Top 5 Simple Ways Uninstall a program on a Mac

Ways To Remove Applications From A Macintosh

Regardless of what type of a computer you use, it may be required to uninstall one or more applications from it occasionally. This can be required when you have got new versions of existing software and want to uninstall an old application and try something new. However, removing applications in computers running Mac OS is quite different compared to computers running Windows. As a matter of fact, there are any ways to uninstall apps from Macintosh based computers and most of them are simple enough. Here goes the detailed methods-

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Ways To Uninstall Applications From A Macintosh

Method 1: Deleting apps using the Finder

From the early days of Mac OS, the most widely used method of deleting the apps was by using Finder-a native Mac OS. You can delete most Mac apps through this method, as it is. The process is described below to show how to uninstall applications from mac:

At first, launch the Finder utility.
Then open the Applications folder.
In most cases, you can just drag the specific app’s icon from Applications folder to Trash bin. The latter is placed at end part of Dock.
Some apps may come with embedded uninstaller and you can use these.
Sometimes, it may be needed to check the Library folder to figure out if residual data is there.
You need to empty Trash folder to erase the app permanently.
Method 2: Removing apps by using Launchpad

There is a substitute method of removing applications on Mac and that is through use of Launchpad. However, the limitation is it can be used to uninstall those apps that were downloaded from Apple App Store. It will not be effective for removing the third party apps. The process is simple:

At first, you need to launch the Launchpad.
Click and hold the software’s icon next.
It will start jiggling. Then, press the x icon appearing beside the app.
A pop up dialog window will appear. Then you have to press delete for confirm the action.

Method 3: The Comprehensive Approach to eradicate apps from Mac

Some Mac apps, including the third party ones cannot be removed completely through the previous 2 methods. You will have to eradicate the applications’ support and library files, along with caches and preferences to ensure they are gone. These are called leftovers. There are dedicated third party apps performing for such tasks but expert Mac users can do the process manually too.

To check if the app support files are left, check the location: ~/Library/Application Support/(App Name).
To locate the app Preferences, check out : ~/Library/Preferences/(App Name).
The caches are saved usually in : ~/Library/Caches/(App Name).

Some third party apps like Steam cannot be uninstalled totally by using the above listed methods. You will need to look for supporting files in numerous locations to find the fragments and eliminate them totally.

Method 4: Ways to delete the Default Mac OS Apps

Before you decide to delete any of the native Mac OS apps, it is recommended that you take backups. After the backup is done, you can do the following:

Launch the Mac’s Terminal. For this, you have to find Applications folder. Enter the command: cd /Applications/
Remember there is no verification and apps once deleted will be gone forever.

– To remove Safari browser, type sudo rm -rf Safari.app/

– To remove FaceTime, type in sudo rm -rf FaceTime.app/

– To Remove QuickTime Player, type sudo rm -rf QuickTime\ Player.app/

Method 4: Third party options for Mac app removal

The expert Mac users often use command-line Terminal.app for finding and eradicating app fragments post normal removal of apps. It is also possible to use graphical file finder like marvellous Find Any File. However, it should be used with care as possibility of deleting system files is there. To be on safe side, you should not delete things from Mac that requires typing in the administrator password.

You can also resort to using popular shareware for Mac to uninstall unwanted software. The popular ones include AppCleaner and CleanApp. However, you should read reviews of these apps before trying them to remove Mac apps. Now that you know how to remove applications from mac you can use the various methods to meet the need.