How to Uninstall Apps on Your Mac: 5 Proven Ways

Written by

Ojash

Reviewed by

Hashir Ibrahim

Last updated: September 30, 2024

Expert verified

I used to ignore all the apps piling up on my Mac until I realized they were slowing it down. After some testing, I found a few simple ways to uninstall apps and remove leftover files. In this post, I’ll share what worked best to help you clean up your Mac and keep it running smoothly.

How to Uninstall Apps on Your Mac

Here are the five best methods to uninstall apps on your Mac:

1. Use Finder to Uninstall Apps on Mac

Finder lets you manually uninstall apps by dragging them to the Bin from the Applications folder. Here’s a step-by-step guide to using Finder to uninstall apps on your Mac:

1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.

2. Open the Applications folder from the left sidebar.

3. Scroll through the list of apps in the Applications folder until you find the app you want to uninstall.
4. Click the app icon and drag it to the Bin icon in the Dock. Alternatively, right-click the app icon and select Move to Bin.

5. After dragging the app to the Bin, right-click the Bin icon in the Dock and select Empty Bin.

6. Restart your Mac to ensure that all changes are applied.

2. Use Launchpad to Uninstall Apps on Mac

Follow these steps to use Launchpad to uninstall apps on your MacBook:

1. Click the Launchpad icon in the Dock, or use the Mac keyboard shortcut key: F4.

2. Scroll through the list of apps in Launchpad until you find the app you want to uninstall.

3. Click and hold the app icon until it starts shaking, and an X icon appears on the top-left corner of the app icon. Click the X icon to delete the app.

4. A pop-up window will ask you to confirm if you want to delete the app. Tap the Delete button to confirm, and it will move the app to the Bin.

5. After deleting the app, right-click the Bin icon in the Dock and select Empty Bin.

6. Restart your Mac to ensure that all changes are applied.

3. Use the App’s Native Uninstaller

Many apps have an uninstaller that efficiently removes the app and its related files. Here’s how to remove applications using their native uninstaller:

1. Find the application you’d like to uninstall in your Applications folder.
2. Right-click or control-click the app’s icon and select Show Package Contents from the drop-down menu.

3. Look at all the files inside the package and locate a file named [the app name] Uninstaller or something similar.
4. Double-click the Uninstaller file and follow the instructions given by an uninstall wizard that pops up (if there are none, the program has now been uninstalled).
5. Once finished, don’t forget to empty the Trash on your Mac to ensure all associated files are removed from your hard drive.

4. Using a Third-Party App

While you can use the Apple native methods to uninstall apps, they’re not as quick and accurate as using third-party software like MacKeeper. Plus, no native method deletes leftover files while uninstalling an app. Here is how you can do it:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. After installation, launch MacKeeper and click the Smart Uninstaller in the left-hand menu.

3. Click Start Scan.

4. Select the applications you want to delete from the list and click Remove Selected.

5. Tap the Remove button on the pop-up to confirm the deletion.

6. MacKeeper will uninstall the apps and remove associated files and folders. You will get a Removal Completed notification. Click Continue to finish the process.

Now, you can move on to deleting the app leftovers using the Smart Uninstaller:

1. Launch the Smart Uninstaller and click Start Scan.

2. When the scan completes, click Leftovers in the left sidebar.

3. Select the leftover files you want to delete in the right pane and click Remove Selected.

4. Tap the Remove button to confirm the removal.

5. This will remove your selected app leftovers, and you’ll get a Removal Completed notification. Click Continue to finish the process.

5. Use Terminal to Uninstall Apps on Mac

The terminal provides a command-line option to uninstall apps, giving users more control, though it requires technical knowledge. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

2. Type the following command and press Enter:

sudo uninstall file://

3. Now, open the Applications folder in Finder and drag the app you want to delete to Terminal. It will automatically paste the app path. Then, press Enter.

4. Enter your Mac admin password and press Enter.

5. The app will be successfully deleted. You can restart your Mac to ensure all changes are applied.

How to Delete App Leftovers on Your Mac

When you uninstall an app on your Mac, leftover files like caches and preferences can stay behind. To free up space, you can manually delete these files or use a third-party tool to remove them completely. Here is how:

1. Open Finder and navigate to the Library folder. To do this, click Go in the menu bar while holding the Option ⌥ key and select Library.

Look for any folders or files related to the app you uninstalled. Common locations include the following:

• ~/Library/Application Support
• ~/Library/Preferences
• ~/Library/Caches

Carefully delete any files or folders that are associated with the app. Be cautious not to delete system files or files related to other apps.

Uninstall Apps on Mac Like a Pro

Now that you know how to uninstall apps on your Mac, you may want to learn other ways to keep your Mac clean and organized. Here are a few tips:

• Regularly empty the Bin, delete old files, and clear caches to declutter your Mac.
• Organize files with folders, tags, and labels for easy access.
• Free up space on your Mac by removing duplicate files.

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