EmailOS Complete Uninstallation Guide

This guide provides comprehensive instructions for completely removing EmailOS from your system, including all configuration files, email data, and system traces.

TL;DR - Quick Complete Removal

bash

# One-command complete uninstallation with backup
mailos uninstall --backup

# Or force removal without confirmation
mailos uninstall --force

Understanding EmailOS Data

EmailOS stores data in several locations:

Primary Data Location

~/.email/ - Main directory containing:
- config.json - Account configuration and credentials
- sent/ - Copies of sent emails
- received/ - Synced received emails
- drafts/ - Draft emails
- .license - License information

Secondary Locations

.email/ - Local project configurations (optional)
EMAILOS.md - AI integration files in project directories

Complete Uninstallation Methods

Method 1: Built-in Uninstall Command (Recommended)

EmailOS includes a comprehensive uninstall command that handles all cleanup automatically:

Basic Uninstallation

bash

# Interactive uninstallation with confirmation
mailos uninstall

# Silent uninstallation without prompts
mailos uninstall --force

# See what would be removed without doing it
mailos uninstall --dry-run

Advanced Options

bash

# Create backup before removal
mailos uninstall --backup

# Specify custom backup location
mailos uninstall --backup --backup-path ~/Desktop/emailos-backup

# Keep email data, only remove configuration
mailos uninstall --keep-emails

# Keep configuration, only remove email data
mailos uninstall --keep-config

# Minimal output
mailos uninstall --quiet

Method 2: Package Manager + Cleanup

If you prefer using your package manager:

npm

bash

# Uninstall binary (will prompt for data removal)
npm uninstall -g mailos

# If prompted, choose to remove data or clean up manually later

Homebrew

bash

# Remove binary
brew uninstall mailos

# Clean up remaining data
mailos cleanup  # if command still works
# OR manually: rm -rf ~/.email

Manual Binary Removal

bash

# Find and remove binary
sudo rm $(which mailos)

# Clean up data
rm -rf ~/.email

Handling Orphaned Data

Sometimes EmailOS data remains after external uninstallation. EmailOS automatically detects this situation:

Automatic Detection

EmailOS shows hints when orphaned data is detected
Runs periodic checks for orphaned configurations
Provides guidance for cleanup

Manual Cleanup

bash

# Check for orphaned data
ls -la ~/.email

# If EmailOS binary is still available
mailos cleanup

# If binary is gone, download cleanup tool
curl -L https://github.com/anduimagui/emailos-cli/releases/latest/download/mailos-$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')-$(uname -m).tar.gz | tar xz
./mailos cleanup
rm ./mailos

# Or manual removal
rm -rf ~/.email
find ~ -name ".email" -type d -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null

Backup and Recovery

Creating Backups

bash

# Manual backup before removal
cp -r ~/.email ~/emailos-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Automatic backup during uninstall
mailos uninstall --backup

# Custom backup location
mailos uninstall --backup --backup-path /path/to/backup

Recovering Data

bash

# Check if data still exists
ls -la ~/.email

# Restore from backup
cp -r ~/emailos-backup-YYYYMMDD ~/.email

# Reinstall EmailOS to access recovered data
npm install -g mailos

Verification and Troubleshooting

Verify Complete Removal

bash

# Check for EmailOS binary
which mailos 2>/dev/null && echo "Binary still exists" || echo "✓ Binary removed"

# Check for configuration data
ls -la ~/.email 2>/dev/null && echo "Data still exists" || echo "✓ Data removed"

# Check for local project configs
find ~ -name ".email" -type d 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Check for AI integration files
find ~ -name "EMAILOS.md" 2>/dev/null | head -10

