Unable to uninstall Firefox on M2 Mac Mini with Sequoia 15.2

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Level 1

29 points

Unable to uninstall Firefox on M2 Mac Mini with Sequoia 15.2

M2 Mac Mini 2023 running MacOS Sequoia 15.2. Firefox will not open after upgrading to MacOS 15.2. Searching online both Mozilla and Apple recommend uninstalling Firefox by dragging the app to the Trash and reinstalling. However, the Mac won't allow me to drag Firefox to the Trash. There are no Firefox processes running in Activity Monitor and the Firewall is turned off. Also, I'm unable to start Firefox in safe mode. I deleted the Library folder in Application Support for Firefox and still can't open the app or uninstall it. If I attempt to install a new copy of Firefox over the existing app I get the error message shown in the screenshot below. Can anyone suggest how to fix this?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Mac mini (M2, 2023)

Posted on Dec 16, 2024 11:03 AM

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Answer 1

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,210 points

Dec 16, 2024 2:11 PM in response to GeneLand

That message seems to indicate the app is owned by the system. You could try changing permissions on the app to make your user the owner, but you may have to disable SIP to allow it to be deleted. Disabling and Enabling System Integrity Protection | Apple Developer Documentation

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Answer 2

dialabrain

Level 10

136,103 points

Dec 16, 2024 11:06 AM in response to GeneLand

Try selecting Firefox and press command+option+delete.

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Answer 3

GeneLand Author

Level 1

29 points

Dec 16, 2024 7:58 PM in response to Barney-15E

Barney-15E: Thank you so much for your advice. It worked! I checked the permissions on Firefox.app and I was already the owner with read and write permissions. However, I still could not delete the app. I followed your instructions to disable SIP and then restart in normal mode and was then able to delete the app. I re-enabled SIP, restarted into normal mode and was able to install a clean copy of Firefox. It opens normally now and is working fine. Thanks again for this very helpful information.

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Answer 4

dialabrain

Level 10

136,103 points

Dec 16, 2024 11:39 AM in response to GeneLand

You're welcome. Are you on an admin account? You could also try while in Safe Mode.

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

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Answer 5

Mal-S

Level 5

5,062 points

Dec 16, 2024 1:20 PM in response to GeneLand

I'm using Waterfox so I can't offer specific advice but here is the Firefox support page with their standard uninstall procedure. It may be worth posting your question there.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/uninstall-firefox-from-your-computer

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Answer 6

GeneLand Author

Level 1

29 points

Dec 16, 2024 11:31 AM in response to dialabrain

Tried that. It didn't work. Thanks for the suggestion.

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Answer 7

GeneLand Author

Level 1

29 points

Dec 16, 2024 12:38 PM in response to dialabrain

I am logged in as an administrator. I restarted in Safe Mode but I still can't open Firefox or drag it to the Trash. :(

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Answer 8

GeneLand Author

Level 1

29 points

Dec 16, 2024 1:59 PM in response to Mal-S

Mal-S: Thanks for the suggestion. The instructions on the Firefox support page to uninstall Firefox did not work for me but I've posted my question in their support forum.

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