How to Delete LockDown Browser on Mac in 2026: 3 Ways

To delete LockDown Browser on a Mac, open it once and quit it, then drag LockDown Browser from Finder > Applications to the Trash and empty the Trash. That is the method Respondus gives for Mac. For a full removal, also clear the Respondus files in your Library folders, or let an uninstaller app find them.

LockDown Browser is the locked-down exam browser from Respondus that a lot of schools and certification programs require. It earns its place for exam week and then sits in Applications for years. Or it breaks right before a test and you need it gone so a fresh copy can go on. This guide covers three ways to remove it from macOS, the leftover files worth checking, how to reinstall it cleanly, and the fixes for a Mac that refuses to delete it.

The 3 ways to uninstall LockDown Browser on Mac, compared

The quickest way to remove LockDown Browser is the Trash; the most thorough is the Trash plus a check of your Library folders. An uninstaller app sits in between: it does the searching for you.

Before you uninstall: run LockDown Browser once, then quit

Respondus's uninstall article says to always run LockDown Browser one more time and quit it right away before you remove it. It takes 30 seconds, so do it. If the app is stuck and won't quit, press Option-Command-Esc, which opens Force Quit on a Mac, choose LockDown Browser and click Force Quit.

Two more checks save trouble later:

• Don't remove it during an exam window. If any course still has a LockDown quiz coming up, you will need the app again. Uninstalling is fine, but know where your school's download link is first (more on that below).
• Check whether the Mac is yours. On a school- or company-managed Mac you may need admin rights to delete apps. Creighton University's help page, for example, tells students on university Macs to request admin rights first and to reinstall from the school's Self Service app rather than the web.

Way 1: Delete LockDown Browser by dragging it to the Trash

Dragging LockDown Browser from Applications to the Trash and emptying the Trash removes the app itself. It's the method in Respondus's own Mac instructions and the standard way Apple describes uninstalling apps that don't come with their own uninstaller.

1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
2. Choose Applications in the Finder sidebar. If it isn't there, open Finder > Settings > Sidebar and tick Applications.
3. Find LockDown Browser. Type "lockdown" in the search field at the top right if the list is long, and make sure the search is set to Applications, not This Mac.
4. Drag LockDown Browser onto the Trash icon in the Dock. A right-click on the app offers Move to Trash too, or select it and press Command-Delete.
5. Enter your Mac's password if macOS asks for it.
6. Control-click the Trash and choose Empty Trash.

Until you empty the Trash, the app isn't really gone. Apple notes the app is permanently removed the next time the Trash is emptied, and you can still pull it back with File > Put Back before then.

When I took an online certification exam last year, I installed LockDown Browser the night before, finished the test the next morning, and dragged it to the Trash that same afternoon. For a one-off exam, that's all most people need.

Way 2: Remove LockDown Browser completely, leftover files included

A complete removal means trashing the app and then deleting the Respondus files it leaves in your Library folders. Respondus doesn't publish a list of those files, so the reliable approach is to look in the usual places for anything named "Respondus" or "LockDown". This matters most when you're reinstalling to fix a problem, because old settings can come back with the new copy.

Step 1: Trash the app

Follow Way 1 first, but don't empty the Trash yet. If something goes wrong, you can still put it back.

Step 2: Open each Library folder with Go to Folder

Your user Library folder is hidden by default, so the fastest way in is Go to Folder. In the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder, or press Shift-Command-G. Type a path, press Return, and the folder opens. A path starting with ~ is your own home folder; one starting with / is the whole Mac.

Check these folders one at a time:

• ~/Library/Application Support
• ~/Library/Preferences
• ~/Library/Caches
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents
• /Library/Application Support
• /Library/Preferences
• /Library/LaunchAgents
• /Library/LaunchDaemons
• /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools

Step 3: Trash anything named for Respondus or LockDown

In each folder, type "Respondus" in the Finder search field, set the search scope to that folder (click its name next to Search: at the top), and drag any match to the Trash. Repeat with "LockDown". Preference files are often named after an app's identifier, which for LockDown Browser is com.Respondus.LockDownBrowser. Recent Mac versions of LockDown Browser also list a helper tool called com.Respondus.LDBHelperTool, which is why the system-wide LaunchDaemons and PrivilegedHelperTools folders are on the list. If a folder has nothing with those names, move on; not every version leaves something everywhere.

Step 4: Check background items and camera access

Open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. Apple lists apps allowed to run in the background there. If LockDown Browser or Respondus still shows up, turn it off or remove it.

