# 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. The web UI will re-index the recordings on
   first start; this can take a few minutes for a large library.

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.

## 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.