Apple unveils a new MacBook Air during an Apple launch event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Oct. 30, 2018 in New York City. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
Uninstalling apps downloaded from the App Store. This method applies to pretty much any app you’ve downloaded from the Mac App Store. If you’re looking to uninstall one of these apps from your. First of all, you have to deauthorize the Mac from iTunes to prevent it from accessing the content you bought on the iTunes Store, iBooks Store, Mac App Store or the iOS Store in the future. Contained within the app package, simply drag them. To the trash and empty trash. There are a few apps. That do scatter things across the hard disk, but. Most of those that do have some sort of uninstaller. A general rule of thumb, if the app installation was simply. Drag to the Applications folder, then dragging to the trash. Will delete them.
Removing programs from a Macintosh can be very easy. In many cases, all you have to do is drag the application's icon to the Trash. Sometimes, though, applications store the files they need to run in other locations on your computer's hard drive, and finding them can take some detective work. If you are used to the uninstall option in Windows, you have a little culture shock — macOS does not have this feature built in.
Why would you want to uninstall a program? For the same reason you occasionally tidy your office or clean your garage. Clutter breeds inefficiency. Applications take up space on your hard disk and can slow your computer. Also, a new version of a program may not work correctly unless you get rid of the old one [source: Ritchie].
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Most of the time, uninstalling is this simple:
- Exit the program you want to delete.
- Open the Applications folder, which you'll find by opening a new window in the Finder, or clicking on the hard disk icon.
- Drag the icon of the program you want to uninstall to the Trash.
- Empty the Trash.
When files for the application you want to delete are all stored in one location, dragging the icon to the Trash will take care of most of the work. In Mac talk, apps like this are 'bundled.' To see the files in an application's bundle, click on its icon while holding down the Control key. You should see an option that says, 'show package contents.' Uninstalling applications downloaded from the Mac App Store is even easier — just delete the application from the Applications Folder and its accompanying folder in UserLibraryContainers [source: Tanous].
For some other programs, removal is more complicated. When installed, these programs create files in several locations, often in the System Folder. The first step in removing them is to check the program's documentation to see if there is an uninstall utility. If your program has an uninstall utility associated with it, it may have been installed with the program or included on the disk that came with it. If you downloaded a disk image to install the software, sometimes you'll find an uninstaller there. Running an uninstall utility can make removing a program much easier.
You should be aware that removing an unbundled program by moving it into the Trash can leave behind orphan files on your computer. Preferencefiles are usually small and you might want to ignore them if you're just trying to free up disk space. Background files or support files can be larger, especially for multimedia programs like GarageBand [source: MacRumors]. These files are likely to reside in Library folders in your hard drive or Home folder. They will usually be labeled with the name of the program, like Office or Acrobat, or the developer, such as Microsoft or Adobe. You can search for the relevant names using Spotlight, which is included with the Mac OS. Drag the files you find to the trash to get rid of them [source: Tanous]. .
Check out the next page for tips to make your uninstallation go even more smoothly.
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If searching through obscure corners of your computer for what could be hundreds of files sounds like something a machine could do better than you, you're right. There are plenty of software programs that do just that. They're usually your best bet for really cleaning an app off your Mac, and some of them are free. Popular examples include AppTrap, Appcleaner, and AppZapper.
Some of the files that a program might create on your hard disk are invisible. It may be tempting, especially for neat freaks, to find and delete these files. But some files are deliberately hidden because they are essential to the computer's operating system. Deleting the wrong file could land you in deep trouble [source: Landau]. The best advice is not to go where even experienced techies fear to tread. Uninstall utilities can search out and destroy these files, but doing so on your own invites trouble.
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Another important thing to do is empty your Trash when you're finished uninstalling. Moving a program's icon to the Trash doesn't actually remove the files from your hard disk or clear up any space. Only when you empty the Trash is the application really gone.
Here are some other important tips:
- When you install a program, check to see how to uninstall it. Make a note if it has its own uninstall utility or instructions.
- Before you begin any uninstalling process, check to make sure your Trash is empty or contains nothing you might want to save.
- Log on as your computer's administrator whenever you uninstall. If you're uninstalling at work and don't have administrator privileges, you'll have to consult with your tech people [source: Ritchie].
- If you opt for a third-party uninstall utility, look at the features. Some developers charge for their software, but you may not need the bells and whistles. Free utilities may work fine.
- It often makes sense to leave preference files alone. If you ever reinstall the same software, you won't have to set the preferences.
- Suites of software from a developer, such as the Office suite from Microsoft, often share files. Removing the files of one component may affect the others, so it's good to be cautious with these [source: The X Lab].
- If, after you remove a program, the icon is still in your dock, you can get rid of it by simply dragging it off the dock and letting it go [source: Tech-FAQ].
