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Uninstalling
Uninstalling on macOS Mojave
Backing Up and Restoring Configurations and Settings

Uninstalling

Notes:

1. You do not need to uninstall Tunnelblick before updating or reinstalling. You should uninstall if you no longer want to use Tunnelblick, or if you are having problems and have been told to uninstall it.

2. If you are alarmed by warnings when uninstalling Tunnelblick on macOS Mojave, please see
   Uninstalling on macOS Mojave.

If you intend to re-install Tunnelblick, be sure you have a backup of your Tunnelblick configurations and settings — the uninstall process will delete them. See Backing Up and Restoring Configurations and Settings, below.

The uninstaller can do a 'test', which does not uninstall anything, but displays a log of what it would have done if it were uninstalling.

Note: the uninstaller cannot be used to uninstall a rebranded version of Tunnelblick unless you have a copy of the rebranded version. The copy can be (but does not need to be) installed; it can simply be placed on the Desktop or in some other convenient location.

If you dragged an old copy of Tunnelblick to the Trash and are now unable to empty the Trash, see Cannot Empty the Trash.

First, download an uninstaller disk image from the Downloads page and double-click it. (The uninstall program may be used to uninstall any version of Tunnelblick or any rebranded version of Tunnelblick.)

To uninstall a recent version of Tunnelblick(3.3beta22 and higher), or an earlier Tunnelblick application located in /Applications, or any version of Tunnelblick which has been dragged to the Trash (whether or not the Trash has been emptied):

• Disconnect all configurations and quit Tunnelblick*
• Control-click the 'Uninstaller' and click 'Open'
• Click on 'Test' or 'Uninstall'
• When the uninstall is complete, restart your computer.

OR

To uninstall an earlier version of Tunnelblick which is not located in /Applications or the Trash, or to uninstall RaptorVPN, Urban Shield VPN, or some other rebranded version of Tunnelblick:

• Disconnect all configurations and quit Tunnelblick (or the rebranded program)*
• Drag and drop the 'Uninstaller' to your Desktop
• Drag and drop the application you want to uninstall (Tunnelblick or a rebranded version) to the 'Uninstaller' on your Desktop. (The program is located wherever you installed it; by default that is /Applications. If you had put the program in the Trash, restore it or put a new copy somewhere convenient. You do not have to 'install' such a restored copy, and it will be deleted at the end of the uninstall process.)
• Click on 'Test' or 'Uninstall'
• When the uninstall is complete, restart your computer.

Restarting your computer may not be necessary, but restart if it isn't too inconvenient.

* If you get a 'spinning beachball' when you click the Tunnelblick icon, that usually means that Tunnelblick has a window open and is waiting for your response. Use macOS Exposé to find it or minimize or close the windows of all other applications (and in all Spaces) to expose the window. If Tunnelblick does not have an open window, you will have to force Tunnelblick to quit. Follow the procedure described in this discussion in the Tunnelblick Discussion Group.

Uninstalling on macOS Mojave

When uninstalling Tunnelblick on macOS Mojave, the system will show three warning windows as shown below. You must click the 'OK' button in each of the three windows to continue the uninstall.

The first two windows displayed by macOS are correct:
However, the third window displayed by macOS is incorrect:

The first two windows displayed by macOS are correct: Tunnelblick Uninstaller does control Finder and System Events. It does that as part of the normal uninstall process, to access and delete files and information related to Tunnelblick.

The third window displayed by macOS is completely wrong. Tunnelblick Uninstaller DOES NOT want to access your contacts, nor does it access your contacts or any other personal information except information you have entered in Tunnelblick settings and configurations. Tunnelblick Uninstaller does access some files and folders in your home directory, but only files and folders that Tunnelblick created or modified when it was installed. It also accesses corresponding files and folders of all of the other users you have created on your computer.

We take your privacy very seriously. For more information, please see Tunnelblick Privacy.

Backing Up and Restoring Configurations and Settings

Update: You can use 'Export Tunnelblick Setup' to save a backup copy of your Tunnelblick settings. See Exporting and Importing Tunnelblick Setups for details.

When you update Tunnelblick or install Tunnelblick 'on top of' an existing installation your configurations and settings are preserved. However, if you completely uninstall Tunnelblick as described above, your configurations and settings will be lost. Here's how to back them up and then restore them:

Note: These instructions do not backup or restore configurations for a 'Deployed' version of Tunnelblick. 'Deployed' versions contain their configurations inside the application itself, so you do not need to back them up or restore them; fresh versions of the configurations will be installed when you install the 'Deployed' version of Tunnelblick.

To back up your configurations and settings before uninstalling:

1. Quit Tunnelblick
2. Copy the following folders and file to your Desktop:
   /Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Shared/
   /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Configurations/
   /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Library/Preferences/net.tunnelblick.tunnelblick.plist

(to copy the Shared folder you will need to enter a computer admininistrator username/password)

To restore the configurations and settings after installing Tunnelblick:

1. Quit Tunnelblick
2. Copy the net.tunnelblick.tunnelblick.plist file from your Desktop into the /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Library/Preferences/ folder

However, do not copy the folders to their original locations. Instead:

1. Highlight everything inside the copy of the Shared folder on your Desktop
2. Control-click on one item (but keep the others highlighted)
3. Click 'Open With...'
4. Click 'Tunnelblick'
5. Install them for 'All Users'
   

Then do the same thing for the Configurations folder, but install them for 'Only Me'.