How to uninstall apps on a Mac completely

Before you uninstall

A few things are worth knowing first, all from Apple's Delete or uninstall apps on Mac:

• Your documents stay. Deleting an app doesn't remove files you made with it, though you may need the app to open them.
• Subscriptions keep running. Deleting an app doesn't cancel a subscription you bought through it. Cancel that separately.
• Some apps can't be removed. Apps macOS needs, such as Mail, Music, Books, Notes, Podcasts, Maps, News and Stocks, are protected.
• An uninstaller beats dragging. If the app came with one, use it. Apple says an uninstaller can also remove login items, extensions and data the app stored elsewhere.

Uninstall an app and its leftovers

This works for any app you installed, on macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27.

1. 1

   Quit the app

   Quit the app, including any menu bar or background part of it. macOS won't move an app that's still running.

2. 2

   Look for the app's own uninstaller

   In the Finder, click Applications in the sidebar. If the app sits in a folder with an Uninstall or Uninstaller app inside, double-click that and follow its steps. It knows where the app keeps login items, extensions and other files.

3. 3

   Move the app to the Trash

   If there's no uninstaller, drag the app from Applications to the Trash, or select it and press Command-Delete. Enter an administrator name and password if asked.

4. 4

   Find the files it left behind

   In the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder, type ~/Library and press Return. Look in Application Support, Caches, Containers, Group Containers, Preferences and Logs for items named after the app or its bundle ID.

5. 5

   Move those leftovers to the Trash

   Move only items that clearly belong to the app you removed. Leave anything that starts with com.apple, and anything shared with apps you still use.

6. 6

   Empty the Trash when you're sure

   Choose Finder > Empty Trash. The space comes back only then, and after that nothing can be put back.

Moving the app to the Trash takes care of the app itself. Apple's own guide stops there, which is why "completely" needs the extra steps: the app's settings, caches and data stay in your Library until you move them too.

Uninstall App Store apps from Launchpad or Apps

Apps from the Mac App Store can also be removed the way you'd remove them on an iPhone. Where you do it depends on your macOS version.

macOS 15 Sequoia: open Launchpad from the Dock. Click and hold the app's icon until it begins to jiggle, then click the Close button (X) on it.

macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27: these versions have Apps where earlier ones had Launchpad. Click the Apps icon in the Dock, click and hold the app's icon until it jiggles, then click the Close button (X) on it.

Apple's App Store guide covers both. Use this for App Store apps and the Finder for everything else. Anything you got from the App Store can be downloaded again later from your purchases there. This route has the same limit as dragging to the Trash: support files stay behind.

Storage settings can also help you decide what to remove. Open it and click the info button next to Applications; Apple describes it as showing more information and options for managing that category:

Apple menu, then System Settings, then General, then Storage

Where leftover files live

Apps keep their data outside the app bundle, mostly in the Library folder inside your home folder. Finder hides it; choose Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) and type the path, or hold ⌥ while the Go menu is open and choose Library.

Most folders are named after the app or its bundle ID, a reverse-domain name such as com.example.app. Group Containers usually add a team ID in front, so search for part of the name.

Find an app's files with Terminal

Terminal is the quickest way to list everything at once. These commands only read; they don't remove anything.

Get the app's bundle ID while the app is still installed (replace the name with yours):

osascript -e 'id of app "Example App"'

Then list every Library item that contains it:

find ~/Library /Library -maxdepth 3 -iname "*com.example.app*" 2>/dev/null

Run it again with the app's plain name, because some apps name their folders that way. Then move what you found to the Trash in the Finder. Avoid rm for this: it deletes permanently, skips the Trash and can't be undone.

Apps that came as a .pkg installer can also put files outside the Library, such as plug-ins, drivers or command-line tools. macOS keeps a receipt for each package, and pkgutil reads them. Find the package ID first:

pkgutil --pkgs | grep -i example

Then see where it installed, and the files it put there (listed relative to that location):

pkgutil --pkg-info com.example.pkg
pkgutil --files com.example.pkg

Both only read. For an app installed this way, look on the developer's site for an uninstaller before you remove files by hand; it's the route Apple recommends.

If the app installed a background helper, also check the background items list in Login Items & Extensions after you remove it:

Apple menu, then System Settings, then General, then Login Items & Extensions

What's safe to remove, and what isn't

Safe once the app is gone: its folders in Caches, Logs, Saved Application State, HTTPStorages and WebKit, and its .plist files in Preferences. These only matter to that app.

Check first: its folder in Application Support and its Container. For many apps that's just caches and settings, but for others it's your work: a game's saves, a notes app's library, a music app's projects. If you might reinstall the app later and want your setup back, keep them.

~/Library/Application Support/*

An app's data

What it is

Data an app made or downloaded: libraries, databases, saved games, plug-ins or settings.

Does it come back?

Doesn't come back

Without it

The app would lose what it keeps here. For some apps that's only caches; for others it's all your work.

Be careful with: Group Containers, which can be shared with other apps from the same developer that you still use, and launch agents or daemons, which belong to background helpers. Remove those only for an app you've already removed.

Leave alone: anything that starts with com.apple, anything belonging to an app that's still installed, and the Library folders themselves. Moving a whole folder like ~/Library/Caches or ~/Library/Preferences affects every app at once. Our guide to Library caches explains what else lives in your Library.

When an app won't delete

• It comes with macOS. Apple's own apps such as Safari, Mail and Music can't be removed, by design.
• It's still running. Quit it, including any menu bar icon or helper. If macOS still says it's in use, Apple suggests restarting, or starting up in Safe Mode, and trying again.
• You're asked for a password. macOS may ask for an administrator name and password before it moves an app. On a work or school Mac, you may need whoever manages it.

How MacClearings does it

MacClearings' Applications view lists every app with its real footprint: the app plus the support files it keeps elsewhere, found in the Library locations in the table above.

Choose an app and click Uninstall. MacClearings stages the app and its checked support files, then opens the same review list every cleanup goes through, so you see each item and its size before anything moves. Launch agents and daemons start unchecked, so background helpers aren't removed by surprise. Apple's own apps are refused, and so is any app that's running: quit it first. Everything you confirm goes to the Trash, and History can undo the whole cleanup or put back a single item.

The Leftovers tab lists support files from apps that are no longer installed, so you can tidy up after apps you dragged to the Trash months ago. It skips anything belonging to Apple. The Login Items tab turns login items and background helpers on and off; it never removes their files.

MacClearings never empties the Trash. The space comes back when you empty it yourself, once you're sure the app is gone for good. If you're comparing uninstallers, AppCleaner alternatives covers the free and paid options, and our best Mac cleaner guide compares the rest.