If you took exams with a webcam, also open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and switch off LockDown Browser in the list. Do the same under Microphone. A deleted app usually drops off these lists on its own, but this is the place to check.

Step 5: Empty the Trash and restart

Empty the Trash, then restart the Mac. A restart makes sure nothing from the old install is still running, and it's the step Creighton's guide puts before reinstalling.

The last time LockDown Browser refused to open on my Mac the morning of a test, trashing the app alone didn't fix it. What worked was going through these folders, deleting the Respondus files, restarting, and installing a fresh copy from the school's link.

Way 3: Use an uninstaller to remove LockDown Browser

An uninstaller app finds an app's related files for you, which saves browsing Library folders by hand. There are two kinds worth knowing.

The LockDown Browser installer's own Remove option

Respondus describes running the installer again and choosing Uninstall/Remove as a fallback on Windows. Its Mac instructions only mention the Trash. If you still have your school's installer and it offers a remove option when you open it, go ahead and use it. If it doesn't, use Way 1 or Way 2 instead.

A general Mac uninstaller

AppCleaner is a small Mac app built to thoroughly uninstall unwanted apps. Its current version needs macOS 15 or later; on an older Mac, use Way 2 instead.

1. Download AppCleaner from its developer's site and open it.
2. Drag LockDown Browser from Applications onto the AppCleaner window.
3. Review the list of files it found. Untick anything that doesn't belong to Respondus.
4. Click the remove button, then empty the Trash.

Paid cleaner suites such as CleanMyMac have uninstallers too. I wouldn't buy one just for LockDown Browser; Way 2 takes ten minutes and costs nothing. If you already own one, though, it's the quickest route.

How to reinstall LockDown Browser on Mac the right way

Reinstall LockDown Browser only from the download link your school or exam provider gives you. Each license comes with its own link: Park University's help page says its link is unique to the institution, so a copy from another school's link may not work for your exams.

1. Remove the old copy with Way 1 or Way 2 and restart the Mac.
2. Find the download link in your course page, your learning management system (Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace or Moodle) or your exam confirmation email.
3. Download the installer and open it from your Downloads folder.
4. Follow the prompts and enter your Mac's password when asked.
5. Open LockDown Browser once before exam day, so any camera or microphone permission prompts come up when you're not under the clock.

Check that your Mac is supported before you install. As of February 2026, Respondus lists macOS 12.0 or later, 2 GB of RAM and 200 MB of free disk space, with at least 4 GB of available memory for exams that use a webcam.

I keep the school's LockDown download link pinned in a note with the exam dates. Reinstalling the next term then takes two minutes instead of a search through old course pages.

LockDown Browser won't delete on your Mac? Fixes to try

If macOS won't move LockDown Browser to the Trash, the app is usually still running or you don't have permission to delete it. Each message below has its own fix:

• "The item can't be moved to the Trash because it's open." Quit LockDown Browser, or press Option-Command-Esc and force quit it. Apple's guide says that if quitting doesn't help, restart or start up in safe mode and try again.
• macOS asks for an administrator name and password you don't have. The Mac is managed by a school or employer. Ask their IT help desk to remove it, or use their Self Service app if they have one.
• The app comes back after you delete it. On a school-managed Mac, the school's management software may be putting it back. That's IT's call, not a fault on your Mac, so ask them.
• LockDown Browser is gone but the exam page still asks you to install it. That's expected. The quiz requires the app, so you'll need to reinstall it from your school's link to take the test.
• The new install still misbehaves. Remove it again with Way 2, restart, and install once more. If it still fails, contact your school's help desk or Respondus support with the version number and your macOS version.

Should you delete LockDown Browser at all?

Delete LockDown Browser once you have no more exams that require it. It's built for one job, locking down your Mac while you take a test, so there's little reason to keep it around between terms. The only reason to hold on to it is an exam coming up soon: a fresh install the night before a test is one more thing that can go wrong.

My own habit is to delete it the week classes or a certification program end, and to note in my calendar where the download link lives. If you'd like to tidy up other apps the same way, the steps in how to remove My Inbox Helper from a Mac cover login items and browser leftovers, and why you can't delete the Mail app explains which built-in apps macOS protects.

Quick checklist

• Open LockDown Browser once, then quit it.
• Drag it from Applications to the Trash.
• For a clean reinstall, search your Library folders for "Respondus" and "LockDown".
• Turn it off in Login Items & Extensions and Privacy & Security if it's still listed.
• Empty the Trash and restart.
• Reinstall only from your school's own link.