How to uninstall apps on Mac, and remove what they leave

1. Check for the app’s own uninstaller first

Apple’s page on deleting apps is direct: find out whether the app includes an Uninstall or Uninstaller app, because that is the best way to delete it, and some apps offer removal as a menu item or setting instead. Apple’s guide for apps installed from the internet adds the practical step: if the app is in a folder, open the folder and look for Uninstall [App] or [App] Uninstaller, then double-click it.

Uninstallers matter for suites that install more than one thing: creative and office suites, security software, drivers and anything with a menu bar helper. Apple notes they help remove login items, extensions and other data the app stored, which Finder cannot see.

2. Delete the app with Finder or from its icon

For an app without an uninstaller, Apple’s steps are to drag it from the Applications folder to the Trash, or select it and choose File → Move to Trash, entering an administrator name and password if asked. For apps from the App Store, Apple’s App Store guide describes pressing and holding the app’s icon until it jiggles and clicking the delete button, in Launchpad or the Apps window that replaces it on recent macOS.

Then choose Finder → Empty Trash. Until you do, the app still occupies its space, and a large app such as a game or a creative suite can be tens of gigabytes.

3. If an app will not delete

Two causes cover almost every case. Apple states that you cannot use Finder to delete apps required by your Mac, including many installed by macOS such as Mail, Music, Books and Notes; they are part of the system and are not taking space you can reclaim. The second is an app that is still in use: quit it, including any helper it runs in the menu bar, and try again. Apple’s page suggests restarting, or starting up in safe mode, when the app stays in use.

Do not delete an app’s folder from inside a package or force it with Terminal. If the maker ships an uninstaller and the app will not go, run the uninstaller; that is what it is for.

4. Find what the app left behind

Apple’s page makes the limit clear: deleting or uninstalling an app does not remove documents or other files you created. It also leaves behind support data unless an uninstaller cleaned it. The usual places are inside your Library, named after the app or its maker.

• Application Support: settings, databases and downloaded content, under the app or vendor name.
• Containers and Group Containers: data for sandboxed apps, named by bundle identifier such as com.vendor.app.
• Caches: rebuildable working files, also by bundle identifier. Safe to remove once the app is gone.
• Preferences: small .plist files. Harmless to leave; remove only if you want a fresh start on reinstall.
• Logs, Saved Application State and LaunchAgents: usually tiny, worth checking for a helper that keeps launching.

5. Login items, extensions and the last check

Open System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions and remove anything that belonged to the app; a leftover helper is the most common reason a deleted app still appears to run. Then empty the Trash and check System Settings → General → Storage.

The Library guide explains those folders and which to leave alone. If you would rather not search by hand, the free-tools guide lists uninstallers that do this search for you, and ClearDisk’s free scan shows Application Support, Containers and Caches with allocated sizes so you can review a leftover before it goes to the Trash. Keep documents; only the app’s own data is the target.

Common questions about uninstalling

The questions people ask alongside this one, answered from Apple’s pages.

• Why can’t I delete an app on my Mac? Either it is part of macOS, which Apple says Finder cannot delete, or it is still running. Quit it, including any menu bar helper, and try again; Apple suggests restarting or safe mode if it stays in use.
• How do I completely uninstall an app? Run the maker’s uninstaller if there is one, otherwise move the app to the Trash, then remove its leftovers in Application Support, Containers and Caches and any login item, as described above.
• How do I force uninstall an app on macOS? There is no force option in Finder, and Terminal commands only remove the app bundle. Quit the app, remove its login items, restart if needed, then delete it normally. If the maker ships an uninstaller, that is the force option.
• Can I uninstall Apple apps on Mac? Apps installed with macOS such as Mail, Music, Books and Notes cannot be deleted with Finder. Apple apps you got from the App Store, such as Pages or Keynote, can be removed like any other app.