How to Delete Apps on Mac?

A lot of people end up installing apps on their Mac system for one reason or another only to realise later that they don’t need them at all. The system becomes a chest of craps hindering its ability to function properly. To bring it back to working effectively, it needs a bit of cleaning that you can do with the help of our “how to delete apps on a Mac system” guide.   

There are various ways to delete apps on a Mac computer and to get familiar with them we will have to find answers to the following questions: 

  • How to Delete Apps on Mac from the App Store using Launchpad?
  • How Do You Delete an App on Mac Air using Finder?
  • How to Delete Apps on My Mac using the Dock Panel?
  • How to Delete Installed Apps on Mac using a Third-Party App?
  • How to Delete Apple Apps on Mac with Built-in Uninstaller?
  • How to Delete Apps on Mac that Won’t Delete?
  • How to Uninstall and Delete Apps on Mac Temporarily?

So let’s declutter starting from the very first question on the list one by one!

How to Delete Apps on Mac from the App Store using Launchpad?

It is pretty easy to delete the app if you have downloaded it from the Mac App Store. Here’s what you can do: 

  • Open the Launchpad on the Mac computer or:
    • Click on the Launchpad icon located on the Dock.
    • Use the F4 key in the Function row
    • Perform four-finger pinch on the trackpad.
  • Search for the app (that you wish to delete) from your Mac App Store.
  • Here, you need to click and keep on holding the app’s icon till the time it starts jiggling.
  • After this, you can click on the X icon that appears on the top left of the app’s icon.
  • Then, you can click on the Delete button when it prompts on the screen.

And done! This is how you can remove or delete the apps in a short while. So no more “how do I delete locked apps on my Mac” question after reading this. Right? 

How Do You Delete an App on Mac Air using Finder?

Another way to delete apps on Mac is by using the Finder option. If you have downloaded the apps on your Mac computer through the web then Finder is the way to delete the apps. Here are the steps:

  • Go to the Finder icon located in the Dock Panel.
  • Once the Finder is opened, you can click on the Applications located on the left side.
  • Here, you can scroll through the list of apps and find the one that you want to remove.
  • Once you find it, click right on the app to delete.
  • This will show you the Move to Trash option, you can click on it.
  • As an alternate option, you can directly use Command + Delete key together on your keyboard.
  • This will delete and move the app to the Trash.
  • To delete the app from Trash, you can go to the Trash located in the Dock Panel.
  • And then hit the Empty button located on the top right.

If you are willing to delete multiple apps on Mac then you can use the Command key and keep on selecting the app that you want to remove. After this, you can press Command + Delete keys together in order to delete the apps. Later, you can go to the Trash and hit the Empty button to remove the app completely.

This will delete the app from your Mac computer and Trash completely. The process is pretty simple. When somebody asks you how do you delete an app on Mac Air using Finder, you can show them the aforementioned steps.

How to Delete Apps on My Mac using the Dock Panel?

The Dock Panel on Mac allows you to access apps quickly. So, if you are thinking how to delete apps on my Mac using Dock Panel then let us tell you, this is one of the easiest ways to apply. Let us know how to do it:

  • Find the app in the Dock Panel that you want to remove. Alternatively, you can launch the Application folder located on the Dock (in case you do not see the app).
  • Next to this, you can click and hold the app’s icon.
  • After this, you can drag the app carefully and drop it to the Trash which should also be there in the Dock Panel.
  • Since the app is moved to the Trash, you can open the Trash and hit the Empty button to remove the app completely from your Mac computer or laptop.

Similarly, you can delete other apps that are no longer in use. The dock on Mac is one of the quickest ways to delete apps. So if you want to know how to delete apps on Mac Pro or how to fully delete an app on Mac then you can implement the above-mentioned steps.

How to Delete Installed Apps on Mac using a Third-Party App?

When you delete the apps from your Mac computer, a few of the apps might leave behind the preferences files and cache. However, it does not harm anything but if you want to delete it then you can. These preference files can be discovered in the locations that are as follows:

  • Applications support files are stored in: ~/Library/Application Support/(App Name)
  • Preferences could be found: ~/Library/Preferences/(App Name)
  • The cache is stored in: ~/Library/Caches/(App Name)

To remove these all, you can either follow the path (mentioned above) or use the third-party apps to make things easier. ClearMyMacX is one of the best apps that helps you to delete apps and files from secret libraries.

To learn how to delete installed apps on Mac using the third-party app (ClearMyMacX), you can download the app and launch it to perform. The app lets you manage, uninstall, and update the app. When you open it, you can directly go to the Uninstall section located on the left. This will show you the list of apps. Here, you can select the app that you want to delete and hit the Remove button.

ClearMyMacX also helps to find the leftover or the files that you do not use. You can bring the list and remove them all. As an alternate option, you can use other apps such as Uninstaller, AppDelete, CleanApp, and AppCleaner to remove preferences, cache, and the files that you no longer use. These apps detect the deleted app files quickly and remove them for you.

