unistall server

Once you install the Server App - it creates a number of services and changes a lot settings - it basically converts your Mac into a server. Uninstalling involves a lot more than just removing the server app. The easiest (and safest) way to revert your machine to pre-server status is to either restore it completely from Time Machine backup - or from a disk image made prior to installing the server. This is probably not what you wanted to hear - but I made this discovery the hard way myself.

If you have not actually run the server setup - you can just move the server app to the trash - but if setup has been run - removing the server app will not remove any of the changes made my the server setup process.

If you want to simply use the server app remotely from another Mac - you can do so - but you have to be careful not to allow the server setup to run. Every time you open the Server App - it will ask you if you want to configure the server. I have not yet found a way to stop it from prompting.

~Scott

Quit the Server application and drag it to the Trash.

Dragging the server app to the trash will appear to work - but when you go to empty the trash - you will see the following message below - and the trash will not empty. A subsequent attempt at emptying the trash will allow the trash to be emptied. Most of the components of the server are still in-fact installed - and will be reinstated when the server app is reinstalled.

When you do in-fact return the server app to the applications folder - opening it will result in having to go through the setup process again - under the assumption that some or all of your previous settings will be retained as well as any service related data. I can only assume that the original poster "tsblackard" is looking to completely remove the Server App and all of it's related services and data - and to the best of my knowledge the only way to do this is to restore the Mac from a backup prior to having set up the server. I suspect it can be removed manually - but not without a lot of hacking - that may or may not prove to be successful.

~Scott

The server data is all saved in one folder or archive file, though I have to admit I can't remember where it is.

Well - I already restored it back from an image - so I am unable to look to see what removing the Server App actually did. I am fairly new to setting up and configuring web servers - so I am learning as I go - thus I am very diligent about making image backups every step of the way - as well as a MacMini dedicated to the server. I had an awful time getting server off of my MacBook Pro - and had to resort to a backup. I suspect at that time - the Server App was still sitting in the trash - and I believe some of the server level services will still in-fact running - even though I had switched off all of the services via the app before removing. The server was continuing to email me about its IP address changing - even though I had move the server app to the trash.

This does not work.