How to Delete Unused Audio Driver From Mac

Have you ever found an unused audio driver showing within the menu bar on your Mac? Sometimes, after using some audio-based application on your Mac, some audio drivers may be left within the system if you try to delete the app from the device. As a result, you may see the audio driver listed as a device in your audio settings option.

Even if you are completely uninstalling an app from the Mac, some files and folders may be leftover within the system, creating the issue.

If you go to the sound preference of your Mac, you can see the unused and removed application driver showing there. Unfortunately, you can’t delete or remove the item from the settings in this case. So here we are checking the simple way to remove or delete the unused audio driver from the Mac.

Remove Unused and Unwanted Audio Drivers From Mac

Follow the below steps to remove the unwanted and already deleted sound drivers from the Mac.

Step 1: Open the Finder app on your Mac.

Step 2: From the app menu, click on Go and select the Go to Folder option.

Step 3: A popup window will appear, and you need to paste the following path there

/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL

Once pasted, hit enter on the keyboard.

Step 4: It will take you to the audio driver folder.

Step 5: You can see the unwanted audio driver folders you are looking for there.

Step 6: Delete the unused and unwanted sound drivers from the folder.

Step 7: Restart the Mac, and you can see the unused audio drivers no longer listed within the sound preferenced on your Mac.

In this way, you can remove the unwanted audio drivers entirely from the mac machine.

Accessing the Audio Driver Folder Directly on Mac

Rather than accessing the audio driver folder from the Go to Folder option, you can directly access the audio driver folder on your mac machine. To access the audio driver folder directly on the mac machine.

Step 1: Open the finder app

Step 2: Click on the mac machine name from the sidebar (Your Mac Machine’s name)

Step 3: Click on the Machintosh HD folder from the folder list.

Step 4: Go to the following folder to finally reach the Audio Driver folder.

Library > Audio > Plug-Ins > HAL

Step 5: You can finally delete the unwanted audio driver folders in the procedure above.

By following this way, you can completely remove all the unwanted leftover audio drivers from the Mac. Of course, it is always recommended to use any uninstaller app to remove an app from the device since a normal uninstall won’t delete all the files associated with that app. However, a good uninstaller can remove the leftover files quickly and easily.

Issues with Unused Audio Drivers

Unused audio drivers left behind after uninstalling applications can cause various issues:

• No sound output or defaulting to the wrong audio device.
• Potential stability and performance problems if the drivers are not updated with future macOS releases

Alternative Methods for Removal

Using Third-Party Uninstallers

Some third-party uninstallers like CleanMyMac X to remove leftover audio driver files and associated components more thoroughly.

Resetting PRAM/NVRAM

If deleting the driver files doesn’t resolve the issue, resetting the PRAM (Parameter RAM) or NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory) can sometimes help by clearing certain settings and caches.

Troubleshooting Persistent Issues

If the unused audio driver still appears after following the steps, here are some additional troubleshooting tips:

• Install the latest combo update for your macOS version, as it may include updated audio drivers.
• Check for any remaining driver files or folders using Spotlight or third-party disk scanning tools.
• Reset the Sound preferences by deleting the associated plist file in ~/Library/Preferences/.