Depending on the application and the installation method, you may be able to completely uninstall apps from macOS by simply dragging the .app bundle into the trash. However, that typically leaves behind at least a few preference files. In some cases it can leave behind gigabytes of data.
1: Uninstallers
If possible, you should always default to using the applications uninstaller, if it has one. Applications with web service components, like Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office 365, should be removed according to the instructions on the developer’s website.
If you’re unsure what kind of uninstall procedure your application requires, you can search the name of the application followed by “uninstall.” This will typically provide a page by the developer describing the uninstall procedure.
If you can’t find anything like that, then the uninstall process is likely trival. Dragging the icon to the trash likely removed the majority of the files, but you can dig further to try and delete even more.
How to completely remove a program from a Mac. There are a few occasions when the above may not be enough. Some apps might have a few preferences or other files scattered around your Mac. Launchpad shows you all of your currently installed applications but only allows you to remove the programs you downloaded through the App Store. To check whether you can uninstall the program through Launchpad, click and hold the icon and check for a floating 'X' above the icon. If the 'X' is present, click it to remove the.
2: Move to Trash
Depending on the application and the installation method, you may be able to completely uninstall apps from macOS by simply dragging the.app bundle into the trash. However, that typically leaves behind at least a few preference files. In some cases it can leave behind gigabytes of data. 1: Uninstallers If possible, you should always. For total elimination of the app along with its junk files (associated files and folders), you need to delete it through third-party programs like AppCleaner. Uninstalling Mac Apps Using Extra Tools (for Junk Files/Cache) One of the most unsettling issues on OS X is that when uninstalling apps, a lot of unwanted files get left behind.
On macOS, applications generally like to stay inside their .app bundle. Compare this to Windows, where an installer can spew files across the system in dozens of arbitrary locations. Although, this happens with some Mac apps as well, as you’ll see if you try to manually uninstall more complex applications.
If an app is simple and self-contained, you can delete its most essential components by simply dragging the application’s icon to the trash. While this will delete everything within the app bundle, it won’t delete any preference files for the applciation, nor can it affect any files created by the application for its own use but stored outside of the app bundle. A program like an email client, for example, might store gigabytes of email data outside of the app bundle. How to remove dots from apps macbook. Simply deleting the app bundle from the Application’s directory wouldn’t do anything to affect that.
The good news is that applications purchased from the Mac App Store can be deleted this way most reliably. You can also delete Mac App Store app in the Launchpad view, where you can click and hold to reveal “x” icons on uninstallable apps from the Mac App Store.
Of course, dragging to trash won’t be enough for major applications, which tend to leave files throughout your operating system.
3: App Cleaner
The easiest way to completely uninstall a game on the Mac is with App Cleaner. It works by searching for files associated with the app bundle and deleting everything together at the same time. You can download and install App Cleaner for free, but it costs $10 to unlock the core file-deletion functionality. With the free version of App Cleaner, you can search for apps but not uninstall them.
1. Open App Cleaner.
2. Type the name of the app you want to delete in the search bar at the bottom of the app list.
3.Select the application features you want to remove.
4. Click “Remove” to wipe all selected files from your drive.
By following the connections in application data and preference lists, App Cleaner is able to reliably dig up obscure, difficult-to-spot connections upon uninstallation.
4: Manual Removal
App Cleaner is useful because not all applications are entirely contained within their app bundles. While some apps can be deleted simply by deleting the .app bundle, not all apps are so well-organized or simplistic. Where are all the files stored? That’s exactly the question you have to answer when it comes to manual removal. If you want to dig up all the files associated with the target application on your own, you’ll need patience and a sharp eye.
Possible Library Folder Locations
To completely uninstall an app from macOS manually, you’ll need to look for files associated with the application in the following folders. Within each folder, look for the name of the application and the name of the company that created it. For example, if you were trying to uninstall Word manually, you would look for both Word and Microsoft.
- /Library
- /Library/Application Support
- /Library/Preferences
- /Library/LaunchAgents
- /Library/LaunchDaemons
- /Library/PreferencePanes
- /Library/StartupItems
- ~/Library/
- ~/Library/Application Support
- ~/Library/LaunchAgents
- ~/Library/Preferences
- ~/Library/PreferencePanes
- ~/Library/StartupItems
Additional Locations
You’ll also need to look for any related kernel extensions. Known as “kexts,” kernel extensions are the drivers of the macOS world. A kext extends the communication ability of the kernel, adding new methods of interfacing with the system. You’ll find them installed in “/System/Library/Extensions,” and you’ll need to search thoroughly for anything related to your application. When you’re ready to remove the kexts, you’ll need to use sudo rm.
