How To Delete Apps On Apple Mac

Uninstall apps on Mac from Applications folder. For apps that you downloaded from the Mac App Store, you can easily delete them from your Applications folder. 1) Open the Applications folder from your Dock, Finder sidebar, or click Go Applications from the menu bar. 2) Either right-click or hold Control and click the app you want to uninstall. There’s an easy way to remove programs from startup and get your Mac to load faster on launch. The fastest way to turn off startup items on Mac is an app like CleanMyMac X. Download CleanMyMac for free. Open Optimization tab. Click on Login items. From the list of apps, disable the ones you don’t need on startup.

  1. How To Delete Apps On Apple Mac Pro
  2. How To Delete Apps On Apple Macbook Air
  3. How To Delete Apps On Apple Macbook Pro
  4. How To Delete Apps On Apple Macbook
  5. How To Delete Apps On Apple Macbook
  6. How To Delete Apps On Apple Mac
  7. How To Delete Apps On Macbook Air

Whether you’re trying to clear up hard drive space or you just want to get rid of an unused app, uninstalling software is a fairly routine task.

How To Delete Apps On Apple Mac Pro

Luckily for Mac users, the uninstallation process is a lot simpler on macOS than it is on other platforms. In fact, it’s literally drag-and-drop simple. There’s no “Uninstall Programs” menu in Control Panel like there is in Windows.

Having said that, there are a couple of ways you can actually go about uninstalling apps. Here’s what you need to know.

Uninstall Mac Apps Via Finder

The traditional method for uninstalling apps is to use Finder. If you’re running a particularly old version of macOS (or OS X), this is the method you’ll use.

  1. Open a Finder window.
  2. Click on the Applications folder.
  3. Select the app you want to uninstall.
  4. Right-click the application.
  5. In the menu that pops up, click on Move to Trash.

Alternatively, you can simply drag the application directly to the Trash icon. (It’ll be in the bottom-right corner of the Mac taskbar. You may need to hover over the bottom of the display to get it to show.)

Once the app is sent to Trash, there is one more step you’ll need to take to completely rid your computer of it.

This is also the last time to reinstall an app you’ve recently deleted if you changed your mind. Just drag an app from Trash back to the Applications folder. Or right-click on the app in the Trash folder and click Put Back.

But to permanently delete apps from your computer, simply right-click the Trash icon in the bottom-right corner of the menu bar. Then, click on Empty Trash. Depending on how much data is in your Trash can, this could take a moment.

Uninstall Mac Apps from Launchpad

The last method is incredibly simple, but OS X Lion and newer versions of the Mac operating system have an easier method.

First, you’ll need to open Launchpad. There are two ways to go about this.

  • Click the Launchpad icon in the taskbar. It’s shaped like a gray rocket, or six squares.
  • Alternatively, you can use a Multi-Touch gesture. Simply pinch your thumb and three fingers together to display Launchpad.

From here, the process is similar to iOS.

  1. Click and hold the icon of the app you’d like to uninstall.
  2. Wait until the app icon begins to jiggle.
  3. When it does, click the circular black X icon that appears next to it.
  4. You’ll be a prompt asking you to confirm. Click on Delete.

It’s worth noting that the Launchpad method won’t work on every app. Typically, it’ll only show up on apps that you’ve downloaded from the Mac App Store.

Similarly, unlike iOS, you won’t be able to delete native macOS applications like Safari, Mail or Photos.

Using an Uninstaller for Mac Apps

While these methods will cover the vast majority of apps you interact with on a daily basis, there is another method for certain applications.

Although uncommon, some apps will have their own dedicated uninstallers. This is especially true for app suites like Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Cloud.

Basically, these app suites come with an uninstaller app because they tend to install other software or support apps. If you install Photoshop on your Mac, for example, Adobe might install a suite of other apps like Adobe Bridge or Adobe Content Viewer along with it.

To do away with an app suite, you can either hunt down each individual app and delete them separately. Or, you can use the uninstaller app that came with the suite.

Generally, it’s recommended that you use the uninstaller. The official uninstall process will typically clean up app data and other miscellaneous files that might otherwise be left behind.

How to Clean Up Leftover Files

Though this isn’t true across the board, some apps will “leave behind” random bits of data or other files. For the most part, there’s really no harm in this. But these leftover files can take up a bit of space on your drive.

How To Delete Apps On Apple Macbook Air

If you’re particularly space-conscious, you might want to go through the process of cleaning them up.

How to delete apps on apple macbook air

The quickest way to do so is to use a third-party utility app that will automatically locate and delete that leftover data, preference files and caches. An app like AppCleaner is a great choice.

Use AppCleaner to Clean Up Files

AppCleaner is free and incredibly simple to use. Once you download and install it, follow these steps before you uninstall the actual app.

  1. Open AppCleaner.
  2. Drag an application to the AppCleaner window.
  3. It’ll scan and find all associated files.
  4. Be sure to “check” the files and folders that you want AppCleaner to delete.
  5. Click the Remove button.
  6. You’ll usually need to login with an administrator account to authenticate.

Once you do, AppCleaner will move the app and its associated files to the Trash.

AppCleaner also has a “SmartDelete” option that’s located in its Preferences menu. This will save you from having to checkmark each file or folder before AppCleaner removes them.

As with the other methods explained above, you’ll need to empty the Trash before the apps (and their files) are actually deleted from your hard drive.

