Applies to: WAVE

Issue Summary

A normal uninstall of WAVE on macOS may leave behind client data, cache files, saved settings, and the WAVE launcher. This occurrence can cause problems when reinstalling WAVE or when downgrading from WAVE 6.x to an older version such as WAVE 5.x.

This article describes how to perform a complete WAVE client cleanup on macOS.

Resolution

To open the terminal:

1. Press Command + Spacebar.
    
2. Type Terminal.
    

3. Press Return.

   NOTE: You can also open Terminal using: Finder > Applications > Utilities > 
   Terminal.

4. Log out of WAVE completely.

   IMPORTANT: This process removes saved WAVE client settings, cached data, 
   connection information, preferences, and the local WAVE launcher. It does 
   not remove the WAVE Media folder in ~/Movies.

5. Copy and paste the following commands into Terminal:

   sudo rm -rf "/Applications/Wisenet WAVE.app"
   rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Hanwha"
   rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Caches/Hanwha"
   rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Saved Application State/com.hanwhasecurity.wisenetwave2.savedState"
   rm -f "$HOME/Library/Preferences/com.hanwha.Hanwha Wisenet WAVE Client.plist"
   rm -rf "$HOME/Desktop/Wisenet WAVE - Quick Start Guide"

   NOTE: You may be prompted for the Mac administrator password when running 
   the sudo command.

6. Run:

   find "$HOME/Library" /Applications \
     \( -iname "*Hanwha*" -o -iname "*Wisenet*" \) \
     2>/dev/null

   NOTE: If no results are returned, the WAVE client files have been removed.

7. Reboot the Mac, then install the desired WAVE client version.

WAVE Media Folder

The following folder is intentionally not included in the cleanup:

~/Movies/Wisenet WAVE Media

This folder may contain exported video or other media that the user wants to keep. Do not delete it unless the contents are no longer needed.

Optional Automated Cleanup Script

A cleanup script is available at the bottom of this article: wave_mac_clean_uninstall.sh

The script will:

• Detect the installed WAVE client version and build.
• Detect the stored WAVE launcher version.
• Display the amount of Hanwha client data present.
• Stop WAVE processes.
• Remove the WAVE application, launcher data, cache, preferences, and saved application state.
• Preserve the Wisenet WAVE Media folder.
• Verify that the cleanup completed successfully.

Running the Script

To run the script:

1. Save the script into the Downloads folder.

2. Open Terminal and run:

   sudo bash ~/Downloads/wave_mac_clean_uninstall.sh

3. Enter the Mac administrator password, if prompted.

   The script will display the WAVE versions it finds and the files that will be removed.
    

4. When prompted, type PURGE and press Return.

   When complete, the script should display:

   Clean uninstall complete.

5. Reboot the Mac, then install the appropriate WAVE client version.

Running the Script From Another Folder

Use the path to the location where the script was saved. For example:

sudo bash ~/Desktop/wave_mac_clean_uninstall.sh
sudo bash ~/wave_mac_clean_uninstall.sh

WAVE stores a user-level launcher under:

~/Library/Application Support/Hanwha/applauncher/

Removing only /Applications/Wisenet WAVE.app does not necessarily remove this launcher or the associated WAVE user data. A clean uninstall removes those remaining files so a newly installed WAVE client can create a fresh launcher for the desired version.