Uninstalling Tunnelblick

On This Page
    Uninstalling Tunnelblick
        To Use the Uninstaller Included in Tunnelblick
        To Use the Separate Tunnelblick Uninstaller Program
        Warnings When Uninstalling
        Errors When Uninstalling
        Problem: "Tunnelblick cannot be uninstalled while it is running"
            1. Disconnecting all VPNs
            2. Quitting Tunnelblick
        Backing Up and Restoring Configurations and Settings

Uninstalling Tunnelblick

Notes:

1. Don't uninstall Tunnelblick to try to fix a problem. You should uninstall only if you no longer want to use Tunnelblick. Uninstalling and reinstalling Tunnelblick almost never fixes a problem. (Simply restarting your computer might help.)

2. Don't uninstall Tunnelblick before updating or reinstalling. You should uninstall only if you no longer want to use Tunnelblick.

3. If you are alarmed by warnings when uninstalling Tunnelblick, please see Warnings When Uninstalling.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

To Use the Uninstaller Included in Tunnelblick

• *If you have Tunnelblick 3.8.5beta02 or later, uninstall by clicking "Uninstall" button on the "Utilities" panel of Tunnelblick's "VPN Details" window and ignore the rest of this page.

• *If you have an earlier version of Tunnelblick, you can first update to Tunnelblick 3.8.5beta02 or later and then click the "Uninstall" button as described above, or follow the instructions on the rest of this page.

To Use the Separate Tunnelblick Uninstaller Program

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.

Warnings When Uninstalling

When uninstalling Tunnelblick on some versions of macOS, the system will show warning windows. You must click the "OK" button in each of the windows to continue the uninstall:

 
However, the third window displayed by macOS is incorrect:

The first two warnings 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.

Errors When Uninstalling

When uninstalling Tunnelblick on some versions of macOS, you may get one of the following errors:

Error in ProcessFile(): 'Not authorized to send Apple events to Finder.' (-1743)

This happens when you have previously answered "Don't Allow" when asked by macOS if you want to allow "Tunnelblick" (or "Tunnelblick Uninstaller") to control "Finder", as described above in Warnings When Uninstalling. Tunnelblick must control Finder to perform some of the operations involved in uninstalling itself. To proceed with the uninstall, you must give Tunnelblick (or Tunnelblick Uninstaller) permission to control "Finder". You can do that in the System Preferences >> Security & Privacy >> Automation. Under "Tunnelblick" or "Tunnelblick Uninstaller", put a check in the box next to "Finder" and make sure there is a check next to "System Events" if it is also listed.

Error in ProcessFile(): 'Not authorized to send Apple events to System Events.' (-1743)

This happens when you have previously answered "Don't Allow" when asked by macOS if you want to allow "Tunnelblick" (or "Tunnelblick Uninstaller") to control "System Events", as described above in Warnings When Uninstalling. Tunnelblick must control "System Events" to perform some of the operations involved in uninstalling itself. To proceed with the uninstall, you must give Tunnelblick (or Tunnelblick Uninstaller) permission to control "System Events". You can do that in the System Preferences >> Security & Privacy >> Automation. Under "Tunnelblick" or "Tunnelblick Uninstaller", put a check in the box next to "System Events", and make sure there is a check next to "Finder" if it is also listed.

Problem: "Tunnelblick cannot be uninstalled while it is running"

If you are using the separate uninstaller program, you must disconnect all VPNs and quit Tunnelblick before uninstalling.

Note: you must disconnect all VPNs first, then quit Tunnelblick.

1. Disconnecting all VPNs

If you are unable to disconnect VPNS normally (from within Tunnelblick), you can disconnect them manually using Activity Monitor:

1. Launch /Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.
2. Click "View", then "All Processes".
3. Sort the list by "Process Name" by clicking on the column heading "Process Name". (Reverse the order by clicking the heading again.)
4. For each process named "openvpn", click on the "openvpn" name, click the "X" button in the toolbar, then click the "Quit" button in the new window.

If, in step 4. above, all "openvpn" processes do not disappear from the list within 35 seconds, repeat step 4. but use the "Force Quit" button instead of the "Quit" button. If you do this, your network settings may be corrupted and you should restart your computer after uninstalling.

2. Quitting Tunnelblick

if you are unable to quit Tunnelblick normally (by clicking the Tunnelblick icon in the menu bar and then clicking "Quit Tunnelblick"), you can quit Tunnelblick manually using Activity Monitor:

1. Launch /Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.
2. Click "View", then "All Processes".
3. Sort the list by "Process Name" by clicking on the column heading "Process Name". (Reverse the order by clicking the heading again.)
4. Click on the "Tunnelblick" name, click the "X" button in the toolbar, then click the "Quit" button in the new window.

If, in step 4. above, the "Tunnelblick" process does not disappear from the list within 35 seconds, repeat step 4. but use the "Force Quit" button instead of the "Quit" button.

Backing Up and Restoring Configurations and Settings

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