Help · Mac apps
How to uninstall Cisco Secure Client on a Mac.
Cisco says that removing Secure Client from the Applications folder doesn't fully remove it and can cause problems. Use Cisco's own uninstall script instead.
Work or school Mac? Cisco Secure Client is usually installed by an IT department, and removing it can cut you off from your organisation's network. Ask your IT team first; they may need it installed, or may remove it for you.
Uninstall Cisco Secure Client
- Quit Cisco Secure Client.
- Open Terminal (in Applications › Utilities) and run Cisco's uninstaller below. It asks for your Mac password.
- Restart your Mac.
sudo /opt/cisco/secureclient/bin/cisco_secure_client_uninstall.shCisco also provides scripts to remove single modules in the same folder (for example vpn_uninstall.sh). Older AnyConnect versions use a different folder.
Then remove any leftover VPN configurations: see uninstalling VPN apps.
Afterwards
- Check System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions for anything still named Cisco; see login items. An app that's still in your Trash can stay listed there until you empty the Trash or restart; that's normal macOS behaviour.
- Empty the Trash when you're sure. Emptying the Trash is permanent.
Based on Cisco's own support article, checked October 2026. Menu names can change between versions.
Then check for anything Cisco Secure Client left behind.
Once the app is gone, Pangalin Uninstaller's free Leftovers scan lists files left behind by apps that are no longer installed, by name and size. Apple's files are never included. It also shows where each one is and moves the ones you choose to the Trash in one go, with Undo.
Completely free · No account · Notarised by Apple · Apple silicon, macOS 13 or later