You may also find files in the “~/Documents/” folder. This is especially true of applications and games that are ported from Windows to macOS. Storing user files in the Documents folder is a standard, and perhaps annoying, behavior on Windows, and that’s easily transferred to macOS.
Other more complex applications can deposit files in less typical locations. If you install a different shell, for example, you’ll find hidden files and folders associated with that shell in your home directory. With Finder foremost, press Command + Shift + . to reveal hidden folders. Delete any associated files or folders from your home directory.
Conclusion
In most cases simply deleting the app bundle is enough to uninstall an app from your Mac. Complete removal is best when the app has large helper files, or you’re attempting to fix some sort of problem by reinstalling the application.
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Quick question – how do you uninstall programs on Mac?
If your answer is to drag the app to the Trash, we’re sorry to say that you’ve been doing it wrong.
You probably know or guess that you can remove apps by dragging them to the Trash bin, but it is not quite so. Dragging normal files like documents and movies to the Trash works fine. But doing the same for apps leaves gigabytes of leftover junk files on your hard drive. We’re going to show you what gets left behind and what you can do to completely uninstall apps from here on out.
How to uninstall on Mac
If you are trying to delete an old application, reinstall a corrupted software or just free up disk space on your Mac, removing all components of the program is important. These include the app, its preferences and support files, and sometimes other hidden files.
To completely uninstall a program on Mac you have to choose one of three options:
- Using Trash.
- Using Launchpad.
- Using a native uninstaller
The ways mentioned above include navigating your Mac’s in search of the apps you want to remove and then locating their remaining data. The latter can take even more place than the app itself and can be stored anywhere in your folders.
I prefer clearing my Mac from apps using special software made for this particular task - CleanMyMac X. It’s Uninstaller feature, is an app-killer that sweeps away any program you don’t want on your Mac and clears remaining junk.
Now let’s go ahead and delete some apps!
1. Uninstall Mac apps using Trash
Whether you're running macOS Catalina or an earlier macOS, like Mojave or Sierra, the process of manually uninstalling remains relatively similar. Here’s what you need to do:
- Open Finder.
- Go to Applications.
- Choose the app you want to delete.
- Press Command + Delete (⌘⌫).
- Open Trash.
- Click the Empty button in the upper-right corner of the window.
And the app is gone.
Even uninstalling apps on macOS Catalina requires getting rid of leftovers, despite the fact that it's the latest and the most sophisticated system for Mac. Apple has done such a good job on macOS 10.15 but left this unfortunate issue unresolved for another year.
To completely remove programs from Mac manually, you have to find all the associated files that come along with the app. That means not just dragging the app icon to the Trash from your Applications folder, but searching the depths of the system files on your Mac.
We’re going to reveal the locations of the most common files that are associated with apps. To remove the app leftovers from your Mac just navigate to each of these folders and hunt for the app you want to remove. If you find files with the app name you can send them to the Trash.
So, when uninstalling any software, you have to go over each of these folders one by one and remove the following:
- Binary and dock icons are located in
/Applications/
- Application support files are located in
~/Library/Application Support
- Support Caches can be found in
/Library/Caches/
and~/Library/Caches
- Plugins are located in
~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/
- Library can be found in
~/Library/
- App preferences are located in
~/Library/Preferences/
- Crashes are found in
~/Library/Application Support/CrashReporter/
- App saved states are located in
~/Library/Saved Application State/
There are many more hidden files, some of which cannot be accessed by the user. And macOS/OS X will prevent you from deleting some app files.
As you can see, it's not that easy to uninstall applications Mac doesn't need, even when you know what to do. By the way, be sure to look for the name of the app in the file names of the files you remove. Don’t remove anything you don’t know! Do your due diligence before removing something from your system.
When you delete software on Mac manually, be sure only to remove an app file or folder when you’re sure of what it is. Look at the name very carefully before you nuke it. Removing the wrong files could cause problems with your system.
Remember, please be careful when deleting system files — you never know how it will affect your Mac if you remove the wrong ones (or the right ones for that matter!).
2. Uninstall Mac programs with Launchpad
How to uninstall on Mac by using the Launchpad? It's easy and this manual method works like this:
- Click Launchpad icon in your Mac's Dock.
- Find the app you want to delete.
- Click and hold the app until it starts shaking.
- Click X in the top-left corner of the app icon.
- Click Delete.
This will uninstall the app from your Mac. However, keep in mind that after removing the program, you should also delete its leftovers as we've described above.
Can't delete apps on Mac?
Unfortunately, manual methods won’t get everything. Some apps are pre-installed macOS components and protected by the system while others will refuse to delete because they are already open (even though that’s often not true).
So, how to delete the apps on Mac that won't delete? You can try the manual removal after force quitting the app in question (press Command-Option-Esc and if the app is on the list shut it down) or rebooting your Mac.
