Can't uninstall Blackhole 2ch

[dudeon41]

Please Confirm

• I have read the FAQ and Wiki where most common issues can be resolved
• I have searched Discussions to see if the same question has already been asked
• This is a bug and not a question about audio routing or configuration, which should be posted in Discussions

macOS Version

macOS 13 Ventura

BlackHole Build(s) Affected

• 2 channel
• 16 channel
• 64 channel
• other/custom build

Describe the bug

Hi, I'm not sure if this belongs here or in the Discussions section, but I'm trying to uninstall Blackhole 2ch, but I must've messed something up somewhere previously, because neither the uninstaller app nor the manual instructions work to uninstall it.

When trying to install the uninstaller app I get the error "The installation failed. The installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance."

When trying to uninstall manually there is no HAL folder at all under /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL and the sudo commands listed on this page: https://github.com/ExistentialAudio/BlackHole/wiki/Uninstallation do not seem to do anything.

Blackhole 2ch is still listed under Audio MIDI setup, Settings > Sound > Output & Input as well as in a couple other apps I use like Ableton and eqMac.

I tried reinstalling Blackhole as well, but get the same error as using the uninstaller app, which is "The installation failed. The installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance."

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Reproduction Steps

Listed above in more detail, but trying to uninstall/reinstall the app or find the current program files.

Expected Behavior

To uninstall the program or remove any existing corrupted files.

Screenshots

No response

[devinroth]

Check to make sure "Installer" has File and Folder permission and Full Disk Access in System Settings->Privacy and Security.

[tconroy]

Hi @devinroth, I don't actually see "Installer" Listed in the File and Folder or Full Disk Access lists. How do we add it?

[teleos93]

Also getting this issue where there is no folder and I can't uninstall it

[hussein-javani]

I tried this and worked for me:

1. cd to the root of the computer ( for example Macintosh HD). you can use cd ~/../.. command when you open the terminal
2. use cd Library/Audio/Plug-Ins to navigate to the main computer audio plugins forlder instead of the user specific one
3. use rm -R HAL to remove the whole "HAL" folder instead of removing the driver file since I could not find any drivers inside the folder. ( the file system does not show the blackhole drivers and I dont know why )
4. use sodu killall -9 coreaudio to reset the audo system.

[devinroth]

Screenshots please. And have you tried restarting your computer? Devin

…

On Aug 3, 2023 at 9:42 AM -0700, victor ***@***.***>, wrote: Also getting this issue where there is no folder and I can't uninstall it — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[tconroy]

Also running into this issue...

1. there is no driver related to blackhole in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL:

❯ ls -lah
Permissions Size User Group Date Modified    Name
drwxr-xr-x     - root wheel 2022-11-28 16:31  MSTeamsAudioDevice.driver/
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL ❯                                                                                                                 03:58:45 PM

2. both blackhole drivers still show in Audio/Midi devices, apps, etc:
   

3. when trying to run the uninstaller, it errors:
   

[devinroth]

Try just restarting your computer. Devin

…

On Apr 21, 2024 at 1:00 PM -0700, Tom Conroy ***@***.***>, wrote: Also running into this issue... 1. there is no driver related to blackhole in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL: ❯ ls -lah Permissions Size User Group Date Modified Name drwxr-xr-x - root wheel 2022-11-28 16:31  MSTeamsAudioDevice.driver/ /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL ❯ 03:58:45 PM 2. > both blackhole drivers still show in Audio/Midi devices, apps, etc: CleanShot.2024-04-21.at.15.59.43.png (view on web) 3. > when trying to run the uninstaller, it errors: CleanShot.2024-04-21.at.16.00.17.png (view on web) — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[tech-n-code]

Use the manual uninstall method rm -R /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/BlackHoleXch.driver (replacing 'x' with version).
Followed by sudo killall coreaudiod instead of sudo launchctl kickstart -kp system/com.apple.audio.coreaudiod to restart the service. Source: https://forums.developer.apple.com/forums/thread/748228

I installed it with Homebrew and uninstalling it the same way would not remove it from brew list so I also had to delete its' folder from /opt/homebrew/Caskroom

[Texula]

Having the same issue now, even downloading the latest version...

[Texula]

Has anybody found a fix?

[devinroth]

Yeah. It’s already in the discussions. Devin

…

On May 1, 2024 at 3:26 PM -0700, Hreniuc Matei ***@***.***>, wrote: Has anybody found a fix? — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[kudatama]

Check if you have the right uninstaller, you can download the uninstaller here: existential.audio/blackhole/support. If you installed BlackHole 2ch, remove it with uninstaller 2ch.

I had the same problem of having uninstallation failure. I thought it was a well-hidden malware, and was gonna stuck there forever. I made a mistake of uninstalling the wrong version. So check if you got the wrong uninstaller; if so, get the right one.

[ihafkenschiel]

This worked for me. Thanks!

[PgmJun]

This worked for me too.
Thank you!

[davidrgmcb]

Running into this issue as well, attempted manual removal, it says that it's gone, used the correct 2ch uninstaller, fails every time. Despite all this, it still shows up as an audio source.

[Texula]

Running into this issue as well, attempted manual removal, it says that it's gone, used the correct 2ch uninstaller, fails every time. Despite all this, it still shows up as an audio source.

Just reboot you computer! It solved the issue for me.

[davidrgmcb]

Tried it, sadly no luck.

[devinroth]

Rogue Ameoba’s ACE driver has been messing with CoreAudio. If you have that installed remove that and see if it fixes the issue. Devin

…

On Jul 20, 2024 at 12:11 PM -0700, davidrgmcb ***@***.***>, wrote: Tried it, sadly no luck. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[davidrgmcb]

Removing the ACE driver did allow me to remove blackhole, thank you so much.

[takechanman1228]

I ran into the exact same issue where the BlackHole driver folder was missing and the uninstaller app kept failing.
My workaround was to re-install BlackHole (which recreated the /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/BlackHoleXch.driver folder). After that, I could manually remove the driver using the sudo rm -rf /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/BlackHoleXch.driver command.

I believe the uninstaller app may have failed, causing the folder to disappear. Hope this helps anyone else stuck with the same problem!