How to Delete Tableau from Mac

Trying to uninstall Tableau from your Mac? It’s not always as simple as dragging the application icon to the Trash. To do it right, you need to hunt down a few extra files lurking in your system folders. This guide will walk you through a complete, clean uninstall so you can free up space and prevent potential conflicts.

Why a 'Clean Uninstall' Matters

When you install an application like Tableau Desktop, it creates more than just the app in your Applications folder. Behind the scenes, it generates support files, caches, preferences, and log files that help it run smoothly. Dragging the main application to the Trash often leaves these other files behind.

While a few leftover files might not seem like a big deal, they can cause a few problems:

• Wasted Disk Space: These support files can take up valuable gigabytes on your hard drive, especially if you've been using Tableau for a while.
• Potential Conflicts: If you're uninstalling because you plan to reinstall a fresh copy to fix a bug, old preference files can sometimes carry over the same problem to the new installation.
• System Clutter: For those of us who like keeping our systems clean and organized, orphaned files are just digital clutter.

Taking a few extra minutes to perform a clean uninstall ensures that every trace of the application is gone for good.

Before You Start: Back Up Your Workbooks!

This is the most important step. Before you delete a single file, make sure you back up your important Tableau workbooks. By default, Tableau saves everything, including your projects, custom shapes, and data sources, in a dedicated folder called "My Tableau Repository."

Losing this folder means losing your work, so let’s back it up now.

1. Open a new Finder window.
2. From the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Go and then select Documents.
3. Inside your Documents folder, you'll find a folder named "My Tableau Repository."
4. Copy this entire folder to a safe place. You can drag it to your Desktop, an external hard drive, or a cloud storage folder like Google Drive or Dropbox.

Once you see the folder safely copied to its new location, you can proceed with the uninstallation without worrying about losing your valuable dashboards and reports. If you use Tableau Bridge, you may also have a corresponding "My Tableau Bridge Repository" in the same Documents folder - be sure to back that up too if it contains anything you need.

How to Manually Uninstall Tableau from Your Mac

Ready to get started? Follow these steps carefully to ensure every part of Tableau is removed from your system.

Step 1: Quit Tableau and All Related Processes

Before you can delete the application, you need to make sure it isn't running. If the Tableau icon is in your Dock with a small dot underneath it, right-click (or control-click) the icon and select Quit.

Sometimes, background processes can keep running even after you quit the main application. To be completely sure, you can check the Activity Monitor:

1. Open Finder, go to Applications, then open the Utilities folder.
2. Double-click on Activity Monitor to launch it.
3. In the search bar at the top-right corner of the window, type "Tableau."
4. If you see any processes listed (like "Tableau" or "Tableau Bridge"), select each one and click the "X" button at the top-left of the window to force it to quit.

Step 2: Move the Tableau Application to the Trash

This is the part everyone knows. Head to your Applications folder and locate the Tableau application.

1. Open Finder and select Applications from the sidebar.
2. Scroll down until you find "Tableau Desktop [Version]."
3. Drag the application icon directly to the Trash icon in your Dock. You might be asked to enter your Mac password to authorize the deletion.

Step 3: Clear Out Hidden Support Files and Folders

Now for the most important part: removing the support files stored in your user Library folder. Apple hides this folder by default to prevent accidental deletion of important system files, but finding it is easy when you know how.

To access your Library folder:

1. Click on your Desktop to make sure Finder is the active application.
2. Click "Go" in the top menu bar.
3. With the Go menu open, press and hold the Option (⌥) key on your keyboard.
4. You’ll see "Library" appear in the menu. Click on it.

A new Finder window will open showing the contents of your hidden Library folder. This is where Tableau stores its caches, preferences, and other application data. We need to go through several sub-folders here and delete anything related to Tableau.

Look in the following locations within your ~/Library folder:

1. Application Support

Navigate to ~/Library/Application Support/.

Look for a folder named "Tableau". If you find it, drag the entire folder to the Trash.

2. Caches

Navigate to ~/Library/Caches/.

Browse through this folder and look for any files or folders that start with "com.tableau...". For example, you might see com.tableau.Tableau-2023.1. Drag any of these you find to the Trash.

3. Preferences

Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/.

This folder contains .plist files that store your settings for various apps. Look for any files that contain "tableau" in their name, such as:

• com.tableau.Tableau-....plist
• com.tableau.Registration.plist
• com.tableau.Reporting.plist

Sort the list by name to make them easier to find. Once you locate them, move them all to the Trash.

4. Saved Application State

Navigate to ~/Library/Saved Application State/.

Look for a folder named com.tableau.Tableau.....savedState and drag it to the Trash. This folder stores information about the windows you had open the last time you used the app.

5. My Tableau Repository (Final Check)

Finally, go back to your Documents folder. If you have successfully backed up your "My Tableau Repository" folder and are absolutely certain you don't need the local copy anymore, you can drag this folder to the Trash now too. Do not do this if you have not backed it up!

Step 4: Empty the Trash

All the unwanted Tableau files are now sitting in your Mac's Trash. The final step is to empty it to permanently delete the files and reclaim your disk space.

Right-click the Trash icon in your Dock and select "Empty Trash." Confirm your choice, and you're done! You have now successfully performed a clean uninstall of Tableau.

An Easier (But Less Hands-On) Alternative: App Cleaners

If the manual process seems too technical or tedious, you can use a third-party application uninstaller. Tools like AppCleaner (free) or CleanMyMac X (paid) are designed to automate this process.

You typically just drag the application you want to uninstall into the app cleaner's window, and it automatically scans your computer for all related support files. With a single click, it will delete the main app and all its associated files. This can be much faster and less intimidating for many users.

The downside is that you have less control over the process, and some tools may occasionally miss a file or two. But for a quick and easy removal, they are a solid option.

Final Thoughts

Completely removing Tableau from a Mac is a straightforward process once you know where to look. By deleting not just the application itself but also its support, cache, and preference files, you ensure your system stays lean, organized, and free of potential software conflicts.

If you're moving on from Tableau in search of a faster, more intuitive way to get insights from your business data, this is the perfect time to explore other options. We built Graphed because we believe data analysis shouldn't require complex desktop software or hours of manual work. It connects to all your marketing and sales data sources in seconds and lets you build live dashboards and reports just by asking questions in plain English - no tricky installations or steep learning curves required.