How to manually uninstall apps on a Mac computer Uninstall apps using Launchpad. Click 'Launchpad' in your Dock and find the app you wish to delete. Use the Finder to delete an app Locate the app in the Finder. Most apps are in your Applications folder, which you can open by clicking Applications in. Drag the app to the Trash, or select the app and choose File Move to Trash. If you're asked for a user name and password, enter the name.
Sep 28, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
Uninstalling programs from macOS is one of the easiest ways to remove or delete programs from your Mac computer. Unlike in Windows OS where programs come with their own uninstallers, deleting Mac apps is generally as straightforward as dragging the app icon to trash from the Application folder.
However, if you're new to macOS, then it might be a little bit tricky to delete apps on Mac. That's why we come up with this guide to help you learn how to uninstall applications on Mac.
Part 1. When to Uninstall APPs on Mac
There is no doubt that uninstalling Mac applications is an easy thing to do. But, have you ever wondered when it's right time to remove apps from your Mac? So, let's discuss the various situations when you may need to remove some programs on your Mac.
- If you're Mac is showing low disk space, then it's time you must consider to delete unwanted and useless applications from your Mac in an effort to free up storage space.
- If there are some third-party applications you've installed on your Mac, and they are causing lots of trouble in the proper functioning of your Mac system, then you need to delete those apps.
Keep in mind that installing a lot of applications on your Mac can cause you to slow down its performance. So, if you want to run enhance your system performance, you must install only necessary apps and get rid of ones that don't use at all.
Part 2. How to Uninstall Applications on Mac?
Well, how to uninstall apps on Mac or MacBook? Check out the following easy methods you can try to remove unwanted programs from your Mac.
1. Move to Trash
Those who are asking how to remove apps on Mac, the easiest and simplest way is to drag the app you want to uninstall into the Trash and afterward, empty the Trash folder. After emptying the trash bin, the selected app or program becomes removed from your Mac. It is a basic method of deleting Mac applications, and the method has been around since the existence of the Mac. Thus, this method works in all Mac versions from modern releases to earliest releases.
Here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to delete apps from MacBook Pro:
- To start with, move to the Finder on your Mac, and next, go to the Applications folder.
- In Applications folders, you need to choose the app or program you want to remove from your Mac.
- After that, you can either right-click on the application icon and choose 'Move to Trash' option or you can simply drag the program icon to the Trash.
- Finally, you need to right-click on the 'Trash' can and choose 'Empty Trash'.
That's how you can uninstall programs from your Mac. If you are good at remembering keyboard shortcuts, then you can also delete the apps using keystrokes. All you need to do is to choose the app icon, and press 'Command + Delete' to transfer the selected application to Trash. Afterward, you can empty the Trash to remove it from your Mac.
2. Uninstall APPs with LaunchPad
There is also another easy way to remove the application from Mac, and it is using LaunchPad. Many users who are new to Mac OS or even those who don't have a habit of pinning applications to the Dock. If you're one of those users, then you might be wondering what LaunchPad is?
Well, it is an application launcher designed for Mac OS and established in Mac OS X Lion. It provides users an alternative method to start programs in macOS besides other options, like Finder, Dock, Spotlight, or Terminal. In LaunchPad, you will get to see applications that you have downloaded from the App Store or apps that are already present in macOS. Thus, it provides an easy way to uninstall applications downloaded from the App Store.
Here is the simple step-by-step guide on how to remove the software from Mac with LaunchPad:
- To begin with the process, you need to first open the LaunchPad. For this, tap it in the Dock or launch it from the Applications folder.
- After that, tap and hold down the icon of that app you like to uninstall.
- Once the app begins to jiggle, all you need to do is to tap on the (x) icon you see.
- Finally, tap on the 'Delete' button to confirm you want to remove the selected app form your Mac.
That's how you can immediately remove apps from your Mac. Applications that don't show (x) icon either didn't downloaded from the App store or included by your Mac. To uninstall an application that didn't install from the App Store, you can use the above method i.e. Move to trash.
Part 3. How to Remove Leftover Files After Deleting APPs?
Uninstalling a program from your Mac isn't as simple as you think. When you simply drag and drop program you want to delete into the Trash and then, empty Trash or delete a program with LaunchPad, the main program itself may be removed, but its associated files are left behind.
Thus, wondering how you can get rid of leftover files after you delete programs on Mac? Fortunately, macOS also provides a way to do this.
