How To Uninstall Apps On Mac: A Complete Guide

June 17, 2024
How To Uninstall Apps On Mac: A Complete Guide

We've spent a few years developing macOS apps, and now we have a utility that everyone can use. The comprehensive Mac issue solver.

Here's an easy fix for some of the problems this post mentions: download CleanMyMac. We've included our top suggestions and ideas below to help you do it all on your own, though.

I have a quick question: how may applications be removed from a Mac? It makes sense to just drag an undesired program to the trash, according to logic. But that's not nearly the case. Numerous residual trash files are left on your hard disk when you drag programs to the trash. But fear not—we'll walk you through what remains and how to remove programs from your MacBook.

How to uninstall on Mac?

Uninstall option Effectiveness Difficulty level
Trash Lowif you do not hunt down leftover files.Highif you find and remove all leftovers. Hard— hunting down all leftover files is a time-consuming and difficult task.
Launchpad Similar to removal via Trash. Hard— similar to removal via Trash. Plus, not all apps can be removed via Launchpad.
A native uninstaller High— removes all leftover files securely. Medium— you may need to additionally download the uninstall apps on mac from the developer’s website.
Third-party apps High— complete removal with no leftover files remaining on your Mac. Easy— usually, it is a one-click and rapid solution.
Terminal High— complete removal of an app and all related files. Hard— requires the knowledge of command line tools.

You can manually intervene in the manner listed above. But don't worry, we'll go over every step you need to do in this post. Now let's remove a few applications!

1. Uninstall Mac apps using Trash

Regardless of the macOS version you're using—Catalina, Mojave, or Sonoma or Ventura, for example—the procedure for manually deleting programs is much the same. What you should do is as follows:

  1. Open Finder > Applications.
  2. Choose the app you want to delete.
  3. Press Command + Delete (⌘⌫).
  4. Empty the Trash by clicking the Empty button in the upper-right corner of the window.

The app has vanished as well.

Even though Apple has improved the deinstallation process so much in recent macOS versions, removing remnants is still necessary when uninstall apps on mac.

In order to manually delete apps from Mac fully, you must locate all of the files that are related to the program. This entails exploring the depths of your Mac's system files rather than just dropping the program icon to the Trash from your Applications folder.

Here's an example of an app that stores cache across many locations on your Mac:

You must go into each of these directories one by one and remove the following in order to fully uninstall apps on mac:

  • Binary and dock icons are located in/Applications/
  • Application support files are located in~/Library/Application Support
  • Support Caches can be found in/Library/Caches/and~/Library/Caches
  • Plugins are located in~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/
  • Library can be found in~/Library/
  • App preferences are located in~/Library/Preferences/
  • Crashes are found in~/Library/Application Support/CrashReporter/
  • App saved states are located in~/Library/Saved Application State/

There are several other hidden files, some of which the user is unable to access. Additionally, you won't be able to remove some software files on macOS/OS X.

Recall that you never know how removing system files—the correct or incorrect ones, for that matter—will impact your Mac. Proceed with caution when deleting them.


2. Uninstall Mac programs with Launchpad

How can I use Launchpad to remove anything on a Mac? This manual approach is simple to use and operates as follows:

  1. Click theLaunchpad icon in your Mac’s Dock.
  2. Find the app you want to delete.
  3. Click and hold the app until it starts shaking.
  4. Click Xin the top-left corner of the app icon.
  5. Click Delete.

3. Uninstall apps with CleanMyMac X

It takes a lot of effort to remove programs. Thus, we've discovered a quicker and simpler method: CleanMyMac X. Its Uninstaller feature facilitates the simultaneous removal of many programs. What you should do is as follows:

  1. Download the free version of CleanMyMac Xand open it (ittakes less than a minute).
  2. Go to Uninstaller.
  3. Choose All Applications.
  4. Select the boxes next to the apps you want to remove and click uninstall apps on mac.

Is it possible to delete system files on Mac?

It is not possible to remove system programs like Safari with CleanMyMac X. Both Mac cleaners are unable to accomplish it. However, you may totally reset and erase the data connected to system programs with CleanMyMac X. Select Settings from the menu that appears in the upper-left corner of CleanMyMac X. After selecting Ignore List, select Uninstaller. Uncheck the option next to "Ignore system applications" in this instance.4. Use the native uninstaller

Numerous apps are made to tidy up after themselves. They have a self-destructing tool called an integrated uninstaller that is included with the primary application. For third-party apps that you download from the internet, this is primarily accurate.


Finder > Applications is where you may find the original uninstallers. Your software probably has its own uninstaller if it seems to be a folder inside the Applications folder. If not, its uninstaller will appear as a different application. The name will appear as Uninstall [Your App] or [Your App] Uninstaller.

5.Uninstall programs with Terminal

  • There are several methods for doing things, as there are with everything Apple, and removing programs from a Mac is no different. So here's another method for uninstalling programs: utilize Terminal, a built-in utility. It's a strong tool that can manage Mac, but it needs some knowledge. So, it is best to use one of the above-discussed app removal methods if you lack confidence using command line tools.


These are the procedures to do if you're willing to execute many Terminal commands:

  1. Go to Applications > Utilities and open Terminal.
  2. Enter the following command:sudo uninstall file://
  3. Drag the app icon into the Terminal window — you will see the path to the app.
  4. Press Return and enter your admin credentials.

All program remnants should be eliminated, including with the binary file. To guarantee total program removal, it is still advised to use the procedures above to search for linked files.