How to Delete Apple Apps on Mac with Built-in Uninstaller?

Do you know Mac has a built-in uninstaller that you can use to delete apps on Mac? These Native uninstallers can be found in the Applications section. But keep in mind that these uninstallers will not appear in Launchpad. To understand better how to delete Apple apps on Mac, go through the following steps:

  • First of all, you need to go to the Finder and search for the Application folder.
  • At this point, you will see these two folders:
    • Adobe Creative Cloud that launches the apps.
    • Uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud that contains the uninstaller file.
  • Here, you can click on the Uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud folder.
  • After this, you can type your password and hit the OK button in order to confirm the action.

If you are looking forward to removing a separate component then you can follow these steps mentioned below:

  • To get started, you can click on the Finder and search for the Application section to open it.
  • At this point, you will see these two folders.
    • Adobe Creative Cloud that launches the apps
    • Uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud (that contains the uninstaller file)
  • This time, you need to open the Adobe Creative Cloud folder.
  • Then, you can select the component you want to delete.
  • After this, you can go to the Options and hit the Uninstall button.

How to Delete Apps on Mac that Won’t Delete?

There are a few apps that cannot be uninstalled from your Mac. Apps like FaceTime, Safari, Mail, and other default apps cannot be removed. Even if you try to delete them, you would see the error that says  “This app cannot be deleted or modified”. If you encounter a similar situation then do not worry because these default apps can be removed easily. Learn here how to delete apps on Mac that won’t delete with the following methods:

If you are aware of technology then you can remove the system-embedded application using Terminal. However, if you are not so technical then using the app cleaner tool will assist you. EaseUS Mac CleanGenius and other third-party apps that we have discussed in this article can be used. These kinds of programs help you to remove the app with system files and preferences without affecting your MacOS.

Below we will understand both (uninstaller app and Terminal) the methods one by one:

Use Launchpad

In case you are planning to use an uninstaller app such as EaseUS Mac CleanGenius then the following steps will come in handy:

  • Download the EaseUS Mac CleanGenius app and launch it on Mac.
  • Then, you can go to the Tools section in order to select the Uninstall option.
  • Now, you need to select the apps and programs that you wish to remove from your Mac. This will remove the app along with the system files.

Use Terminal

Tech geeks can use this method to delete apps on Mac. To get the job done, you can do the following:

  • First of all, launch the Terminal. It should be located in the Applications folder under the Utilities.
  • Now, you can enter the command: cd/Applications/. Doing so, it will get changed to the Applications directory. Then, you can delete the apps.
  • The default apps that are hard to remove can be deleted using the different commands based on the app. For instance, to know how to delete mail app on Mac, you can enter sudo rm -rf Mail.app/.
  • Similarly, for the other default apps, you can enter the following commands:
    • To remove Safari, enter sudo rm -rf Safari.app/.
    • To remove FaceTime, enter sudo rm -rf FaceTime.app/.
    • To remove QuickTime Player, enter sudo rm -rf QuickTime\ Player.app/.

So if you want to know how to delete apps on Mac that won’t delete, you can follow any of the two methods to delete apps on Mac.

How to Uninstall and Delete Apps on Mac Temporarily?

There are instances when you want the app back to your Mac system. In that case, you can just remove them temporarily so that you can get it back to the place without making efforts. To do so, you need to have the external drive attached to the Mac then you can drag the app from there to the other SSD.

This idea helps you when you are running out of storage but want to have all the apps. In this scenario, you can move the app to the SSD and the best part is that you can use the app right from there.

Accidentally Deleted App Store on Mac?

During the process of deleting the app, if you accidentally deleted app store on Mac (which is a must-have app to install new apps) then you can do the following to get it back:

  • If the deleted app is still available in Trash then you can go to Trash through the Dock panel.
  • Then, you can search for the deleted app that you want to restore.
  • Next to this, click right on that app and choose the Put Back option.
  • At this point, you need to enter the Admin username along with the password (if you are not signed in).
  • Once done, click the Ok button and this will put back the deleted application on Mac.

Do You Want to Delete Software on Mac?

Apart from deleting apps, most users might want to delete the software such as plugins on their Mac computer and laptop. If you are willing to delete some plugins from your Mac then you can walk through the following steps:

  • To delete apps on Mac, go to the System Preferences.
  • Here, you will see the plugin or software. You can click right in order to select it.
  • Then, you can click the Remove option.
  • When the software is moved to the Trash, you can open Trash and click on the Empty button located on the top right. This can be the best way to delete software on your Mac computer.

So if you want to know how to recover deleted apps on Mac, you can follow the above-mentioned steps.

Conclusion

Launchpad, Finder, and Dock Panel can declutter your system, organize stuffs, and bring swiftness to whatever you do on it. The aforementioned steps are easy to perform but in case of any confusion you can get in touch with us anytime. Our representatives will assist you with the best possible solution.

We have also prepared this dedicated guide on how to fix error code 43 Mac. Click here to know more.

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