Best uninstaller? or just no need for one?

[Jason_G]

Hi,

I have ongoing issues with my iMac and am told to remove CleanMyMac, looking around this seems to be the advice from most people.

I use it mainly for the uninstaller which is obviously overkill given all the other things it does, but it sounds like it may be doing more harm than good. I used to use AppZapper but got rid of it in favour of CleanMyMac.

So, what do people think is the best uninstaller for Mac, or is there a general consensus that unless the application has it's own uninstaller, there's just no need for one and you simply drag the app into the Trash? What about the leftover files, like plist files and whatever else if left behind?

Thanks in advance

 

[Weaselboy]

http://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

I think the most commonly recommended one around here is AppCleaner. Free and works well.

You can just drag and drop apps to the trash like you said, but over time the cruft left behind can add up.

 

[Gregg2]

There are many users who would tell you there's no need for a stand-alone Uninstaller app. Those apps might clean up most things associated with the targeted application, but probably not 100%. Finding all associated files (possibly a difficult task) and deleting them manually is a more comprehensive approach. And if an app has it's own Uninstaller, use it.

 

[Jason_G]

There are many users who would tell you there's no need for a stand-alone Uninstaller app. Those apps might clean up most things associated with the targeted application, but probably not 100%. Finding all associated files (possibly a difficult task) and deleting them manually is a more comprehensive approach. And if an app has it's own Uninstaller, use it.

Would you say it's still worth having an uninstaller or just dragging the app to Trash is sufficient and not to worry about leftover plist files any anything else?

Definitely agree that if it comes with an uninstaller, I'd like to think that will be the cleanest way to remove the app.

 

[Gregg2]

The leftover files are very small. Are you downloading 100's of apps and then uninstalling most of them? If not, my opinion is that something like AppCleaner is not needed.

 

[Jason_G]

The leftover files are very small. Are you downloading 100's of apps and then uninstalling most of them? If not, my opinion is that something like AppCleaner is not needed.

No not at all, I might just like to give an app a try and if I don't like it then I'd want to uninstall/remove it - it's not that often that I do that anyway

 

[Weaselboy]

No not at all, I might just like to give an app a try and if I don't like it then I'd want to uninstall/remove it - it's not that often that I do that anyway

I guess where I'm coming from is AppCleaner is free and very small, and to remove an app you drag and drop it into the app just like you would into the trash without the app, so why not use it?

Some apps leave behind launch items in these folders than can still be running on your system even though you deleted the app. Look in those folders now and if you have installed and removed a few apps over the years, I would not be surprised if you find something leftover from one of them in those folders.

~/Library/LaunchAgents (~ is your users folder)
/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/StartupItems
/Library/Extensions
/System/Library/Extensions/

 

[0279317]

http://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

I think the most commonly recommended one around here is AppCleaner. Free and works well.

You can just drag and drop apps to the trash like you said, but over time the cruft left behind can add up.

I downloaded AppCleaner and it works just fine. Thanks for the suggestion. Is there a recommended app that will remove leftovers from past uninstalls?

 

[Gregg2]

I've never heard of a "retro-uninstaller". In fact, I had to make up that term. If you can remember names of such bygone apps, you might be able to search for leftover bits and delete them. If not, go back to sleep. It's not worth fretting about.

 

[Release]

I downloaded AppCleaner and it works just fine. Thanks for the suggestion. Is there a recommended app that will remove leftovers from past uninstalls?

CleanMyMac has a leftovers tab. It's not free and it doesn't catch everything (and you really should review each file before you delete everything) but I find it works well. I've been using it for years without problems.

 

[Weaselboy]

I downloaded AppCleaner and it works just fine. Thanks for the suggestion. Is there a recommended app that will remove leftovers from past uninstalls?

Only thing I can think of is to reinstall the app, then use AppCleaner to uninstall everything.