Whenever I drag an app or program on applications to trash, i always find new files from the related app/program on library or somewhere else. In Windows, there are some programs that helps you to completely remove a program with its all files in the system. Im beginner to macos. How can i completely remove a program? I searched for some 3rd party programs to do this like Cleanmymac. But then i read the comments of Cleanmymac, some people say its effective and some people say its not good. What can i do?
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Deleting a program/app from applications is not deleting all files of the program
- Thread starter thebumbing2
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Yes, this is one of the few things that annoys me with macOS. It really needs a proper package manager.
I use Find Any File to search for, and remove left over files after deleting the app. You just have to be careful with it and not blindly delete all results.
apps.tempel.org
I use Find Any File to search for, and remove left over files after deleting the app. You just have to be careful with it and not blindly delete all results.
Find Any File
Some apps do have uninstallers, which remove everything. Others have instructions on their websites telling you all the files you need to remove. So those are the first things you want to look for.
Another option is to email the developer and ask the file names and locations of everything the app saves on your system
But, barring those, I'll add my own endorsement of Find Any File—it's great. But the problem with relying on it is two-fold:
(1) You have to be careful not to accidentally delete a file with a name that sounds like it belongs to the app you're deleting, but in fact belongs to another app (or, worse, to a system file).
(2) Many apps install files with names that don't contain the app name, so it's impossible to identify them as belonging to the app.
There are aftermarket uninstallers, but MacWorld tested them back in 2010, and none got rid of all the orphan files:
www.macworld.com
Here's a review of the apps available in 2022 that do this:
www.macworld.com
It seems what's really needed is a program that tracks all and records all files added by an app at the time the app is installed. Thus it knows where all the orphan files are when it's time to uninstall it.
Another option is to email the developer and ask the file names and locations of everything the app saves on your system
But, barring those, I'll add my own endorsement of Find Any File—it's great. But the problem with relying on it is two-fold:
(1) You have to be careful not to accidentally delete a file with a name that sounds like it belongs to the app you're deleting, but in fact belongs to another app (or, worse, to a system file).
(2) Many apps install files with names that don't contain the app name, so it's impossible to identify them as belonging to the app.
There are aftermarket uninstallers, but MacWorld tested them back in 2010, and none got rid of all the orphan files:
Mac utilities: Do uninstallers work?
It should be as easy as dragging and dropping to the Trash. But uninstalling Mac apps is rarely that easy. That's why there are uninstaller utilities, which claim to get rid of every last vestige of a program. But do they really work? Joe Kissell does some testing to find out.
www.macworld.com
Here's a review of the apps available in 2022 that do this:
Best Mac Cleaner software: Boost performance and disk space with a Mac cleaner app
You can speed up your Mac and improve performance with a Mac cleaning app. We review CleanMyMac and other apps for deleting files and memory hogs on a Mac.
www.macworld.com
It seems what's really needed is a program that tracks all and records all files added by an app at the time the app is installed. Thus it knows where all the orphan files are when it's time to uninstall it.
I use AppCleaner but I know from first hand evidence even that's not foolproof
When I first transitioned to MacOS is 2011 from Windows I was a bit shocked to find there was no uninstaller built into MacOS, like there is with Windows.
Naively I assume it was because MacOS apps don't litter themselves around the hard drive like apps do in Windows, so you only even need to drag the app to the bin/trashcan. Wrong.
When I first transitioned to MacOS is 2011 from Windows I was a bit shocked to find there was no uninstaller built into MacOS, like there is with Windows.
Naively I assume it was because MacOS apps don't litter themselves around the hard drive like apps do in Windows, so you only even need to drag the app to the bin/trashcan. Wrong.
Instead of using 3rd party applications that might or might not do exactly the right thing in all cases I just completely wipe my Mac every 2 or so years/major OS updates and install everything from scratch. That results in a nice and clean system, no leftovers, no outdated configurations, nothing. Btw, please use the correct forum for your questions, this one is macOS specific and has nothing whatsoever to do with Apple Silicon.
Yep, Appcleaner is the way forward here, if there is no official uninstaller for the app in question...
This is something I do like on Windows, the one in 999. Being able to uninstall apps and accompanying files from settings is handy with several software. MacOS has a lot of organization heirarchy for music software, separate plugins by type etc. It can be tedious to uninstall those programs if they lack a proper patching tool, need reinstalled from error, or you simply don't want them anymore.
