Requirements: OS X 10.8+ , 13.1Mb free space
Version 3.2.1 (January 17, 2021) | Support macOS | Category: Mac Uninstaller
How To Uninstall Unwanted/Outdated Programs on Mac Big Sur [Four Ways]
By
Tasnia Salinas, on January 17, 2021, in
Mac Uninstaller
Summary: In this article, we show you How To Clean Uninstall All Unwanted/Outdated Programs on macOS with the best Mac App Uninstaller - Omni Remover. Make sure you have downloaded the latest version here before continuing.
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To uninstall or remove programs from your Mac is not piece of cake as you would think, as there are some roguish apps, like MacKeeper and SyphonInject. macOS doesn't have standalone App Uninstaller Programs like Windows does. If you just switched from Windows PC to macOS, or somehow you are new to Mac, you may feel confused as there is no Uninstall Programs from My Mac option. You're not alone. Even senior Mac users may have trouble of uninstalling applications, programs, extentions and widgets from their Mac computers.
macOS Catalina (macOS 10.15) has thoroughly ended support on 32-bit applications and also caused tremendous disaster on large amount of commonly used programs (like Adobe Creative Cloud, MicroSoft Office) due to its newly enhanced security gateway technology. In case you may have such a Mac App Cannot Be Opened Issue, or you simply want to get rid of a retired program on a Mac, we are going to show you how to uninstall programs on a Mac (4 Best Mac Programs Uninstall Methods Involved).
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Table of Content: How To Uninstall Programs on macOS
- Part 1: How To Uninstall Unwanted/Outdated Programs on Mac in LaunchPad
- Part 2: How To Uninstall Unwanted/Outdated Programs on Mac in Finder App
- Part 3: How To Uninstall Unwanted/Outdated Programs on Mac Using Command Line in Terminal
- Part 4: How To Uninstall Unwanted/Outdated Programs on Mac with Omni Remover
Part 1: How To Uninstall Programs on Mac in LaunchPad
Apple App Store offers millions of applications to download and install on your Mac, and if you feel some programs are useless any more, or their trial period is over, or you've found better alternatives, you can uninstall these Unwanted/Outdated programs with ease. Don't go that hurry to remove any programs on your Mac as sometimes your operation may cause troubles. Here are some checkpoints you'd better have a look before starting.
What You Need to Know Before Uninstalling Programs on Mac
- Mac App Removal is Permanant - To uninstall programs on a Mac, in most cases, it's permanent deletion. So make sure you have a backup copy of the program that you want to get rid of.
- Take a look on program remnant junk - By uninstalling programs on a Mac, you have good chance that a large amount of caches and leftover junk may remain and occupy your hard drive storage.
- Don't Uninstall macOS Pre-installed Programs - You can't uninstall programs that come as part of macOS. For instance, iTunes on macOS Mojave and earlier versions, Quick Time, Safari, Mail, App Store, etc, unless you use some 'hacking' skills via command line [Always Be Careful and Know Exactly What You're Doing].
The way to install app programs on a Mac is versatile. For example, you can buy and download apps programs from Apple App Store, install apps from a disc, or install third party software downloaded directly from developer homepage (Make sure the app you try to install is from an unidentified developer). That's the reason the method of uninstalling programs on your Mac varies. If your app programs are downloaded from App Store, you can uninstall them like deleting an app from your iPhone or iPad.
How-To Steps To Uninstall Unwanted/Outdated Programs on Mac
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Step 1:
On your Mac, Open Launchpad by click it on Docker:
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Step 2:
Long press the program icon that you want to get rid of on your Mac for 2-3 seconds > You'll see all these app icons get giggling > click the Delete button to uninstall this programs on your Mac.
macOS Program Removal Tips: By uninstalling this kind of programs from your Mac, you can redownload and reinstall them from App Store. So it's relatively the most safe way to uninstall your Mac programs. If you don't see the Delete icon when app icon giggling, move to Part 2.
Part 2: How To Uninstall Unwanted Programs on Mac in Finder
If you find there is no Delete icon on the jiggling apps you want to uninstall, it means these programs were downloaded from Internet or installed via disc/thumb drive. If so, you can open Finder > on Finder sidebar, click Applications, then drag the apps you don't need to Trash. Or, simple click context menu for that app, and click Move To Trash to uninstall this program from your Mac.
Most macOS software programs run maintenance support scripts, generate running log, and store cache data at predefined intervals. So to uninstall programs on a Mac isn't as straightforward as you would think. When you drag an unwanted/outdated program from Applications Folder to Trash, the main app may be gone, but many associated files and folders are left behind. You can easily delete them since it's just a matter of locating the program support files and removing those as well.
