How to Uninstall OpenClaw: Complete Removal Guide

Before You Uninstall

Before removing OpenClaw, consider whether you want a complete removal or a partial one. A complete removal deletes everything — the application, your data, conversations, memory, configuration, and cached files. A partial removal keeps your data so you can reinstall later without starting from scratch.

Export data you want to keep. If you have valuable conversations, memory files, or custom skills, back them up before uninstalling:

# Back up everything to a zip file
cd ~/openclaw
tar -czf ~/openclaw-export-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz data/ config/ .env skills/ 2>/dev/null
echo "Exported to ~/openclaw-export-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz"

Disable connected services. If OpenClaw is connected to Google Calendar, messaging platforms, or other services, disconnect them in the dashboard before uninstalling. This prevents orphaned OAuth tokens and webhook endpoints.

Stop any running cron jobs. If you have cron jobs configured outside OpenClaw (in system crontab or systemd timers), disable them before removing OpenClaw to prevent error spam.

Uninstall Docker Installation

Step 1: Stop and remove containers.

cd ~/openclaw

# Stop containers and remove them along with networks
docker compose down

# To also remove Docker volumes (your data inside Docker):
docker compose down -v

Step 2: Remove the Docker image.

# Remove the OpenClaw image
docker rmi openclaw/openclaw:latest

# Remove any dangling images
docker image prune -f

Step 3: Delete the project directory.

# Remove everything — config, data, docker-compose.yml, .env
rm -rf ~/openclaw

Optional: Remove Docker itself. If you installed Docker only for OpenClaw and no longer need it:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt remove -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker /var/lib/containerd

# macOS
# Drag Docker Desktop to Trash, then:
rm -rf ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.docker
rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker

Uninstall npm Installation

Step 1: Stop OpenClaw.

# If using systemd
sudo systemctl stop openclaw
sudo systemctl disable openclaw
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/openclaw.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# If running directly
openclaw stop

Step 2: Uninstall the npm package.

npm uninstall -g openclaw

Step 3: Remove data and configuration.

# Remove the main OpenClaw directory
rm -rf ~/openclaw

# Remove the hidden config directory (if it exists)
rm -rf ~/.openclaw

# Remove any launchd plist (macOS)
rm -f ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.keepalive.plist
launchctl remove com.openclaw.keepalive 2>/dev/null

Step 4: Clean npm cache (optional).

npm cache clean --force

Uninstall Mac App

Step 1: Quit the app. Click the OpenClaw menu bar icon and select "Quit OpenClaw." Or right-click the Dock icon and select "Quit."

Step 2: Delete the application. Open Finder, go to Applications, and drag OpenClaw to the Trash. Empty the Trash.

Step 3: Remove application data.

# Application support (conversations, memory, config)
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/OpenClaw

# Preferences
rm -f ~/Library/Preferences/com.openclaw.app.plist

# Caches
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/com.openclaw.app

# Login items (prevent auto-launch on next boot)
# Open System Settings > General > Login Items and remove OpenClaw if listed

Step 4: Remove Voice Wake permissions. Go to System Settings, Privacy and Security, Microphone, and remove OpenClaw from the list. Also check Speech Recognition and Full Disk Access.

Uninstall on Windows/WSL2

If you installed OpenClaw inside WSL2, follow the Docker or npm uninstall steps above from within your WSL2 terminal. Additionally:

Remove port forwarding rules:

# In PowerShell as Administrator
netsh interface portproxy delete v4tov4 listenport=18789 listenaddress=0.0.0.0

# Remove firewall rule
Remove-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "OpenClaw"

Remove scheduled tasks: Open Task Scheduler and delete any tasks you created for OpenClaw auto-start.

Optional: Remove WSL2 entirely if you only installed it for OpenClaw:

# In PowerShell as Administrator
wsl --unregister Ubuntu  # WARNING: deletes all data in the WSL instance
wsl --shutdown

Revoking API Keys

If you are permanently done with OpenClaw, revoke your API keys from each provider to prevent unauthorized usage:

• Anthropic: Go to console.anthropic.com, navigate to API Keys, and delete the key you used for OpenClaw.
• OpenAI: Go to platform.openai.com, navigate to API Keys, and revoke the key.
• Google: Go to console.cloud.google.com, navigate to APIs and Services, then Credentials, and delete the OAuth client or API key.
• Other providers: Visit each provider's dashboard and revoke or delete the corresponding API key.

If you plan to reinstall OpenClaw later or use the same API keys for another project, you can skip this step. Just make sure the .env file containing the keys is either deleted or stored securely.

Uninstall but Keep Data

If you want to remove the OpenClaw application but preserve your data for a future reinstall:

Docker:

cd ~/openclaw

# Stop and remove containers but keep volumes and project directory
docker compose down  # do NOT use -v flag

# Remove the Docker image to free space
docker rmi openclaw/openclaw:latest

# Your data remains in ~/openclaw/data and ~/openclaw/config
# Your .env file with API keys is preserved

npm:

# Uninstall the application
npm uninstall -g openclaw

# Keep ~/openclaw directory intact
# When you reinstall, just run: npm install -g openclaw && cd ~/openclaw && openclaw start

Mac app:

# Delete the app from Applications
# BUT keep the Application Support directory:
# ~/Library/Application Support/OpenClaw contains your data
# When you reinstall, the app will detect and use existing data

Verify Complete Removal

After uninstalling, verify everything is removed:

# Check if openclaw command still exists
which openclaw  # should return "not found"

# Check for remaining Docker containers
docker ps -a | grep openclaw  # should return nothing

# Check for remaining files
ls ~/openclaw 2>/dev/null  # should return "No such file or directory"
ls ~/.openclaw 2>/dev/null  # should return "No such file or directory"

# macOS: check Application Support
ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/OpenClaw 2>/dev/null

# Check for systemd service
sudo systemctl status openclaw 2>/dev/null  # should show "not found"

# Check for launchd service (macOS)
launchctl list | grep openclaw  # should return nothing

If any of these checks return results, you still have remnants to clean up. Re-run the appropriate removal commands above.