How do I uninstall a Service Worker?

Question

Removing Service Workers Programmatically

You can remove service workers programmatically like this:

navigator.serviceWorker.getRegistrations().then(function(registrations) {
 for(let registration of registrations) {
  registration.unregister()
} })

Docs: getRegistrations, unregister

Removing Service Workers Through The User Interface

You can also remove service workers under the Application tab in Chrome Devtools.

You can also go to the URL: chrome://serviceworker-internals/ and unregister a serviceworker from there.

You can do this through Chrome Developer Tool as well as Programatically.

1. Find all running instance or service worker by typing

   chrome://serviceworker-internals/

   in a new tab and then select the serviceworker you want to unregister.

2. Open Developer Tools (F12) and Select Application. Then Either

   Select Clear Storage -> Unregister service worker

   or

   Select Service Workers -> Choose Update on Reload

3. Programatically

if(window.navigator && navigator.serviceWorker) {
  navigator.serviceWorker.getRegistrations()
  .then(function(registrations) {
    for(let registration of registrations) {
      registration.unregister();
    }
  });
}

In Google Chrome, you can go to Developer tools (F12) -> Application -> Service worker and unregister the service workers from the list for that specific domain.

This method is effective in development mode of a site and mostly they run on localhost which is you may need for other project's development.

FYI, in case you are using MacOS Safari browser, there is one way to forcibly unregister a service worker (steps and images for Safari 12.1):

1. Safari > Preferences... > Privacy > Manage Website Data…

2. Enter domain name (ex. 'localhost'), click "Remove"

Note: In addition to service workers, this also will erase all caches, cookies, and databases for this domain.

You should detecte two API in your devices: getRegistrations and getRegistration. The service-worker not has a unique set of APIs in all platforms. For example, some browsers only have a navigator.serviceWorker.getRegistration, no navigator.serviceWorker.getRegistrations. So you should consider with both.