation. Our app finds and eliminates the app and app-related files automatically in just a single click.
• Deep cleanup. It removes the app-associated files like caches and logs in hidden locations, which are unavailable for manual deletion.  
• User-friendly interface. It offers a clear menu for your comfort.  

Do the following to delete Google Drive on your Mac via MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller:

1. Download and launch the MacKeeper app.
2. Select Smart Uninstaller tool from the left sidebar.
3. Click Start Scan ➙ choose Google Drive from the list.
4. Click Remove Selected to uninstall Google Drive and delete its leftover files.  

Conclusion

Uninstalling Google Drive from your Mac isn’t just about removing the icon to the Trash, as this process doesn’t involve the removal of leftovers that take up storage space. You can do it manually in three stages: quit the Google Drive account, delete the Google Drive app, and get rid of the app’s related files.  

If you prefer a more reliable solution, use MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller, which automatically removes both the app itself and its related files in just one click. It takes care of the elimination of leftovers to prevent sync issues when switching to another cloud service, as well as decluttering your Apple device.