Guide
How to completely uninstall apps on a Mac
Dragging an app to the Trash leaves files behind. How to uninstall apps on a Mac completely, including caches, settings and background helpers.
Updated 6 min read
On a Mac, dragging an app to the Trash removes the app, but not the files it created while you used it. Caches, logs, settings and support files stay in your Library folder, and some apps leave background helpers that keep starting at every login. Here is how to uninstall apps completely, by hand or in one step.
Step 1: remove the app
- Most apps: quit the app, open Applications in Finder, and drag it to the Trash, or select it and press Command Delete.
- App Store apps: on macOS versions with Launchpad, you can also open Launchpad, hold Option until the icons jiggle, and click the × on the app.
- Apps with their own uninstaller, such as some security tools, drivers and large suites: use that uninstaller. It removes system extensions and helpers that dragging can't.
Step 2: find what the app left behind
Leftovers are usually named after the app or its bundle ID, a reverse-domain name such as com.spotify.client. To find an app's bundle ID before you delete it, run osascript -e 'id of app "Spotify"' in Terminal. Then, in Finder, press Shift Command G and check these folders:
~/Library/Application Support: the app's support files and data.~/Library/Caches: caches, safe to delete.~/Library/Preferences: settings files ending in.plist.~/Library/Containersand~/Library/Group Containers: data of sandboxed apps.~/Library/Logsand~/Library/Saved Application State.~/Library/LaunchAgents: background helpers that start at login.- For apps installed for all users:
/Library/Application Support,/Library/LaunchAgents,/Library/LaunchDaemonsand/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools. These need an administrator password.
Move what you find to the Trash rather than deleting it outright, and empty the Trash once you are sure.
Step 3: remove login and background items
Open System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions (just Login Items on older versions). Remove the app from Open at Login and turn off any of its entries under Allow in the Background. Our guide on removing login items and launch agents goes further.
What to keep
If you might reinstall the app, keep its Preferences and Application Support folders: they hold your settings, licenses and sometimes your data. Documents you created with the app live in your own folders and are never part of the app's leftovers.
Uninstall apps completely with Roomy
Roomy's app uninstaller finds an app's caches, logs and background helpers, shows their sizes, and removes them together with the app. Its documents, settings and logins stay unless you turn on Also remove app data & settings, and everything goes to the Trash. It also shows when you last opened each app, so unused apps are easy to spot.
Frequently asked questions
Does dragging an app to the Trash uninstall it?
It removes the app itself, but not the files it created elsewhere: caches, logs, preferences, support files and, for some apps, background helpers that keep starting at login. Those stay in your Library folder until you remove them.
Is it safe to delete an app's leftover files?
Caches and logs, yes. Preferences, Application Support and Containers hold the app's settings and data, so only delete them if you won't reinstall the app or don't need what is in them. Moving them to the Trash first lets you change your mind.
How do I uninstall an app that won't delete?
Quit it first, including any menu bar icon, and check Activity Monitor for its processes. If the app installed a system extension or driver, use the developer's own uninstaller, which usually removes the extension properly.
