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Uninstall on Mac

Uninstall Mac apps completely, leftovers included

To uninstall an app on Mac completely: quit it and its background helpers, run the vendor's uninstaller or drag the app to the Trash, then delete what it left in ~/Library and /Library and restart. The Trash alone removes only the app bundle.

Remove an app in three stepsApp won't delete?

Removal guides by app

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Not covered yet? Three-step method · App won't delete? · Request a guide

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The method

How to completely uninstall an app on Mac in three steps

Every removal guide on this site follows these steps and fills in the process names and paths for its app. Back up first, with a Time Machine backup or a copy of the folder you are about to delete, then:

Before you begin

  • Never delete anything inside /System. It is the sealed, read-only system volume, and the Apple apps there are part of macOS; Safari sits in a signed system cryptex and is protected the same way.
  • Leave System Integrity Protection on. No guide here needs it switched off.
  • Delete only what you can identify. Match names against the app and the vendor; shared frameworks, fonts and plug-ins in /Library stay if you are not sure.

  1. Quit the app and stop its background processes

    Quit with Command-Q, then open Activity Monitor and quit any process carrying the app's or the vendor's name. In System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, called Login Items on macOS 13 and 14, switch off anything that belongs to the app.

  2. Run the vendor's uninstaller, or move the app to the Trash

    If the vendor ships an uninstaller, in the app's own menus, the original installer or the vendor's support site, use it first: it knows where its own extensions and daemons live. The Kaspersky and Trend Micro guides show where each vendor keeps one. Otherwise drag the app from Applications to the Trash. Expect an administrator password prompt.

  3. Find and remove the leftovers, then restart

    Search ~/Library and /Library for the app and vendor names and remove only what clearly belongs to the app; the map below shows where to look. An app installed from a .pkg leaves a receipt that pkgutil can read. Empty the Trash and restart.

Where macOS keeps an app's leftover files

Vendor App (placeholder)Leftover
  • Applications
  • /Applications/Vendor App.app (already moved to the Trash)In the Trashthe part a drag to the Trash removes
  • ~/Libraryyour account
  • ~/Library/Application SupportLeftoversettings, plug-ins, downloads; often GBs
  • ~/Library/CachesLeftovertemporary files kept to start faster
  • ~/Library/PreferencesLeftoversettings, e.g. com.vendor.app.plist
  • ~/Library/ContainersLeftoversandboxed and App Store app data
  • ~/Library/Group ContainersLeftovermore sandboxed and App Store data
  • ~/Library/LaunchAgentsLeftoverlogin jobs: updaters, helpers
  • /Libraryall users
  • /Library/LaunchAgentsLeftoverlogin jobs, every account
  • /Library/LaunchDaemonsLeftoverbackground jobs, every account
  • /Library/Application Supportshared frameworks; leave if unsure
  • System Settings > General > Login Items & ExtensionsLeftoverlogin helpers, system/network extensions
  • pkgutil --pkgs (Terminal)what a .pkg installed, and where
A schematic with a placeholder vendor; each guide names the real files for its app. The all users locations usually ask for an administrator password.

Check it worked: after the restart, search Activity Monitor for the vendor's name. Nothing should be running. If macOS would not let you delete the app at all, see below.

When it will not go

If an app won't delete on your Mac

macOS says the app is open
macOS will not move a running app to the Trash. Quit it, then quit its helpers in Activity Monitor as in step 1, and try again.
macOS asks for an administrator password
Common for apps that came with an installer, or that asked for a password when they were installed. Enter the name and password of an administrator account.
The app is part of macOS (Safari, Mail, Notes)
Mail, Notes and the other apps that ship with macOS live on the sealed system volume, and Safari sits in a signed system cryptex. Neither can be removed. Apple apps you installed yourself from the App Store, such as GarageBand or Pages, can be removed like any other app. What you can do about Safari instead.

Tool surveys

Tool surveys and the uninstaller comparison

You do not need a tool for anything on this site. If you want one anyway, we compared seven uninstallers from the vendors' own documentation, three of them free, and surveyed what people look for when they outgrow a cleaner. Where a vendor does not state something, the comparison says so rather than guess.

All 16 posts on the blog, newest first

Newest survey

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is dragging an app to the Trash enough to uninstall it on a Mac?

For the app itself, yes: the bundle in Applications is gone. But the app's caches, preferences, support files and any background helpers stay behind in your Library folders. For a small utility that may be a few kilobytes; for a large suite it can be gigabytes of data and processes that keep running at login.

Where does macOS keep an app's leftover files?

Mostly in your user Library folder, which Finder hides: ~/Library/Application Support, ~/Library/Caches, ~/Library/Preferences, ~/Library/Containers, ~/Library/Group Containers and ~/Library/LaunchAgents. System-wide items sit in /Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchDaemons and /Library/Application Support, and login and background items are listed in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. The map under step 3 says what each one holds.

How do I open the hidden Library folder?

In Finder, open the Go menu and hold the Option key; Library appears in the list. You can also choose Go > Go to Folder and type ~/Library. To keep it visible permanently, open your home folder, choose View > Show View Options and tick Show Library Folder.

Do I need a third-party cleaner app to uninstall software?

No. Everything in our guides can be done with Finder, System Settings and, occasionally, Terminal. Cleaner apps can save time, but they are not required, and we don't bundle, sell or push one. If you want one anyway, we compared seven Mac uninstallers, three of them free, with no affiliate links.

Can I uninstall Apple's built-in apps like Safari or Mail?

Generally no. Most of Apple's bundled apps, Mail and Notes and Maps and Photos among them, live in /System/Applications on a sealed, read-only system volume protected by System Integrity Protection. Safari is a special case: the /Applications/Safari.app you see in Finder is a symbolic link into a signed system cryptex at /System/Cryptexes/App/, so it is just as protected and cannot be deleted. Apple apps you installed yourself from the Mac App Store, such as Pages, Numbers, Keynote, GarageBand and iMovie, do live in /Applications and can be removed like any other app. How to uninstall Safari on Mac, and what to do instead.

Why is an app's process still running after I deleted it?

A LaunchAgent, LaunchDaemon or login item is starting it. Look in ~/Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons for a .plist named after the app or vendor and remove it, switch off the matching entry in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, then restart. If the process belongs to a system or network extension, the vendor's uninstaller is usually the cleanest way to remove it.

Not covered yet

Request a guide

Not every app has its own guide yet. The three-step method above covers most of them; if yours needs a dedicated page, email the app's name, its version and your macOS version, and the apps people ask about most go first. What to include.

Email a request