Manually Clean Up Leftover Files

If you don’t want to use a third-party option, you’ll need to dig around and find those files yourself. It’s not the hardest thing to do, but it requires a bit of know-how.

You will find these leftover bits of data in your Library folder. Here’s how to get to it.

  1. Open a Finder window.
  2. Click on the Go menu in the top menu bar.
  3. Hold down the Option key.
  4. You’ll see a new folder pop up titled Library.
  5. Click on Library.

From here, it’s just a matter of searching out the individual leftover files. They might include application support files, preference files, and caches.

In the Library folder:

  • Application support files will be located in the Application Support
  • Preference files will be located in the Preferences
  • Caches will be located in the Caches

Click on any of the above folders. Then, locate a subfolder named after the app you’ve uninstalled. Occasionally, the folder will be named after the app developer, rather than the app.

You can either delete the individual files within that subfolder, or just delete the subfolder itself.

Overview

SUMMARY: Need a quick and complete method to uninstall applications from your Mac? Read on this tutorial to find how to completely uninstall applications from your Mac.


It is generally believed that uninstalling software on Mac OS X is simple and straightforward - you can just remove apps from the Applications folder; or drag-n-drop a program to Trash; for the application downloaded from App Store, you can directly uninstall it from LaunchPad. Things even go nicer that some Mac app vendors prepare in-built uninstaller programs to help you deal with background components.

Read Also: How To Uninstall Office 2011 for Mac >

However, as a matter of fact, macOS isn't perfect in every respect especially its Self-regulation 'arrogance' may result in negligence. Some applications install their components out of standard Application Package Content folder. Anyone who's had problems installing an Adobe CS application (Adobe Creative Cloud) or removing malware (Symantec/AVG/MacKeeper) will recognize how hard it can be to completely uninstall old applications from Mac. Follow this tutorial to learn how to thoroughly remove unwanted or roguish software on Mac.


How To Uninstall Applications On Mac


Step 1: Completely Uninstall Application on Mac with Prepared Uninstaller

If the app you're trying to uninstall from your Mac has an in-built Uninstaller associated with it, then go ahead to take this advantage instead of starting manual uninstallation immediately. Because the vendor or developer usually knows best about their programs. These apps with big name or switched from Windows OS tend to have one. Take Adobe's Flash Player as an example (What Is Other On Mac Storage).

Completely Uninstall Application on Mac with Prepared Uninstaller

How To Delete Apps On Apple Macbook Pro

Step 2: Completely Uninstall Application on Mac - Drag-n-Drop To Delete

If there is no in-build Uninstaller App available, don't be upset as it's very common for modern applications on macOS. The reason is simple too. Most apps are downloaded from App Store, and this type of app could be uninstalled directly via LaunchPad. So, move on to uninstall your apps manually on your Mac by dragging and dropping to Trash can (App Can't Be Opened Because Apple Cannot Check It for Malicious Software.).

Completely Uninstall Application on Mac - Drag-n-Drop To Delete


Step 3: Completely Uninstall Application on Mac - Check Residuary Files

How To Delete Apps On Apple Macbook

One more step you need to go further is to dig out and get rid of application associated files through Library. After Mac OS X 10.7 (OS X Lion), Apple locked users' access permission from the Library folder - which used to store application resources files. Go unlock it first (How To Uninstall Programs on Mac).

  1. Open Finder > in Menu, click Go > enter ~/Library:
  2. Go inside of each folder and search for any files that are associated with your app. Important: make sure the associated files you're trying to delete is save for removal, otherwise these mistaken deletion will cause trouble on your Mac.
  3. In case you are new to macOS file system, or you have too many file folders, here are some suggested folders you can check primarily. This usually covers most of app leftovers after uninstalling and for sure will save you a large amount of time: Application Support Caches Containers Frameworks Logs Preferences Saved Application State WebKit

Step 4: Completely Uninstall Application on Mac - Omni Remover

How To Delete Apps On Apple Macbook

As you can see, it's not that easy to completely uninstall applications from your Mac. Even Mac savvies may make mistakes to handle this task manually. This is the way Omni Remover comes in. This capable Mac App Uninstaller program comes with powerful Uninstalling engine, which ensures the most complete and efficient App Removal outcomes. Here are the detailed steps (How To Transfer Files Between iPhone and Mac).

Steps:

How To Delete Apps On Apple Mac

  • Step 1:Download and install Omni Remover on your Mac > Launch Omni Remover.
  • Step 2: Click Quick Uninstall to browse the apps that you want to remove. After that, Omni Remover will start scanning your apps and all its associated app files.
  • Completely Uninstall Application on Mac Step 2

  • Step 3: Once it finished, give a check on the scan result to check if they are safe to remove. If you want to keep some kind of data, uncheck that item. After this confirmation, click Clean Uninstall to get this app removed from your Mac.
  • Step 4: After a while, Omni Remover will finish uninstalling your unwanted applications from your Mac.
  • Completely Uninstall Application on Mac Step 4


How To Delete Apps On Macbook Air

The Bottom Line

Have you completely and successfully uninstalled your applications on your Mac? If yes, by doing so, you can remove unwanted apps more thoroughly and reclaim more free storage on your Mac. If our suggestions above doesn't help, drop us a line on our Contact page so we can give you customized Mac App Uninstalling solutions. Good Day~