How to Uninstall Apps on macOS?

• Feb 25, 2021
• By Celia Swift

Wondering how to uninstall a Mac app completely? Looking for an easy solution to get rid of unwanted apps for macOS thoroughly? You just come to the right place. Because most of our installed Mac apps are from both the App Store or the Internet, we will discuss how to uninstall apps from the two aspects. You will get two methods regarding how to uninstall apps on a Mac here.

Uninstall Apps from the App Store

1. Click Launchpad icon in the Dock. It looks like a spaceship, however it looks like a grid icon if you are on the latest version of macOS Big Sur.

2. Click and hold down any app until all of the app icons start shaking

3. Locate at the app you want to uninstall, click X at the top-right corner of the icon. By this way, you can uninstall apps downloaded from App Store with ease.

Please Note: If the app you need to uninstall doesn’t how you a delete (X) button, then it can’t be removed through Launchpad. You can refer to another method to get it done.

Uninstall Apps from the Internet

If the app you want to uninstall is downloaded from the Internet, the Launchpad won’t give you a delete button. In this situation, we need to utilize Finder to clean out it.

1. Click Finder and open Applications folder.

2. Highlight the app you want to uninstall and right-click the app’s icon. You need to click Move to Trash from the pop-up menu. Or you can drag the target app to the Trash folder on the Dock immediately.

3. Now you need to get rid of the app’s installed files from Library. Press Command + space key to open up Spotlight Search.

4. Enter the name Library to open the folder.

5. Next, search the Library for all leftover files associated with the app you want to uninstall. Enter the app’s name into Search field. Find out and delete the app’s remnants.

6. If you’re not sure if you accomplish a complete removal of leftovers, check the following sub-folders in the Library, delete all relevant files with the target app there. The sub-folders include Application Scripts, Application Support, Caches, Containers, Cookies, Logs, and Preferences. Move all the leftover files associated with the target app to the Trash folder in the Dock.

Please Note: You should be careful when you delete anything, make sure they are not system files or other essential files in your Library.

7. Empty the Trash and restart your Mac.