If you're still unable to delete apps on Mac or if you’re worried you won't do it correctly and want a safer alternative, there’s the easy method of uninstalling apps from your Mac so you don't have to force delete applications. It actually does a better (and safer) job and in a fraction of the time. Read on to learn how to delete apps on Mac automatically.
3. Uninstall apps with CleanMyMac X
When I referred to the easy method of uninstalling apps, I meant using CleanMyMac X. As for me, deleting apps is a pretty tiresome task. I’ve always put away this chore, as it will waste a huge amount of my time. But, my Mac was running low on free storage, so I decided to try CleanMyMac X to fix this problem and uninstall programs on Mac with ease. I used the Uninstaller module to get rid of multiple apps at once. Here’s what you need to do:
- Download CleanMyMac X, install, and launch it (it takes less than a minute).
- Go to Uninstaller.
- Choose All Applications.
- Check the boxes next to the app you want to remove.
- Press Uninstall.
As you can see, CleanMyMac X shows precisely how much place each app takes, so it’s easier to detect the heaviest programs. Another benefit is that you can bulk uninstall programs on Mac without dragging each app and its files to the Trash.
Is it possible to delete system files on Mac?
CleanMyMac X doesn’t let you delete system apps like Safari. Neither of Mac cleaners can do that. But, CleanMyMac X allows you to delete the data associated with system apps and reset them completely. Click CleanMyMac X’s menu in the upper-left corner and choose Preferences. Go to Ignore List and click Uninstaller. Here uncheck the box next to “Ignore system applications.”
Now, you can close Preferences and go back to Uninstaller. Click ► next to the app's icon to show its files. Then check the data you want to delete and choose Reset from the drop-down list next to the app’s icon. Then press Remove.
It will help to clear some space on your Mac. Note that your app logs may also disappear after the reset.
4. Use the native uninstaller
Uninstall Apps On Mac Os
Many applications are designed to clean after themselves. They come with a built-in uninstaller — a self-destroying utility bundled with the main app. This is mostly true for third-party apps that you download from the internet. That’s why native uninstallers remain more of a Windows thing, not much heard of in the Mac world.
The original uninstallers can be found in Finder > Applications. If your app looks like a folder (within the Applications folder) most likely it will have a separate uninstaller. The name will read [Your app] Uninstaller or Uninstall [Your App].
The original uninstallers can be found in Finder > Applications. If your app looks like a folder (within the Applications folder) most likely it will have a separate uninstaller. The name will read [Your app] Uninstaller or Uninstall [Your App].
Open the folder, find the launcher, and just follow the onscreen instructions. After the removal is complete, you can enjoy your extra storage space!
Clear app leftovers: preferences files and caches
No sane developer wants people to delete their application. As your desperate ex, they would do everything to stay on your Mac, like planting pieces of their software around your Mac so one day they can return. Support files, preference files, and caches — all these will likely remain even if you’ve deleted the app itself.
Here I’ll show you how to root out these remaining traces. I’ll use the Telegram app as an example.
Here I’ll show you how to root out these remaining traces. I’ll use the Telegram app as an example.
Delete application support files
Click on Finder > Go to Folder… (in the upper menu).
Paste in:
Paste in:
~/Library/Application Support/Your App Name
How To Uninstall An App On Mac
In my case it's:
~/Library/Application Support/Telegram
How To Delete Apps On Mac
Now, delete the content of this folder.
Delete application Preferences
The Preferences folder contains your user settings. These files are tiny but there’s no reason not to delete them, just out of principle.
Click on Finder > Go to Folder…
Paste in:
Click on Finder > Go to Folder…
Paste in:
~/Library/Preferences/
Open the folder. Now type the name of your app in the search bar. Click to search 'Preferences.” Delete the found items.
Delete the caches
In the same vein, you’ll have to delete the remaining app caches.
This time, use the following command to paste in Finder > Go to Folder..
Paste this:
This time, use the following command to paste in Finder > Go to Folder..
Paste this:
~/Library/Caches/Your App Name
Note: In some cases, you need to search for the app developer's name, rather than the name of the app.
Delete leftovers with CleanMyMac X
If you’ve been doing a 'spring cleaning' in your Applications folder, chances are some files are still left somewhere in your Mac’s system. CleanMyMac X detects and collects them into the Leftovers tab.
https://attree366.weebly.com/ultraviolet-apps-for-mac.html. Go to Uninstaller once again and select Leftovers. Select all the remaining files and press Uninstall to say goodbye to the app remains.
Now you are just as good at uninstalling applications on Mac as any Apple engineer. Hopefully, you now have plenty of free space. Don't miss a few related articles below.