How-To Steps To Uninstall Unwanted/Outdated Programs on Mac Catalina
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Step 1:
Open Finder app on your Mac > Applications > Find the programs that you want to remove:
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Step 2:
Right click the program icon > Click Move To Trash to delete this program on your Mac:
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Step 3:
Open Finder > in Menu, click Go > enter
~/Library:
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Step 4:
Go inside of these application support data folders and search/delete for any files that are associated with the programs you want to uninstall: Application Support | Caches | Containers | Frameworks | Logs | Preferences | Saved | Application State | WebKit
Part 3: How To Uninstall Programs on Mac Using Command Line
Uninstalling programs from Mac through Command Line/Terminal is, in most cases, for advanced Mac users who have advanced knowledge of Mac OS X. Only if you are Command Line expert and know exactly what you are doing, then you can have a try with these steps to remove your programs completely on a Mac. Don't Try this if you don't fully understand the syntax used in Command Line (How To Uninstall Xcode Command Line Tool).
How-To Steps To Uninstall Unwanted Programs on Mac Using Command Line
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Step 1:
Trash the known application program files from your Mac by following steps mentioned above > Open Terminal:
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Step 2:
Make sure you're logging in your Mac with Admin account > Use this syntax to find remnant components
mdfind -name [application name]:
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Step 3:
Remove associated files from system locations with rm:
sudo rm -rf /Whatever> Repeat as necessary with associated component files returned bymdfind:
Part 4: How To Uninstall Programs on Mac Using Omni Remover
Uninstalling software on Mac OS X is generally simple and straightforward, as most programs don't run background components or alter system settings files (like the Registry on Windows). However, in rare cases, if you want to remove an old, malfunctioning or corrupt program, reinstall a software to fresh register number or you need to free up space on your Mac, you hardly get a satisfied without the help from third party but professional Uninstaller Apps.
Omni Remover is what you need. This neat and agile Mac App Uninstaller program aims to ease up the pain in macOS program uninstalling and cleaning. With it, you can easy remove unwanted apps by dragging-n-dropping, while the extraordinary part is, it will automatically start scanning app leftovers, remaining caches, orphaned or corrupt junks, so as to give you complete Mac App Uninstalling solution.
How-To Steps To Uninstall Unwanted Programs on Mac Using Omni Remover
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Step 1:
Free Download Omni Remover on your Mac (Compatible with all recent macOS like macOS Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, etc.) > Open Omni Remover.
How To Uninstall Programs on Mac Step 1 -
Step 2:
Choose App Uninstall in Omni Remover > Select the program you want to delete > Check the basic information, such as program version number, developer, app size (Take Chrome as an example, original install space is 403.6MB), etc.
How To Uninstall Programs on Mac Catalina Step 2 -
Step 3:
Click Scan to browse program cache junk, downloaded support files, and all other related remnants.
How To Uninstall Programs on Mac Catalina Step 3 -
Step 4:
Omni Remover will scan all this program related app junk on macOS system > After a second, you can check how much storage space (2.2GB on our end) could be reclaimed by removing this bloated program from your Mac > click Clean to continue:
How To Uninstall Programs on Mac Step 4 -
Step 5:
After a few seconds, Omni Remover will finish uninstalling programs from your Mac.
How To Uninstall Programs on Mac Step 5
Part 5: More Helpful macOS Programs Removal Tips
A software program on macOS can hardly working smoothly without generating cache, cookie and other temporary application files. So it's recommended to get an expert Mac App Cleaner and Uninstaller software to keep your mac running fast and light. Get impressed by the Omni Remover cleaning result? Check all Mac App Cleaning and Uninstalling features in Omni Remover.
General Tips for Freeing Up Space on Mac:
The Bottom Line
Unless the program you just uninstalled is downloaded from App Store, otherwise, the removal of your apps would be permanent. So alway make sure you can source of setup file for your removed apps, or create a backup before uninstalling. At last, we recommend you to download Omni Remover to start completely uninstalling Google Chrome from your Mac. Free Download >
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More Mac App Cleaner and Uninstaller Tips
- How To Completely Uninstall Anaconda on macOS >
- How To Uninstall uTorrent on Mac in Easy Steps >
- A Complete Guide To Uninstall Citrix Receiver Mac >
- How To Uninstall VMware Fusion on Mac >
- How To Uninstall Silverlight & Plugins on Mac >
- How To Completely Uninstall Spotify on Mac OS X >
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