TEST

Fix Installation & removal issues - macOS

Articles in this section

How to Remove Sophos Home System Extensions on macOS

Avatar
Sophos Home Support
  • Updated

Overview

System Extensions are used by Sophos Home to provide functionality such as network filtering, web protection, and endpoint security.

If an outdated Sophso Home is causing instlaltion issues, in most cases, you can remove a System Extension. The recommended approach is to use Sophos Home's built-in uninstaller or macOS's standard removal mechanisms.

Before You Begin

  • Make sure you have administrator access to the Mac.
  • Make sure Sophos Home extensions are present, open Terminal, and run 'systemextensionsctl list'. You should see the output below:
  • 2 extension(s)
--- com.apple.system_extension.network_extension
enabled	active	teamID	bundleID (version)	name	[state]
*	*	2H5GFH3774	com.sophos.endpoint.networkextension (10.11.4/36)	networkextension	[activated enabled]
--- com.apple.system_extension.endpoint_security
enabled	active	teamID	bundleID (version)	name	[state]
*	*	2H5GFH3774	com.sophos.endpoint.scanextension (10.11.4/13)	com.sophos.endpoint.scanextension	[activated enabled]

  • If possible, use the Sophos Home's official uninstaller rather than manually deleting System Extension files.

     

Option 1: Use the Application's Uninstaller

The preferred method is to use the uninstaller provided by Sophos Home that installed the System Extension. Please refer to Uninstalling Sophos Home on Mac computers

After restarting, you can verify whether the System Extension has been removed by running 'systemextensionsctl list' in the Terminal.

 

Option 2: Remove or Manage the Extension in System Settings

Depending on the macOS version and the type of System Extension installed, macOS may provide options to manage or remove the extension.

  1. Open the Apple menu in the top-left corner.
  2. Select System Settings.
  3. Select General.
  4. Select Login Items & Extensions.
  5. Review the available extensions and related items.
  6. If macOS provides an option to disable or remove the extension, follow the on-screen instructions.
  7. Restart the Mac if prompted.

Verify Whether the System Extension Has Been Removed

After completing the removal process, open Terminal and run:

systemextensionsctl list

Review the output for the application's System Extension.

For example, when troubleshooting Sophos, verify that no Sophos System Extensions remain listed.

If the extension is no longer listed, the removal was successful.

If the extension is still listed and the application has already been removed, the extension may be orphaned or stuck. and installation continues to fail, please contact Sophos Home Support team for further assistance.

Related articles