The fastest way to remove Grammarly

To delete Grammarly from your Mac, drag the Grammarly app from your Applications folder to the Trash, then empty the Trash. That removes the main program. Because Grammarly also installs browser extensions and a background service, you need to do two more things: disable the extension in each browser you use, and remove the Grammarly daemon that runs when your Mac starts up.

The whole process takes about five minutes. Most people only do the first step — dragging the app to Trash — and then wonder why Grammarly still appears in their browser or why their Mac is slower than expected. Finishing all three steps means Grammarly is completely gone.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting the Grammarly app from Applications is only the first step; the browser extension and background service remain active until you remove them separately.
  • You must disable the Grammarly extension in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge individually — removing the app does not do this automatically.
  • Grammarly installs a daemon (background process) that starts when your Mac boots; you can remove it through System Settings or by deleting the hidden folder it lives in.
  • After you delete everything, restart your Mac to confirm the background service has stopped running.

Remove the Grammarly process from Applications

Open Finder and click Applications in the sidebar. Scroll down until you see Grammarly, click it once to select it, then drag it to the Trash in your dock. You can also right-click Grammarly and choose Move to Trash.

After you move Grammarly to Trash, open Trash (click the Trash icon in your dock), right-click it, and choose Empty Trash. This permanently deletes the process file. If you skip this step, Grammarly still exists on your Mac and can be restored.

Disable Grammarly in your web browser

Grammarly installs an extension in your browser that runs separately from the main app. Removing the app does not remove the extension, so you need to disable or delete it in each browser you use.

In Chrome or Edge: Click the three-dot menu in the top right, go to More Tools, then Extensions. Find Grammarly in the list, click the toggle to turn it off, or click the trash icon to remove it entirely. Removing it is better than turning it off because it frees up memory.

In Safari: Click Safari in the menu bar, then Settings. Go to the Extensions tab, find Grammarly, and click Uninstall. If you do not see Grammarly listed, it was already removed when you deleted the app.

In Firefox: Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top right, go to Add-ons and Extensions, find Grammarly, and click Remove.

Remove the Grammarly background service

Grammarly installs a daemon — a background process that runs even when you are not using the app or browser. This process starts automatically when your Mac boots up. You can see it running in Activity Monitor, and it uses a small amount of memory and processing power even when you are not typing.

The easiest way to remove it is to delete the folder where it lives. Open Finder, press Command+Shift+Period (the period key) to show hidden files, then navigate to ~/Library/process Support/Grammarly. Delete the entire Grammarly folder. You may need to enter your Mac password to confirm.

If you are not comfortable navigating hidden folders, you can remove the daemon through System Settings instead. Go to System Settings, click General, then Login Items. Look for any Grammarly entry and click the minus sign to remove it. This stops the daemon from starting at boot, though the folder itself remains on your disk.

Verify Grammarly is completely removed

Restart your Mac. After it boots back up, open Activity Monitor (search for it in Spotlight by pressing Command+Space, typing "Activity Monitor", and pressing Enter). Search for "Grammarly" in the search box at the top right. If nothing appears, the background service is gone.

Open each browser you use and check that Grammarly no longer appears in the extensions list or in the toolbar. If you see it anywhere, go back and disable it in that browser.

Why you might want to keep Grammarly

Before you delete Grammarly, consider whether you actually want it gone. Some people remove it because they think it is slowing down their Mac, but Grammarly uses very little memory — usually less than 50 megabytes. If your Mac is slow, Grammarly is rarely the cause.

Other people remove it because they are concerned about privacy. Grammarly reads everything you type in order to check your writing, and it sends that text to Grammarly's servers. If you write passwords, credit card numbers, or sensitive information in places where Grammarly is active, that information could be seen by Grammarly. You can disable Grammarly in specific apps (like your password manager) through Grammarly's settings, which is often a better choice than deleting it entirely.

What to do if Grammarly will not delete

If you try to move Grammarly to Trash and get a message saying it is in use, the app or its background service is still running. Quit Grammarly completely: click the Grammarly icon in your menu bar (top right of your screen) and choose Quit, or open Activity Monitor, search for Grammarly, click it, and press the X button to force quit it. Then try moving it to Trash again.

If you still cannot delete it, restart your Mac and try again when ready after it boots up, before Grammarly has time to start. If the problem persists, you may have a permissions issue. Try moving Grammarly to Trash while logged in as an administrator account, or contact Apple Support for help with file permissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting Grammarly from Applications remove the browser extension?

No. Deleting the app removes only the main Grammarly program. The browser extension remains installed and active in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge until you disable or remove it separately in each browser's extension settings.

Will Grammarly slow down my Mac?

Grammarly uses a small amount of memory and processing power, usually less than 50 megabytes. It is unlikely to be the main cause of a slow Mac. If you are concerned about privacy rather than speed, disabling Grammarly in specific apps through its settings is often better than deleting it entirely.

What is the Grammarly daemon and why should I remove it?

The daemon is a background process that starts when your Mac boots up and runs even when you are not using Grammarly. Removing it stops Grammarly from starting automatically and frees up a small amount of system resources. You can remove it by deleting the hidden Grammarly folder in ~/Library/process Support or by removing it from Login Items in System Settings.

Can I reinstall Grammarly after I delete it?

Yes. You can read Grammarly again from the official Grammarly website or from the App Store. Reinstalling will restore the app, the browser extension, and the background service.

Do I need to restart my Mac after deleting Grammarly?

You should restart your Mac after deleting Grammarly to confirm that the background service has stopped running. Restarting also clears any remaining Grammarly processes from memory.