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How to uninstall programs on Mac computers? If you are familiar with the “Uninstall a program” interface in Windows operating system (OS), then I would tell you it doesn’t exist on Mac OS X. To uninstall a program on Mac OS X, just drag the program icon and drop to the Trash, then right-click and clear it.
But do you know how to uninstall applications on your Mac computer, which don’t have shortcuts/icons (which you can drag and drop to the Trash) or uninstall other built-in system applications?
Uninstalling Mac apps is a simple process and don’t take more than five seconds. However, some apps require you to use Terminal or third party applications to uninstall them.
- When to Uninstall APPs on Mac. There is no doubt that uninstalling Mac applications is an easy.
- The best Windows application to uninstall stubborn programs easily Remove junk files and unnecessary program files Compatible with all 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, 7.
How To Uninstall Programs On Mac With Classic Way
Uninstalling programs from your Mac computer are probably easier than removing applications from other operating systems, such as Windows or Linux OS.
Third-party Mac uninstaller apps How to completely remove a program from a Mac Unlike in Windows where programs have their own uninstallers, removing a Mac application is usually as simple as.
In Windows OS, you need access to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Pick the application you want to remove > Confirm again > Wait for the process to complete.
See Also: How To Force Quit Mac Apps In Mac OS X?
But in the Mac OS X computer, the uninstall process is simpler. You just need to select the Application that you want to remove (from the Desktop or Finder > Applications).
Next, right-click on the application icon > Move to Trash. Or you can also delete it by dragging the program icon and drop it to the Trash.
After the application has been moved to the Trash, right-click on the Trash and choose “Empty Trash”. The application will be uninstalled.
How To Uninstall Programs On Mac That Don’t Appear In Finder > Applications
With above steps, you have known it’s very easy to remove apps from a Mac computer if they appear in the Application folder or somewhere else which you can “move to the Trash“. But how about applications that aren’t there, such as Java runtime, Flash plugin or browser plugins?
There is no general method to uninstall these apps & built-in features. Instead, you can find appropriate ways to uninstall these programs from Google Search. You can use the search terms: “uninstall [application name] on Mac” with “application name” is the name of the app you want to remove/uninstall.
Uninstaller Mac Best
For example, Adobe has released a solution to help you removing Flash on your Mac computer, find out here.
How To Completely Uninstall Programs On Mac Computer
You can easily uninstall any unwanted apps on your Mac. However, some of them can leave a few preference files, caches or logs in your hard drive.
If you want to remove a Mac app altogether, try a free program called AppCleaner. This will allow you to uninstall unwanted programs on your Mac computer with its data and related files.
From the “Application” tab of the AppCleaner, you can select a program or widget to remove/uninstall. Check it out!
How To Massive Delete Apps From Mac OS X
Another useful feature of the AppCleaner is allowing you to massive delete apps. To doing so, just select all apps that you want to remove, and then click on the “Delete” button. Don’t need to remove all of them one by one, right?
How To Uninstall Apps On Mac OS X Using The Command Line
Most of users don’t like to use commands in Terminal to do anything because those commands are not easy to remember. They feel not comfortable and will look for solutions which easier to do, such as an app with a friendly and simple user interface. However, using Terminal to removing Mac apps is easier than you think.
Firstly, open Finder, click on the Applications > Utilities, find Terminal application and then launch it.
Next, type:
sudo uninstall file://
Next, drag the program icon from Applications into Terminal window and drop it there. And then press Enter. The application will be uninstalled automatically.
In this case, I use Google Chrome an object to show you how to uninstall programs on Mac with Terminal.
How To Uninstall Programs On Mac That Are Installed Through AppStore
If you have installed any applications from the Apple AppStore, just click on Launchpad, press Option key on your keyboard.
Next, click on the (x) sign and press Delete to remove the app. It will be removed.
In this method, you don’t need to empty the Trash as it will delete the program directly, not moving to the Trash.
If you know any other solutions to simplify the uninstall process? Let me know!
Have any questions about how to uninstall programs on Mac OS X computers? Feel free to ask by leaving your comment below.
Sometimes we download apps and we realize that we do not need them anymore. But the regular app removal on macOS does not entirely remove everything about the app – It just deletes the program but not the preferences data, caches, downloading files, and history of the program. The worse is that you suddenly find some malicious programs that you cannot remove from your Mac computer.
So there comes Mac app uninstaller software aiming to completely delete these applications from your Mac OS running machine. And with these apps, you can be sure that every single thing about an unwanted app will be removed from your MacBook or iMac.
Top 4 app uninstaller for Mac [2020 Updated]
We’ve reviewed more than 10 programs to remove apps on Macs since 2018. By following some criteria, we finally picked out these best app uninstallers for you. And some of them are completely free.
As top apps in this area, these apps are compatible with all popular Mac operating system, including the latest macOS Catalina. They are easy-to-use, 100% safe, and cost-effective. To know more about their features, just go on your reading.