1. Reasons for Removing Leftover Files
Apps generally create various additional files that aren't deleted even after the application itself is removed. These files are known as leftovers, and they are placed in hidden folders that are not visible to you by default. Thus, these files aren't easy to locate, and they can be:
- Web-plugins
- Application caches
- Application preferences
- Temporary files.
There are a number of reasons why there is a need for deleting leftover files, which include:
- When you delete an app from your Mac, the app leftover files become useless and you don't need them anymore.
- Leftover files take up some storage space on your Mac and that's why it is required to delete them to free up space on your Mac. Plus, if you didn't get rid of these files, then it becomes difficult for you to manage these junk files, and slow down Mac performance.
- In order to completely uninstall an application on Mac, deleting leftover files after removing an app is quite a necessary thing to do.
2. How to Remove Program Files on Mac?
Just like uninstalling programs on Mac, removing their leftover files is also an easy and straightforward process. If you have made your mind to delete left behind files, then follow the below steps:
- To start with, open Finder, and next, you need to choose the 'Go to Folder' option from the Go menu.
- Here, you need to type '~/Library' into the text field that appears on your screen, and it will open the 'Library' folder.
- After that, you can need to find folders that contain the program developer name or the program name. You can either browse it or you can use 'Search' filed to do that.
- Next, you need to select the located files. After selecting the files, you need to right-click or control-click on them and choose 'Move to Trash' option.
- Finally, you can empty the trash folder.
Important Notes:
Make sure to remove the files and not the folders in which desired leftover files are present in order to prevent the accidental deletion of important files.
Part 4. How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Files on Mac?
Sometimes, many users delete some important files by mistake while they are attempting to remove the software from Mac or leftover files after uninstalling the app. If this sounds you, then there is no need to panic at all as you can still get back your accidentally deleted files using reliable data recovery software for Mac.
1. Free Download Mac File Recovery Tool
At present, there are lots of free Mac file recovery tools available out there. But, if you are looking for the most powerful and easy-to-use data recovery solution, then RecoveritMac Data Recovery software is the one. No matter how you lost or delete your files whether, by mistake or virus-attack or sudden power failure, this software can help you to recover your files under various data loss situations. Plus, it works on all Mac versions, which include the latest one macOS Mojave.
2. How to Recover Replaced Files on Mac in 3 Steps
With the help of the Recoverit file recovery program, you can get back overwritten data with a high success rate using three simple steps. Get started by downloading and installing the software from its official site on your computer and then, follow the below step-by-step guide to recover accidentally replaced file on Mac:
Step 1: Select a Disk
To begin with, run Recoverit file recovery and you need to choose a location from where you think files were overwritten or replaced. After that, click on the 'Start' button to move forward.
Step 2: Scan the Location
Now, the software will begin with an 'All-around' scan to look for the replaced files into the selected location. Here, you have to wait for a few minutes until you get scanned results.
Step 3: Preview and Recover
After the scanning, you will see all files listed in a well-categorized manner. You can preview files you want to get back and finally, click on the 'Recover' button.
Part 5. Tips for Uninstalling Programs on Mac
When you are attempting to uninstall or delete apps on MacBook, follow the below-mentioned tips to uninstalling programs safely.
- Before you start uninstalling the application, ensure that the Trash folder is empty or doesn't contain any files you might need to recover.
- When you dragging the icon of the app you want to delete, if you accidentally dragged the wrong app icon, then use 'Command + Z' at the same time to undo the last action.
- After uninstalling the app with LaunchPad, the app moved to the trash folder and so, you also need to empty the trash.
- When you are deleting leftover files after uninstalling the app, make sure to delete only left behind files of the app you have uninstalled.
- If you're unable to locate the leftover files, then you can use cleaner software for Mac that can help you to delete junk files on your Mac. A
Conclusion
That's all on how to uninstall programs on MacBook. Hopefully, the guide helps you to completely uninstall the desired applications on your Mac. If you've accidentally deleted some important files while deleting apps, then we have also provided a solution, Recoverit, to get back deleted files on Mac.
A
What's Wrong with Mac
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When you download some unwanted apps from Mac App Store by mistakes, or want to free up more storage on your Mac, it is very necessary for you to learn how to delete an app on Mac.
Although it's quite easy to uninstall apps on Mac, some new Mac users still don't know the detailed solution. Therefore, in this article, we list 4 best methods for you to uninstall program on Mac.
You can simply delete the unwanted apps in manually way, or download a professional software to get the job done. Keep reading to get what you need.
