Some developers charge for their software, but you may not need the bells and whistles.
#How to delete programs on mac computer how to#
#How to delete programs on mac computer free#
Preference files are usually small and you might want to ignore them if you're just trying to free up disk space. You should be aware that removing an unbundled program by moving it into the Trash can leave behind orphan files on your computer. Running an uninstall utility can make removing a program much easier. If you downloaded a disk image to install the software, sometimes you'll find an uninstaller there. If your program has an uninstall utility associated with it, it may have been installed with the program or included on the disk that came with it. The first step in removing them is to check the program's documentation to see if there is an uninstall utility. When installed, these programs create files in several locations, often in the System Folder. įor some other programs, removal is more complicated. You should see an option that says, "show package contents." Uninstalling applications downloaded from the Mac App Store is even easier - just delete the application from the Applications Folder and its accompanying folder in User\Library\Containers. In Mac talk, apps like this are "bundled." To see the files in an application's bundle, click on its icon while holding down the Control key. When files for the application you want to delete are all stored in one location, dragging the icon to the Trash will take care of most of the work.
Warning: Use caution while running the sudo rm -rf command. If you run into any trouble, use the following command instead:Īdd a single space to the end of the command and drag the app into Terminal to input the path before pressing Enter. Press Enter (the third slash before Applications is normal), input your password, and Terminal will uninstall the app for you. Like so: sudo uninstall file:///Applications/vlc.app Next, drag the application icon to the Terminal window and it will automatically enter the path of the app. Just open Terminal from Applications > Utilities and type the following command: sudo uninstall file:// Instead of downloading and trusting a third-party app, you can get the job done with just a command.Įven if you're not a Terminal ninja, you can still use a simple command to uninstall an app (learn more in our Terminal beginner's guide). Terminal is a powerful tool for taking matters into your own hands. Once you've emptied the Trash, you'll remove the file from your system.