From 49a3520ecffd270f9a1cd9529cec70b17c4172ef Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Cursor Agent <cursoragent@cursor.com>
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2025 23:06:24 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] Add uninstall guide for Claude desktop application

Co-authored-by: amal.darwiche <amal.darwiche@shopify.com>
---
 UNINSTALL_CLAUDE.md | 183 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 183 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 UNINSTALL_CLAUDE.md

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+# How to Uninstall Claude
+
+This guide provides instructions for completely uninstalling the Claude desktop application from your system.
+
+## macOS
+
+### Method 1: Using Finder
+
+1. **Quit Claude**
+   - Right-click the Claude icon in the Dock
+   - Select "Quit" or press `Cmd + Q` when the app is active
+
+2. **Remove the Application**
+   - Open Finder
+   - Go to the Applications folder (`Cmd + Shift + A`)
+   - Find the Claude app
+   - Drag Claude to the Trash, or right-click and select "Move to Trash"
+
+3. **Remove Application Support Files** (Optional)
+   - Open Finder and press `Cmd + Shift + G` to open "Go to Folder"
+   - Navigate to `~/Library/Application Support/` and delete the `Claude` folder if it exists
+   - Navigate to `~/Library/Caches/` and delete any `Claude` or `com.anthropic.claude` folders
+   - Navigate to `~/Library/Preferences/` and delete any files starting with `com.anthropic.claude`
+
+4. **Empty Trash**
+   - Right-click the Trash icon in the Dock
+   - Select "Empty Trash"
+
+### Method 2: Using Terminal
+
+```bash
+# Quit Claude if running
+osascript -e 'quit app "Claude"'
+
+# Remove the application
+sudo rm -rf /Applications/Claude.app
+
+# Remove application support files
+rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude
+rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Claude
+rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.anthropic.claude*
+rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.anthropic.claude*
+rm -rf ~/Library/Saved\ Application\ State/com.anthropic.claude*
+```
+
+## Windows
+
+### Method 1: Using Settings
+
+1. **Close Claude**
+   - Right-click the Claude icon in the system tray
+   - Select "Quit" or close all Claude windows
+
+2. **Uninstall via Settings**
+   - Open **Settings** (`Windows + I`)
+   - Go to **Apps** > **Apps & features** or **Installed apps**
+   - Search for "Claude"
+   - Click on Claude and select **Uninstall**
+   - Follow the uninstallation prompts
+
+### Method 2: Using Control Panel
+
+1. **Close Claude** (as above)
+
+2. **Uninstall via Control Panel**
+   - Open **Control Panel**
+   - Go to **Programs** > **Programs and Features**
+   - Find "Claude" in the list
+   - Right-click and select **Uninstall**
+   - Follow the uninstallation wizard
+
+### Method 3: Remove Residual Files (Optional)
+
+After uninstalling, you may want to remove leftover files:
+
+1. Press `Windows + R` to open Run dialog
+2. Type `%APPDATA%` and press Enter
+3. Delete the `Claude` folder if it exists
+4. Type `%LOCALAPPDATA%` in Run dialog
+5. Delete the `Claude` folder if it exists
+
+## Linux
+
+### Ubuntu/Debian-based Systems
+
+#### If installed via .deb package:
+
+```bash
+# Remove the package
+sudo apt remove claude
+# or
+sudo dpkg -r claude
+
+# Remove configuration files
+sudo apt purge claude
+# or
+sudo dpkg --purge claude
+
+# Clean up residual files
+rm -rf ~/.config/Claude
+rm -rf ~/.local/share/Claude
+rm -rf ~/.cache/Claude
+```
+
+#### If installed via Snap:
+
+```bash
+# Remove the snap package
+sudo snap remove claude
+```
+
+### Fedora/RHEL-based Systems
+
+```bash
+# If installed via RPM
+sudo dnf remove claude
+# or
+sudo rpm -e claude
+
+# Clean up residual files
+rm -rf ~/.config/Claude
+rm -rf ~/.local/share/Claude
+rm -rf ~/.cache/Claude
+```
+
+### Arch Linux
+
+```bash
+# If installed via pacman
+sudo pacman -R claude
+
+# Remove configuration files
+rm -rf ~/.config/Claude
+rm -rf ~/.local/share/Claude
+rm -rf ~/.cache/Claude
+```
+
+### AppImage Installation
+
+If you installed Claude as an AppImage:
+
+```bash
+# Remove the AppImage file
+rm ~/Downloads/Claude*.AppImage  # or wherever you stored it
+
+# Remove configuration files
+rm -rf ~/.config/Claude
+rm -rf ~/.local/share/Claude
+rm -rf ~/.cache/Claude
+```
+
+## Verification
+
+After uninstalling, you can verify that Claude has been removed:
+
+### macOS
+```bash
+# Check if app exists
+ls -la /Applications/Claude.app
+# Should return: "No such file or directory"
+```
+
+### Windows
+```powershell
+# Check installed programs
+Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Claude*" }
+# Should return nothing if fully uninstalled
+```
+
+### Linux
+```bash
+# Check if executable exists
+which claude
+# Should return nothing if fully uninstalled
+```
+
+## Reinstalling Claude
+
+If you want to reinstall Claude in the future, you can download it from the official Anthropic website or your organization's software portal.
+
+## Need Help?
+
+If you encounter any issues during the uninstallation process, please contact your IT support team or refer to your organization's support resources.