# Moving & uninstalling

## Move to a different Mac

The license step is described in
[Activation](/getting-started/activation/#moving-fregata-to-a-different-mac).
This page covers moving your data along with it.

### 1. On the old Mac: stop Fregata

From the tray: **Stop Frigate**, then **Quit Fregata**. This makes
sure no MP4 is half-written when you copy.

### 2. Copy the data

The two folders that matter are `~/Fregata/config/` (small) and
`~/Fregata/media/` (big). Everything else is regenerated.

```bash
# A tarball is the safest copy method — preserves timestamps and
# avoids macOS extended-attribute weirdness.
tar -czf ~/Desktop/fregata-config.tar.gz -C ~ Fregata/config
tar -czf /Volumes/External/fregata-media.tar.gz -C ~ Fregata/media
```

If your media is huge, `rsync` to an external drive over USB or
Thunderbolt is the path of least resistance:

```bash
rsync -aH --info=progress2 ~/Fregata/media/ /Volumes/External/Fregata/media/
```

### 3. Release the old Mac, activate the new

[fregata.app/manage-license](https://fregata.app/manage-license),
sign in, **Release from this Mac** on the old binding, then
activate on the new Mac with the same email and key.

:::caution
Don't release the license *before* you've finished copying the
data. The release is reversible (you can re-bind the old Mac if
you change your mind), but it's an extra step.
:::

### 4. On the new Mac: install Fregata, *then* restore data

1. Install the app per [Installation](/getting-started/installation/).
2. Launch it. Go through the welcome wizard. **Pick the same folder
   paths** you had on the old Mac (or pick new ones — see below).
3. **Quit** Fregata.
4. Copy / extract your data into the chosen paths.
5. Launch Fregata again.

If you're using new folder paths (e.g. moved from a small SSD to a
big external), set those in the welcome wizard and the launcher will
write them into the UserDefaults. No paths in `config.yml` change.

:::caution[If the media folder's path changed, the database needs repairing]
`frigate.db` stores the **absolute path** of every recording, clip and
paths in the database. So if the media folder ends up at a different
absolute path on the new Mac (a different user name is enough:
`/Users/alice/Fregata/media` → `/Users/bob/Fregata/media`), the entries
still render in the web UI but every video is an empty grey box.

Fregata checks for this on every launch, before Frigate starts, and offers
to repair the stored paths. You can also run it yourself at any time from
**Settings → Troubleshooting → Repair Media Paths…**. Only the database
entries change; no video file is moved, copied, or deleted. See
[Troubleshooting — Recordings, clips and exports show as grey
boxes](/guides/troubleshooting/#recordings-clips-and-exports-show-as-grey-gray-boxes).
:::

## Uninstall

Removing Fregata cleanly takes three steps. The app is not Mac App
Store-distributed, so there's no single uninstall surface — but
everything Fregata writes lives in well-known places.

### 1. Quit and unregister Login Items

From the tray: **Settings → Launch at Login** (toggle off if it's
on), then **Quit Fregata**.

### 2. Delete the app

Drag `/Applications/Fregata.app` to the Trash and empty.

### 3. Delete data and settings

```bash
# All Fregata data — recordings, config, cache, logs.
rm -rf ~/Fregata

# UserDefaults (folder paths, env-var overrides, etc.).
defaults delete com.3rdbitlabs.fregata
rm -f ~/Library/Preferences/com.3rdbitlabs.fregata.plist
```

### 4. (Optional) release the license

[fregata.app/manage-license](https://fregata.app/manage-license),
sign in, **Release from this Mac**. Required if you plan to use the
license on a different machine; nothing breaks if you skip it.

## What you're not deleting

These are *not* removed by the steps above, on purpose:

- **Recordings on external drives** you pointed Fregata at. The
  data doesn't disappear because the app does.
- **Home Assistant entities** from the Frigate HACS integration.
  Disable / remove the integration in HA separately.