Are you running out of space and looking for more storage options or want to get rid of unused apps that you do not want on your Mac device? The constant pop-up messages warning us of storage runout are annoying as well. Moreover, if you will delete an app, it will not cancel your subscription. So, you can also reinstall when you need them.
Deleting apps is difficult to delete the files because apps have multiple junk files stored in different places and have multiple backups. Worry not! Here I will talk about four methods on how to delete apps on Mac.
1. How to delete apps on Mac by using Launchpad
Launchpad is an application of Mac, used to start, arrange, and organize apps. The icon has a rocket image in the older version, and the latest version’s Launchpad icon has nine small squares. It is easier to use and effective for deleting downloaded apps from Mac’s App Store. So, for deleting installed apps from your Mac, you need to follow these easy steps-
- First, you need to open the Launchpad application on your device. Either touch the app in the Dock (bottom of the screen), or you can open it from the Applications folder.
- Choose the app that you wish to delete and continue to long-tap or click and hold.
- Now the app icon will start to shake, and a cross (x) sign will appear on the top left corner of the icon.
- Click the x or on the cross sign.
- A final delete confirmation pop-up will come on the screen. Click Delete and the app will be deleted.
However, there are some pre-installed apps that the Launchpad cannot delete. So, for deleting such apps, we have another application.
2. How to delete apps on Mac by using Finder
Finder is a default application for managing and organizing apps in Mac. You can find this application on the Dock. It is a square-shaped smiley face icon. For deleting apps by using the Finder application, do the following steps-
- Click on the finder application on the Dock. If it is not there, click on the Applications and select preferences.
- Now, a list of apps will pop up. Choose the desired app that you want to uninstall. If the app you want is inside a folder, you have to double-click it and then choose the app.
- If the app is password-protected, you need to open it first by entering the correct password.
- Now, drag the app to the trash bin, or you can also click on the File option and then select the move to trash option.
- You can also click on the app’s icon and press the delete option.
- The selected app will be deleted.
The deleted apps will be stored in the empty Trash or Bin for the next 30 days. So, you can recover it from there. Once the app is deleted from Trash, it will completely uninstall from Mac.
3. How to delete apps on Mac by using Appcleaner
The Appcleaner is a third-party application for arranging and organizing apps on Mac. To delete apps by using Appcleaner, you can use the following steps-
- First, you have to install the Appcleaner app from its official website on Mac. Make sure that you are downloading the compatible version.
- Now go to the downloaded files option, find the app, and click the installed application. You can also shift it to another folder. Appcleaner will scan all the files and apps on your Mac, and then you are ready to use it for deleting apps.
- Now, tap on the left side small boxes before the apps to select the app or file you want to remove from the device.
- After selecting apps or files, you need to click below on the Remove option.
- Tap on Delete to confirm; it will uninstall apps.
4. How to delete apps on Mac by using An App Uninstaller
Apart from the Appcleaner, several other applications can be downloaded from the app store. You cannot delete some apps by using the methods mentioned above because they have their own uninstall programs or software. So, it would help if you used different uninstallation tools.
Advantages Of Third-Party App Uninstaller
Here are some advantages of different app uninstaller applications that you need to know-
- The third-party tools are more efficient in deleting the remnants of deleted apps like cache files, registered files, and logs. Otherwise, traditional methods do not clear all copied files while deleting the actual app. So, it will be a wise decision to clear the extra taken space of junked files completely.
- You can always install and delete such apps when you need them. You do not need to give them extra space. If the app is not working or showing errors, you can uninstall and then reinstall it.
How To Clear App Leftovers
No matter how many times you have deleted the apps, it will eat up the space if you have not gotten rid of the support files, preference files, and caches. So, you need to delete them too from Mac. You can do them easily by following these steps-
- Tap on the Finder and type ~/Library/Application Support/Your App Name for deleting support files.
- Then click on the delete button to remove the support file.
Similarly, for deleting an app’s preferences files, follow these three steps-
- Tap on the Finder and type ~/Library/Preferences/ for deleting application preference files.
- Now choose the app by searching in the search bar.
- Then tap on the Preferences option. Select the inside files and delete them.
For deleting Cache files, follow similar steps mentioned below-
- Tap on the Finder and type ~/Library/Caches/Your App Name for deleting cache files.
- Then click on the delete button to remove them.
Different Third-Party App Uninstallers
Here is a list of some of the popularly-used third-party apps for deleting apps on Mac that you can check out too-
CCleaner App
This is a basic app that will help you delete files and provide you with a list of the available third-party apps in one place. It helps reset browsers and remove large-sized files, duplicate files, cookies, servers, and recent documents. So, making it easier for the users to choose according to their needs. It is free to use.
It has two tabs that work for different purposes. One tab manages the system while the other one functions as a bin. However, it has certain limitations and can support Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox only.
AppZapper App
The functioning of AppZapper is quite similar to the AppCleaner application. But it is more sorted and effective due to some of its features like search panels for the installed apps. You need to drag the app to the AppZapper and click on the remove button for deleting apps.
You can trace the apps by using filters like file size, folder name, and last duration of its usage. However, you cannot remove individual app files and choose files before the final removal.
CleanMyMac X App
CleanMyMac X has several features that will help you to delete apps and files more effectively. It has options like junk files cleaner, uninstallers for mail attachments, malware checkers, and other cleaners compiled in one section.
You can use this application to permanently delete the remaining cache files of the deleted apps in Mac. It is a user-friendly interface and capable of removing apps that you have downloaded from the App Store. It will let you know how much a particular app is taking space, making it easier to choose the larger files. You can select multiple apps to uninstall and drag them together instead of deleting one app at a time.
Remove-It App
You need to install the Remove-It application and turn on the ghost mode. Just select the app you need to uninstall and drag it to the Remove-It app. It will delete the app and files associated with it. It will keep working in the background and will save your time by reducing several steps for deleting the app.
AppDelete App
So, if you do not wish to use AppZapper or AppCleaner, go for the AppDelete application to delete files and apps in Mac. It has a similar process for deleting files-choose and drag to uninstall apps. The application has an app finder and Genius search options.
The Orphan option can trace all cache files and data of used apps in the Mac. You can search even those apps that have been unused for the last six months. You have the option to either delete or keep any particular files and have selective delete options.
Summary
It is easy to delete apps and their junked files, duplicate files, cache data, and cookies by using the above methods. Either you can opt for traditional methods like Launchpad and Finder, or you can go for third-party uninstallers for the same purpose. You can also let us know the other uninstallers you are using for your Mac device in the comment section!
Last Updated on December 14, 2021 by Icy Tech Team