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Guide: Uninstall Programs/Apps on a Mac – Guide
macOS does not have a built-in uninstall function, which can lead to some difficulties when uninstalling the program. For a complete uninstall, you’ll not only need to remove the app, but also all your logs, caches, and other leftovers stored in your Mac’s hidden folders. We all know that: you downloaded Ever note or Gimp or Microsoft Office because you thought you could be fun – even useful – but you haven’t used it, something better has come out or you’re bored and it’s time to go. Don’t worry – uninstalling a macOS app is a simple process that takes just a few seconds.
Move apps to trash
The simplest way to delete an app from your Mac is to drag the app’s icon to the Trash. Note that you must do this in the Applications folder in the Finder; you cannot drag the app icon from Launchpad or Dock to the Trash.
Then Control+click the Recycle Bin icon in the Dock and select Empty Recycle Bin to permanently delete the application. If you are unable to empty the Trash, you can usually fix the forced emptying of the Trash. This method eliminates all application files in the Applications folder, which can sometimes be more than just the application itself. To see the contents of an app, Control+click it and choose Show Package Contents.
While most apps are completely uninstalled using this method, other apps may leave the library or other related files behind. To get rid of everything from a particular application, use the next method.
Use AppCleaner to delete apps entirely
macOS handles application files in two different ways. In addition to the application itself, there are linked files that are distributed across the file system. They can be located in the library folder or in an associated folder in a completely different location. To completely uninstall an app, you also need to delete the associated files (junk). This will save space on your Mac and your system will run more easily.
AppCleaner is a free utility that you can use to delete all related files from an app. After opening AppCleaner, you will see a blank area where you can drop any app you want to uninstall. You can also use AppCleaner to delete unwanted apps that came with your Mac, such as: B. iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, and more. click on the list button on the toolbar to see a list of all your installed apps. You can also search for an app above.
The best part of AppCleaner is the transparency it brings to the uninstall process. Click on an application name and you will see a list of all its associated files. The application will automatically select related files that can be safely deleted. You can even scroll through the list and select other files that you think are no longer crucial. Then just click the Remove button. button to delete the app and its related files.
Automate the process with AppCleaner’s Smart Delete
If you’re the type of person who is always trying out new apps and regularly uninstalling apps, it might be worth it to automate the entire process of removing the associated junk files. This is where AppCleaner’s SmartDelete functionality comes into play.
Start by opening the AppCleaner Preferences panel and switch to the SmartDelete tab. Then switch the switch to ON. Now when you move an app to the Trash, you will see a pop-up asking if you want to move the associated files to the Recycle Bin as well. Just uncheck the items you don’t want to delete and select Remove.
Use dedicated app uninstallers
When you download apps from certain companies, they come with their own installers. These applications install their own help and update utilities, which makes it much harder to completely uninstall them.
Adobe, in particular, makes the process unnecessarily complex. Even if you delete an Adobe application, the helper utility and menu bar application will still say put. Even using an app like AppCleaner will not be useful in these cases.
The only way to get rid of apps like this is to use your own uninstaller. First, open Spotlight (or Finder search) and search for the application name followed by “uninstaller”. If you find one, open it and start the uninstall process. If you can’t find it on your Mac, do a Google search. Some apps allow you to download an app-specific uninstaller to remove them.
Uninstall apps on a Mac using the terminal
Terminal is a powerful tool to solve problems with your own hands. Instead of downloading and relying on a third-party app, you can get the job done with just one command.
Even if you’re not a Terminal ninja, you can still use a simple command to uninstall an app (learn more in our Terminal for Beginners guide) Just open Terminal in Applications> Utilities and type the following command: sudo uninstall file: //
Then drag the app’s icon to the Terminal window and it will automatically enter the app’s path. Equal to:
sudo uninstall file: ///Applications/vlc.app
Press Enter (the third slash before Apps is normal), enter your password and Terminal will uninstall the app for you.
If you have a problem, use the following command:
sudo rm -rf
Add a single space to the final from the command and drag the application to Terminal to enter the path before pressing Enter. As an example:
sudo rm -rf /Applications/vlc.app
Search and delete app files from the Library. App assets are stored in the Library folder. These are files that an application requires to function correctly. When you delete an app on your Mac, related or associated files in the Library folder usually remain in place unless you’re using App Cleaner. Messing with Library files can be dangerous. If you delete a file that is crucial for macOS, it can result in crashes and data loss. But if you know what you’re doing and only want to exclude specific files related to an application, follow the steps below:
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