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.
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.
The easiest way to get rig of Mac apps is through the Application menu. Here is the step by step guide: Go to Finder; Click on the “Applications” option on the left menu; Select the particular app that you want to delete; Drag it to “Trash” or Select it and press ⌘+Delete on your keyboard. Uninstall apps on Mac with App Cleaner & Uninstaller. The first way of uninstalling apps is to use a special software App Cleaner & Uninstaller. We recommend this way to most of our readers, and here’s why. App Cleaner & Uninstaller is a special application designed especially to remove programs correctly and completely.
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.
- Open a Finder window.
- Click on the Applications folder.
- Select the app you want to uninstall.
- Right-click the application.
- 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.
- Click and hold the icon of the app you’d like to uninstall.
- Wait until the app icon begins to jiggle.
- When it does, click the circular black X icon that appears next to it.
- 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.
If you’re particularly space-conscious, you might want to go through the process of cleaning them up.
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.
- Open AppCleaner.
- Drag an application to the AppCleaner window.
- It’ll scan and find all associated files.
- Be sure to “check” the files and folders that you want AppCleaner to delete.
- Click the Remove button.
- 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.
- Open a Finder window.
- Click on the Go menu in the top menu bar.
- Hold down the Option key.
- You’ll see a new folder pop up titled Library.
- 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
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How to uninstall programs on Mac computers? If you are familiar with the “Uninstall a program” interface in Windows operating system (OS), then I would tell you it doesn’t exist on Mac OS X. To uninstall a program on Mac OS X, just drag the program icon and drop to the Trash, then right-click and clear it.
But do you know how to uninstall applications on your Mac computer, which don’t have shortcuts/icons (which you can drag and drop to the Trash) or uninstall other built-in system applications?
Uninstalling Mac apps is a simple process and don’t take more than five seconds. However, some apps require you to use Terminal or third party applications to uninstall them.
How To Uninstall Programs On Mac With Classic Way
Uninstalling programs from your Mac computer are probably easier than removing applications from other operating systems, such as Windows or Linux OS.
In Windows OS, you need access to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Pick the application you want to remove > Confirm again > Wait for the process to complete.
See Also: How To Force Quit Mac Apps In Mac OS X?
But in the Mac OS X computer, the uninstall process is simpler. You just need to select the Application that you want to remove (from the Desktop or Finder > Applications).
Next, right-click on the application icon > Move to Trash. Or you can also delete it by dragging the program icon and drop it to the Trash.
After the application has been moved to the Trash, right-click on the Trash and choose “Empty Trash”. The application will be uninstalled.
How To Uninstall Programs On Mac That Don’t Appear In Finder > Applications
With above steps, you have known it’s very easy to remove apps from a Mac computer if they appear in the Application folder or somewhere else which you can “move to the Trash“. But how about applications that aren’t there, such as Java runtime, Flash plugin or browser plugins?
There is no general method to uninstall these apps & built-in features. Instead, you can find appropriate ways to uninstall these programs from Google Search. You can use the search terms: “uninstall [application name] on Mac” with “application name” is the name of the app you want to remove/uninstall.
Uninstall App Store App Mac
For example, Adobe has released a solution to help you removing Flash on your Mac computer, find out here.
Apple Mac How To Uninstall Apps Chrome
How To Completely Uninstall Programs On Mac Computer
You can easily uninstall any unwanted apps on your Mac. However, some of them can leave a few preference files, caches or logs in your hard drive.
If you want to remove a Mac app altogether, try a free program called AppCleaner. This will allow you to uninstall unwanted programs on your Mac computer with its data and related files.
From the “Application” tab of the AppCleaner, you can select a program or widget to remove/uninstall. Check it out!
How To Massive Delete Apps From Mac OS X
Another useful feature of the AppCleaner is allowing you to massive delete apps. To doing so, just select all apps that you want to remove, and then click on the “Delete” button. Don’t need to remove all of them one by one, right?
How To Uninstall Apps On Mac OS X Using The Command Line
Most of users don’t like to use commands in Terminal to do anything because those commands are not easy to remember. They feel not comfortable and will look for solutions which easier to do, such as an app with a friendly and simple user interface. However, using Terminal to removing Mac apps is easier than you think.
Firstly, open Finder, click on the Applications > Utilities, find Terminal application and then launch it.
Next, type:
sudo uninstall file://
Next, drag the program icon from Applications into Terminal window and drop it there. And then press Enter. The application will be uninstalled automatically.
In this case, I use Google Chrome an object to show you how to uninstall programs on Mac with Terminal.
How To Uninstall Programs On Mac That Are Installed Through AppStore
If you have installed any applications from the Apple AppStore, just click on Launchpad, press Option key on your keyboard.
Next, click on the (x) sign and press Delete to remove the app. It will be removed.
In this method, you don’t need to empty the Trash as it will delete the program directly, not moving to the Trash.
If you know any other solutions to simplify the uninstall process? Let me know!
Have any questions about how to uninstall programs on Mac OS X computers? Feel free to ask by leaving your comment below.