1. AppCleaner – free app uninstaller for Mac
FreeMacSoft developed one popular free app removers for Mac users – AppCleaner. With this freeware, you can easily search the apps, plugins, and widgets you don’t want anymore, and completely remove them from your Mac. Besides, it allows you to simply drag and drop any unwanted app for swift uninstallation.
Pros:
- Drag and Drop feature to quickly uninstall an app.
- This app is totally free to use.
- Recover the apps that you mistakenly deleted.
- Support all Macs including the latest macOS Catalina.
Cons
- It doesn’t have filters to get old and large apps.
- It has no filter to get and remove only the leftovers of missing apps.
- It can’t remove some apps and it shows these apps are protected.
2. AppZapper – perfect Mac app uninstaller
This software AppZapper has stood out amongst other uninstaller software for the macOS system because of its simplistic design and good capability of app removing. This software is also very deep with cleanups and can remove all unwanted apps and their settings, widgets, plugins, and so on. Just like AppCleaner, this software is also designed with the macOS drag and drop feature in mind.
Pros:
- Drag and Drop feature.
- Nice filters to get large-sized apps and old apps.
- With “Undo” to get back the apps that you deleted mistakenly.
- Supports Mac OS X 10.6.2 and later.
Cons:
- It is not very simple to use. (the app icons so big)
- It can’t find only the leftovers.
- Its free version is limited with only 5 zaps (You can perform 5 apps removing with AppZapper). And the price is 19.95 and above.
3. CleanMyMac – Best App to Remove Only The Leftover Files.
Mac Uninstaller Tool
CleanMyMac gives you a lot of features to free up space on Mac. And its Uninstaller Tool could be one of the best tools for uninstalling Mac apps. It can perform its primary function of uninstalling applications and their related files just like other app removers we listed.
Pros:
- Better than other apps, CleanMyMac X is able to find and remove only the leftover files. And it also has various labels that help you easily find old and large apps.
- It provides several other useful features to clean your Mac storage to boost the performance.
- This app can find duplicate files on your mac and help you get rid of them. Its user interface is also very well designed and you can figure everything out intuitively.
Cons:
The trial version gives you only 2 applications removing for free.
4. AppDelete
This is another app remover for Mac computer. AppDelete is very thorough in removing applications from your mac, and this is one of its major strengths. Where other software might overlook, this software acts. This software can help remove widgets, screensavers, preference panes, widgets, plugins, app settings, and so on.
This application is also very flexible. It provides you with options as regards what to with the apps and files you want to remove. You can log such files, archive to a zip file, or completely remove such apps/files. Also, deleted apps are not removed straight away, but are kept in the recycle bin in case you made a mistake deletion.
Cons: This app is not a free one, and has a price of 5 – 7.99 dollars.
We didn’t cover all AppCleaner similar programs in this post, like the apps TrashMe, AppTrap, iTrash, and MacClean, since all of them are not freeware, and have almost the same features.
How to choose a qualified app uninstaller for Mac computer?
It’s easy to know what is an uninstaller app, but it may be hard to select one top uninstaller app for your Mac, which is a totally different ball game. So what are the factors and criteria you should consider when choosing a top app uninstaller for your Mac? Let’s check out the list below.
1. Level of App Cleanup
It is important for you to understand the level of cleanup that the software provides. Some software can remove all the files related to the unwanted app, while others just remove a few.
Also, some software cannot remove applications that run in the background. For the best App cleaning software, it should be in a top cleanup level to remove all leftover files.
2. Is It Safe to Use
Is it safe to use? You may ask this question before using a Mac uninstaller app. And this is one of the basic conditions all apps ought to have.
Actually, one app could be safe if the app has an official website with a real company address and online tech support, or it was recommended by some famous or trustworthy sites.
3. Computing Requirements
You can’t use a Mac uninstaller program if it is not compatible with your computer. Since all apps have basic requirements for the computer system, such as storage and system version, in order to run stably and use computing resources normally.
And the best app remover should be compatible with all the popular Mac OS, including the newest macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina. And we picked out the top app by following this criterion.
4. User Interface and Experience
You need to consider the user interface and experience of your desired uninstaller software.
If one app is poorly designed, it may cost you a lot of time to figure out how to use it. But as one of the top programs, it should be time-saving and highly effective.
Osx Uninstaller For Mac
5. Cost-Effective
Most of the time the best app is not the free one since the software vendors will cost a lot to hire people to design and develop.
You’d better know the cost of these programs and find the most cost-effective one. And be careful that some apps require a one-time purchase license while some others require periodic subscriptions.
Surely, there are some other factors you may consider while selecting a qualified mac app cleaner, including the customer service, the money-back policy, and so on.
Conclusion
There you have it, the top best app uninstaller for Mac We gathered since. We all need one of these software on our computers in new macOS Mojave as unwanted apps are inevitable. Selecting the best one for you should not be too much of a trouble, as this article has provided you with more than enough information to make the best decision.