System extensions remain: Old bug from macOS 15.3 also in Tahoe
An issue from Sequoia that was supposedly fixed is still present in macOS 26 Tahoe. Developers are drawing attention to this.
Little-Snitch deletion attempt under macOS 26: The extension was supposed to disappear too. But it doesn't always.
(Image: Objective Development)
- Ben Schwan
Anyone trying to delete an app in macOS 26 alias Tahoe that contains a System Extension currently cannot expect the latter to actually disappear from the Mac. The creators of the popular network monitor Little Snitch point this out. As developer Norbert Heger writes in the manufacturer's blog Objective Development, the problem already existed in macOS 15.3 (Sequoia). How the regression occurred, that the bug reappears, only Apple knows.
Silent Deletion Failure
Actually, deleting an app with a system extension is supposed to ensure that the latter also disappears – macOS also shows a corresponding dialog for this. "But in many cases, this process fails silently under macOS 26. The extension remains registered in the system," says Heger. For users, this leads to confusion: The app is gone, but the system extension is still loaded diligently and still appears in the system settings. At least theoretically, this can also lead to instabilities because the extension can no longer find its host app – but reports of this have not yet appeared.
Videos by heise
There are several ways to check which system extensions are (still) being loaded. The easiest is a trip to the Terminal – there, you need to enter systemextensionsctl list. If the system extension of the deleted app still appears there under [activated enabled], it is still there and should be removed manually.
Manual Solution via System Settings
Fortunately, manual deletion is simple: In the system settings, go to "General" and "Login Items & Extensions". There, click on "By Category" and you can browse the different extension types – for Little Snitch, for example, these would be the network extensions. Deletion is then done by clicking on the three dots and "Delete Extension".
After that, the problem should be resolved. Whether and when Apple itself will implement a fix is unclear. macOS 26.1 is at least on the verge of release and should appear in October. In any case, Objective Development has already reported the problem to Apple, writes Heger.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(bsc)