Removing software from your Mac is a lot less of a hassle than cleaning your office or garage. But clearing away computer clutter and making space on your hard disk can be just as satisfying.
Originally Published: Aug 8, 2011
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Sources
- Landau, Ted. 'Tutorial: Now you see 'em, now you don't: Invisible files in Mac OS X,' cnet.com, May 19, 2004. (Feb. 14, 2019) https://www.cnet.com/news/tutorial-now-you-see-em-now-you-dont-invisible-files-in-mac-os-x/
- FacRumors. 'Uninstalling Applications in Mac OS X,' MacRumors.com. (Feb. 16, 2019) https://web.archive.org/web/20170715163609/http://guides.macrumors.com/Uninstalling_Applications_in_Mac_OS_Xp
- Ritchie, David. 'How to Uninstall Mac Programs,' TheMacLawyer.com. October 13, 2010. (Feb. 16, 2019) http://www.themaclawyer.com/2010/10/articles/guest-posts/guest-post-how-to-uninstall-mac-programs/
- Tanous, Jim. 'How to Uninstall & Remove Mac OS X Programs and Applications,' The Mac Observer. Feb. 1, 2013. (Feb. 16, 2019) https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/answers/how-to-uninstall-remove-mac-os-x-programs-and-applications
- Tech-FAQ. 'How to Uninstall Programs on a Mac,' Tech-FAQ.com. (Feb. 16, 2019) http://www.tech-faq.com/how-to-uninstall-programs-on-a-mac.html
- The X Lab. 'Uninstalling applications,' TheXLab.com. (Feb. 16, 2019) http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/uninstallingapps.html
Would like to uninstall programs your won’t use any longer on your Mac computer? Would like to uninstall unwanted programs to tidy your Mac computer? or maybe your want to uninstall a program to fix errors? Here’s the right place you’ve got in.
In this guide you’ll learn how to uninstall the apps those you can or can’t find in the Applications folder manually. Besides you’ll learn how to delete the preferences files of the uninstalled programs to clean your Mac computer. Read on to find how…
Try these tips:
Tip 1: How do I uninstall most apps?
You can find most programs on your Mac computer in Applications folder. And you can uninstall them easily in the folder.
Here’s how you can uninstall the apps you can see in Applications folder:
- On your desktop, click Go to select Applications.
- Right-click on the program you want to uninstall. Then Move to Trash.
Dual screen mac app. The apps you download and purchased from the App Store, you can also uninstall them through Launchpad. See how to do it:
- Click Launchpad on Dock.
- Click and hold the program you want to uninstall until the apps begin to jiggle.
- Click the xDelete button of the app you want to uninstall.
- Click Delete when prompted to confirm the uninstall.
Now the app is uninstalled on your Mac computer.
Tip 2: How do I uninstall the programs I can’t find in Applications?
As you see in Tip 1, it’s easy to uninstall the apps you can find in your Applications folder. But how if the programs you can’t find in Applications? Don’t worry. We’ve got the answer here for you.
How To Uninstall Apps From Mac Mini Laptop
![Google how to uninstall programs on mac Google how to uninstall programs on mac](/uploads/1/3/4/1/134132690/415404599.png)
For those apps you can’t find in Applications folder, there’s particular ways to uninstall them. You can search the particular way in web via the keywords:uninstall [the app you want to uninstall] mac. Go to the official website of the app you’re going to uninstall and it’ll show you how to uninstall the app step by step.
Here’s an example for you to uninstall the Adobe Flash Player: Mac shortcut app switcher.
- Run Chrome or any other browser you use.
- Type uninstall flash player mac and press Enter.
- Select the result with the official Adobe link.
- Follow the instructions on the page to uninstall Adobe Flash Player on your Mac computer.
Tip 3: How do I remove the preferences files of the deleted apps?
If you want to uninstall the programs completely from your Mac computer, you need to remove the preferences files of the deleted apps.
Here’s how you can remove the preferences files of your deleted apps:
Here’s how you can remove the preferences files of your deleted apps:
- On your desktop, click Go to select Go to Folder…
- Type ~/Library and click Go.
- Go to Caches, find your deleted app’s folder and then delete it.
- Back to Library, go to Preferences, find your deleted app’s folder and delete it.
You’re done, you’ve uninstalled apps completely.
How To Uninstall App From Mac Mini
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/3/4/1/134132690/548649743.png)
Tip 4: How do I uninstall programs on my Mac computer automatically?
If you want to remove your apps easier and quicker, a Mac cleaner app can help you. There’re many such tool apps through the Internet, note that find a safe and green one.
How do you uninstall the apps on your Mac computer? Feel free to comment below with your own experiences.