How to uninstall applications on MacOS

FAQs Driver & Updates
1

Uninstalling Applications from the Applications Folder

a. Using Finder:

  1. Open Finder:
  • Click on the Finder icon in your Dock to open a Finder window.
  1. Go to the Applications Folder:
  • In the Finder sidebar, click on Applications. You’ll see a list of all installed applications.
  1. Drag the Application to the Trash:

  • Locate the application you want to uninstall.

  • Click and drag the application icon to the Trash in your Dock.

  • Alternatively, you can right-click (or Control-click) the application and select Move to Trash.

  1. Empty the Trash:

  • Right-click on the Trash icon in your Dock and select Empty Trash.

  • Confirm the action to permanently delete the application and free up space.

b. Using Launchpad:

  1. Open Launchpad:
  • Click on the Launchpad icon in your Dock, or press the F4 key on your keyboard.
  1. Find the Application:
  • Browse through the pages or use the search bar at the top to locate the application you want to uninstall.
  1. Click and Hold the App Icon:

  • Click and hold the application icon until all the icons start to jiggle.

  • For apps installed via the Mac App Store, you’ll see an X icon appear in the corner.

  1. Delete the App:

  • Click the X icon to uninstall the application.

  • Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Manually Deleting Leftover Files

After uninstalling an application, you might want to remove any leftover files that could be taking up space.

  1. Check the Library Folder:

  • Open Finder, click on the Go menu, and select Go to Folder.

  • Type ~/Library/ and press Enter. This will open the user’s Library folder, where application support files may reside.

  1. Look in Specific Directories:

  • Application Support: Check ~/Library/Application Support/ for any folders related to the uninstalled application.

  • Preferences: Look in ~/Library/Preferences/ for .plist files related to the application.

  • Caches: Check ~/Library/Caches/ for any cached data from the application.

  • Containers: Search ~/Library/Containers/ for any application containers.

  1. Delete Leftover Files:
  • Carefully delete any files or folders associated with the uninstalled application. Be cautious not to delete files related to other applications.
  1. Final Steps

  • Restart Your Mac: After uninstalling an application, it’s a good idea to restart your Mac to ensure that all changes take effect.

  • Check Storage: You can verify that the application has been removed and check how much space has been freed by going to Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage.

Following these steps should help you uninstall applications from macOS Sonoma effectively, whether they were installed from the Mac App Store, downloaded from the internet, or came with system extensions.