Ever since Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard I've been a big fan of AppZapper, currently at version 2.0.3. It seems like it hasn't been updated in a while, though, and a single license costs US$ 20.
I haven't used AppCleaner yet. The current version, 3.6.4., runs on macOS 10.14 Mojave up to macOS 12 Monterey and it's absolutely free.
Good software should come with uninstallers, or better yet, macOS should keep a record of every installed software package and allow for its removal. Well, one can dream.
Do let us know which app you finally choose. Best of luck!
I haven't used AppCleaner yet. The current version, 3.6.4., runs on macOS 10.14 Mojave up to macOS 12 Monterey and it's absolutely free.
Good software should come with uninstallers, or better yet, macOS should keep a record of every installed software package and allow for its removal. Well, one can dream.
Do let us know which app you finally choose. Best of luck!
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If you're curious, you could actually compare the performance of app cleaners. For instance, in a test partition, install a few programs where you know in advance all the files they install (e.g., by inquiring with the developer). Then run each app cleaner and see what percentage of those files it's able to identify. I.e., do what MacWorld did back in 2010:
www.macworld.com
Mac utilities: Do uninstallers work?
It should be as easy as dragging and dropping to the Trash. But uninstalling Mac apps is rarely that easy. That's why there are uninstaller utilities, which claim to get rid of every last vestige of a program. But do they really work? Joe Kissell does some testing to find out.
www.macworld.com
I use App Cleaner. It searches for files related to the to-be-deleted app and puts them in the trash.
Prefer native OS solution vs adding more litter with third party software. Looking into OpenBSM since it looks like it has a mechanism to log file creations. Just need to log files created during app installation and first app run for complete removal.
Is OpenBSM still around on macOS?
To be fair to Adobe, they do provide uninstallers.
The programs which need more attention are those with system extensions or kexts (e.g. firewalls and VPN clients) and those installed via homebrew.
I used to do that - usually 12 moths. But have now not done so for 3 years and don't see any need to do so. Just needs a bit of discipline when uninstalling: a) always use App Cleaner (or similar) and b) recognise the type of app which might need more work (e.g. those that add system extensions or kexts).
Is this what's being discussed?:
BSM audit is deprecated | Apple Developer Forums
Still see config files and active logging on Ventura. However, Xcode support looks deprecated. Still fine if it can get the job done without resorting to third party software.
I have been using macos since late 2020. But i still couldn’t make mac my main computer. My main computer is still a windows pc. I really want to love macos but it seems like maybe i may never. In late 2020, i bought my first mac as an 2019 i9 16” mbp. Then when the 2021 16” mbp’s came, i bought the 2021 one and sold the old one. I thought maybe i will love macos with the 120hz refresh rate,ports etc. But so many important programs doesnt exist(for ex. 3dsmax). You cannot delete any program completely, it leaves junk files. My current mac is M1 Pro 16” but my 8 year old MSI GE70 2PC Apache Pro Windows pc my main computer(!!!) is faster on rendering with keyshot and also when i upgraded to Ventura, the NOT EVEN 1 YEAR OLD M1 PRO WENT SLOW. WHATS THAT?? Can u guys suggest anything for these situations? I do really want to love mac but because of these things, i still cannot make my mac my main laptop.
Was it slow for a while or has it been slow ever since? All Apple operating systems do some stuff after a major upgrade that might take a couple of minutes to a couple of hours to complete and might slow down the system during that time. Usually everything returns to normal speed once this indexing etc. is over.
Historically, most App on Mac OS are installed by copying the app bundle to the applications folder and you can uninstall them the same way. That is still how most apps work.
There are some apps that are installed via an install script and those are often the ones that install other files. Some of those have uninstallers but not all of them. That is where you would want to use AppCleaner or Cleanmymac Or something like those. I rarely need that so I don’t have much recommendation for which one to use.
And that is not a good way to uninstall. It leaves behind lots of files in ~/Library and for some software in /Library. All these files need to be removed if you want to keep a clean system. Some apps have an uninstaller app, some have instructions on how to uninstall, but for the rest something like AppCleaner is essential.
No, those apps installed via app bundles are not the ones leaving that stuff all over. it is the ones that use an installer script that leave a mess behind.