Common Issues

Permission Denied

bash

# If you can't remove ~/.email
sudo rm -rf ~/.email

# If you can't remove the binary
sudo rm $(which mailos)

Partial Uninstallation

bash

# If uninstallation was interrupted, reinstall temporarily
npm install -g mailos

# Complete the uninstallation
mailos uninstall --force

# Remove binary again
npm uninstall -g mailos

Hidden Files

bash

# Check for hidden EmailOS files
find ~ -name ".*email*" -o -name ".*mailos*" 2>/dev/null

# Remove if found
rm -rf ~/.email ~/.mailos ~/.emailos

Process Still Running

bash

# Check for running EmailOS processes
ps aux | grep mailos

# Kill if necessary
pkill -f mailos

Platform-Specific Instructions

macOS

bash

# Standard uninstallation
mailos uninstall --backup

# Manual cleanup
rm -rf ~/.email
rm -f /usr/local/bin/mailos
rm -f /opt/homebrew/bin/mailos

# Check LaunchAgents (if any)
ls ~/Library/LaunchAgents/*mailos* 2>/dev/null

Linux

bash

# Standard uninstallation
mailos uninstall --backup

# Manual cleanup
rm -rf ~/.email
rm -f /usr/local/bin/mailos
rm -f ~/.local/bin/mailos

# Check systemd services (if any)
systemctl --user list-units | grep mailos

Windows

powershell

# Standard uninstallation
mailos uninstall --backup

# Manual cleanup
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:USERPROFILE\.email"
Remove-Item "C:\Program Files\mailos\mailos.exe"

# Check scheduled tasks (if any)
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.TaskName -like "*mailos*"}

Security Considerations

Sensitive Data Removal

EmailOS configuration contains sensitive information:

Email app passwords
License keys
Account credentials

Ensure complete removal:

bash

# Secure deletion (Linux/macOS)
rm -P ~/.email/config.json  # macOS
shred -u ~/.email/config.json  # Linux

# Or use the built-in secure cleanup
mailos uninstall --force

Backup Security

If creating backups:

Store in secure location
Encrypt if necessary
Delete when no longer needed

bash

# Encrypted backup
tar czf - ~/.email | gpg -c > emailos-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz.gpg

# Secure backup deletion
rm -P emailos-backup-*.tar.gz.gpg  # macOS
shred -u emailos-backup-*.tar.gz.gpg  # Linux

Reinstallation

If you need to reinstall EmailOS later:

bash

# Reinstall via npm
npm install -g mailos

# Restore from backup if needed
cp -r ~/emailos-backup-YYYYMMDD ~/.email

# Run setup if starting fresh
mailos setup

Support

If you encounter issues during uninstallation:

Try the automated cleanup: mailos cleanup
Check the troubleshooting section above
Report issues: https://github.com/anduimagui/emailos-cli/issues
Manual cleanup: Remove files manually as documented

Complete Uninstallation Checklist

[ ] Run mailos uninstall --backup
[ ] Verify binary removal: which mailos
[ ] Verify data removal: ls ~/.email
[ ] Check for local configs: find ~ -name ".email" -type d
[ ] Check for EMAILOS.md files: find ~ -name "EMAILOS.md"
[ ] Secure backup if needed
[ ] Update package manager if required

✅ Complete! EmailOS has been fully removed from your system.

EmailOS Complete Uninstallation Guide ​

TL;DR - Quick Complete Removal ​

Understanding EmailOS Data ​

Primary Data Location ​

Secondary Locations ​

Complete Uninstallation Methods ​

Method 1: Built-in Uninstall Command (Recommended) ​

Basic Uninstallation ​

Advanced Options ​

Method 2: Package Manager + Cleanup ​

npm ​

Homebrew ​

Manual Binary Removal ​

Handling Orphaned Data ​

Automatic Detection ​

Manual Cleanup ​

Backup and Recovery ​

Creating Backups ​

Recovering Data ​

Verification and Troubleshooting ​

Verify Complete Removal ​

Common Issues ​

Permission Denied ​

Partial Uninstallation ​

Hidden Files ​

Process Still Running ​

Platform-Specific Instructions ​

macOS ​

Linux ​

Windows ​

Security Considerations ​

Sensitive Data Removal ​

Backup Security ​

Reinstallation ​

Support ​

Complete Uninstallation Checklist ​

EmailOS Complete Uninstallation Guide

TL;DR - Quick Complete Removal

Understanding EmailOS Data

Primary Data Location

Secondary Locations

Complete Uninstallation Methods

Method 1: Built-in Uninstall Command (Recommended)

Basic Uninstallation

Advanced Options

Method 2: Package Manager + Cleanup

npm

Homebrew

Manual Binary Removal

Handling Orphaned Data

Automatic Detection

Manual Cleanup

Backup and Recovery

Creating Backups

Recovering Data

Verification and Troubleshooting

Verify Complete Removal

Common Issues

Permission Denied

Partial Uninstallation

Hidden Files

Process Still Running

Platform-Specific Instructions

macOS

Linux

Windows

Security Considerations

Sensitive Data Removal

Backup Security

Reinstallation

Support

Complete Uninstallation Checklist