There are many ways to delete apps from your Mac and many reasons to do so. You might be sick of an app, want to get rid of apps you barely use, or want to get rid of useless apps on your Mac. Well, this step-by-step guide will show you five different ways to uninstall apps on a Mac.
Also, the process for uninstalling an app is different depending on whether you got it from the App Store or the web. No matter what, this article shows you all the easy ways to get rid of apps on your Mac. So, let’s get started.
Quick Tip: If you don’t want to go through all the manual ways to uninstall the app, you can just go straight to the last method and click a button to uninstall the app.
1. HOW TO DELETE APPS ON MAC USING LAUNCHPAD
This is one of the most common and easiest ways to get rid of an app you got from the App Store on a Mac. Here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Click on the Launchpad icon in the Dock to open Launchpad.
Step 2: Locate the app you want to delete.
Step 3: Click and hold the app until the icons start wiggling.
Note: Alternatively, you can also press the Option key.
Step 4: Finally, click X in the top-left corner of the app icon to uninstall it from your Mac.
Note: You can’t remove the stock macOS applications.
All done! You have taken the app off your Mac that you don’t want. You won’t be able to get rid of the app you got from the web, though. If you want to know how to get rid of such an app, read on.
2. HOW TO REMOVE PROGRAMS ON A MAC USING FINDER
Using Finder, you can delete apps that you have downloaded from the Mac App Store and the web. The steps are easy to understand and follow.
Note: Make sure the app isn’t running and is closed before we start to delete it. If it isn’t, close the app or force-close it and continue with the steps.
Step 1: Open Finder from the Dock.
Step 2: From the side pane, go to the Applications folder.
Step 3: Locate the app you want to delete. Right-click on its icon and choose ‘Move to Bin.’
So, that’s it. You took the app off of your Mac. But sometimes, the files left over from the apps stay on your Mac. So, follow the steps below to get rid of the app’s leftover files on your Mac.
Step 4: Now, click on the Go menu in the taskbar and select ‘Go to Folder.’
Step 5: Now, you need to go over the below folders manually and delete all the related files from the app.
- ~/Library/Application Support
- ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins
- ~/Library/Preferences
- ~/Library/Application Support/CrashReporter
- ~/Library/Saved Application State
- ~/Library/Caches
- /Library/Caches
Step 6: Finally, right-click on the Bin and select Empty Bin.
With this, the app you deleted is gone from your Mac for good. The next method will help a lot if you are too tired to go through and look for leftover files. Keep reading.
3. HOW TO Uninstall Apps on a Mac USING DEDICATED APP UNINSTALLER
Many programmes, especially ones you download from the Internet, have their own way to get rid of them. So, instead of putting the apps in the Trash without removing any leftover files, you can use the app-specific uninstaller to help you close and remove the app.
So, here’s how to find them to help you delete its main app.
Step 1: Open Finder from the Dock.
Step 2: From the side pane, go to Applications.
Note: The uninstallers will look similar to the main app, and chances are they will be next to each other.
Step 3: If you find one, double-click on it and follow the instructions.
So there it is. Before it deletes itself, the uninstaller will get rid of all the files that are connected to it. But to be safe, we still suggest that you check the rest of the files by hand (as discussed in the previous method).
Tip: If you want to free up more space, here’s how to check and optimize your Mac’s storage.
4. HOW TO Uninstall Apps on a Mac USING TERMINAL
There aren’t many things that can’t be done with Terminal commands. Well, here’s how to use Terminal to get rid of a Mac app.
Step 1: Press ‘Command + spacebar’ on your keyboard to launch Spotlight, type Terminal, and press Return.
Step 2: Type the below command, drag the app icon from the Applications tab on Finder to Terminal, and press Return
Note: Dragging and dropping the app icon lets the Terminal directly copy the path of the application.
Step 3: Hit the Return key on your keyboard and, if asked, enter the admin password.
And that’s the end of it. You were able to get rid of the app from your Mac. But you might still need to delete the leftover file from some places.
So, if you don’t want to go through the trouble of deleting an app and getting rid of any leftover files, the next way to uninstall an app from your Mac would be a big help. Just keep up.
5. HOW TO UNINSTALL APPS ON A MAC USING A THIRD-PARTY APP
AppCleaner, CleanMyMac, CCleaner, and other third-party apps make it easy to get rid of apps you don’t want. In this article, we’ll use CleanMyMac X as an example. So, let’s begin.
Step 1: Go to the App Store and search for CleanMyMac X.
Step 2: Download the CleanMyMac X app, install, and run it.
Step 3: Go to Uninstaller and click on ‘View All Applications.’
Step 4: Click on the chevron (arrow) icon next to the app’s icon.
Step 5: Now, select the data/files associated with the app you want to delete
Step 6: Finally, select the Uninstall option from the drop-down menu available next to the app icon and click on Remove.
All done. Not hard to understand, right? Well, you probably couldn’t find the app you were looking for because it was a system app. So, here’s how to get all the apps into Uninstaller.
How to Get All Apps Into Uninstaller
Step 1: Click the menu in the upper right corner of CleanMyMac X, then click the icon that looks like a gear, and then click Preferences from the drop-down menu.
Note: Alternatively, you can click ‘Command key + ,’ to open app preferences.
Step 2: Select Ignore List from the top navigation.
Step 3: Under Ignore List, select Uninstaller and uncheck ‘Ignore system applications.’
All done. Now, close the Preferences window and go to the Uninstaller tab to see all the apps installed on your Mac, including the system apps. Also, check out the FAQ to find answers to your questions.
FAQS ON UNINSTALLING APPS ON A MAC
This is probably because the app you want to delete is still running in the background. So, you have to Force Quit the app and then try again to uninstall it.
When you uninstall an app, all of its data and the app itself are deleted, and the app is taken off the Launchpad. So, it won’t be able to be used.
No. Every user has their own profile, and other users can’t see each other’s files. That is, when you delete an app on a Mac, it doesn’t get deleted from another user’s account.
REMOVE UNUSED APPS ON A MAC
So, now that you know how to get rid of an app from your Mac, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get rid of the apps you don’t use much to free up space and keep your Mac running like new. You can also learn how to use the Lockdown mode on a Mac to keep your privacy safe.