Part 1: How to Delete an App on Mac from Launchpad
The first way we want to recommend to you is using Launchpadto uninstall programyou don’t want from your Mac. The process is very similar to that of deleting an app on your iPhone or iPad. It can be said the easiest way for Mac users to get rid of an app which is downloaded from Mac App Store. In what follows is the detailed steps of how to delete an app on Mac.
Step 1: Choose Launchpad from Dock or by pressing your keyboard on your Mac.
Step 2: Long press on any app icon until you see all the icons begin to jingle, release it.
Step 3: Now you will see a little X on the right corner of all the apps you can remove to trash.
Click the X on the app icon, which you want to delete and then choose Delete option when you see the pop-up window asking whether to uninstall app on Mac or not.
Part 2: How to Delete Apps on Mac with Finder
You can also solve the problem of how to delete apps on Mac with Finder. It also is a very easy way you can simply get in what follows.
Step 1: Launch Finder on your Mac by clicking on it simply from Mac Dock. Then you can choose Application folder in Finder.
Step 2: Now you need to find the app icon you want to delete and then right click on it.
Step 3: You can see Move to Trash option in the list. Just click on the icon.
Step 4: You need to empty the app you remove to trash just now permanently by opening your trash and right clicking to choose Empty. Here you can get 6 solutions to empty Trash on Macsecurely and permanently.
Part 3: How to Uninstall Apps from MacBook Pro with Dock
Except deleting apps on Mac from Launchpad and Finder, you can also solve the problem of how to uninstall program from MacBook Pro with Dock. If you are interested in how to delete apps on MacBook Pro, you can follow the next easy steps.
Step 1: Find the app you want to remove on your Doc. Or you can open the Applications folder on your Dock and find it there.
Step 2: Now you need to click and hold the app icon you want to delete, and then drag this app icon to the Trash icon which is also in your Dock, and release it.
Step 3: If you want to delete this app permanently and completely, click the Trash to open it, and then find the app icon you removed right now. Choose it by right click and then click Empty.
If you want to remove app from iPad, you can check hereto get full tips.
Delete Apps On Mac Computer
Part 4: Professional Way to Uninstall Applications on Mac
Here we also want to recommend the most professional way for you to help you solve how to delete apps on Mac. The software introduced in this way is called Mac Cleaner. It is one of the most professional Mac management tool which you can use to remove junk files, unneeded folders, large or old files and monitor your Mac performance.
It really is a safe and efficient which you can clear all your unwanted files, including delete applications for your Mac in a quickly but professional way. What’s more, it is able to monitor your Mac performance in multiple aspects, such as disk utilization, battery status, memory performance as well as CPU usage. If you are interested in how to delete applications on Mac, you can read the next steps.
Step 1: Download Mac Cleaner
First of all, download Mac Cleaner on your computer and finish the installation by dragging the icon to Application.
Step 2: Launch Mac Cleaner
Now launch this software on your Mac after you install the program successfully. Then it will detect your Mac OS system status automatically. You can find the program as the following screenshot.
Step 3: Choose uninstall app
In the main interface, you can see the key features from the left side of the window. Then choose Uninstaller to delete applications on MacBook Pro. It will take some time to scan all your apps on Mac by this software.
Step 4: Clean apps from Mac
After scanning, you can see all your apps downloaded on Mac. Find the software you want to delete and finish the process of how to remove apps from MacBook Pro. During this process, you can check and clean up various related files created by this app you want to remove. If you deleted some important files by mistake, you can check this post to recover deleted files on Mac.
Part 1: How to Delete an App on Mac from Launchpad
1. How do I remove an app from my Mac’s Dock?
Just place the cursor over the icon of the icon of the Dock item you wish to remove, and then right-click the icon. A pop-up menu will appear. Select the Options > Remove from Dock item from the pop-up Dock menu.
2. How do I hide all icons on my Mac desktop?
Click on its icon in the menu bar and select “Hide Desktop Icons.” It will immediately hide all the icons available on your desktop.
How To Delete Apps On Mac Computer Youtube
3. Can I delete default apps on Mac?
It is prohibited to delete standard applications in a regular way. That’s because the removal of built-in applications may damage the viability of the system.
Conclusion
How To Delete Apps From Laptop
In this article, we introduce 4 best methods for you to solve how to delete an app on Mac. When you need to delete unwanted apps from Mac, you can choose one of the methods as you want to do such a job. If you think this article is helpful, just share it with your friends. Hope you can enjoy the information. Of course, you can also share more comments in the article if you have any other query about the methods to delete an app on your Mac.