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johnnyyt

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 22, 2013
67
0
this might sound like a stupid question but i'm fairly new to mac so i'm still getting used to the osx

when deleting an application, how do i know for sure that its completely gone?
 

Stewart21

macrumors regular
Dec 9, 2011
187
0
South Yorkshire
this might sound like a stupid question but i'm fairly new to mac so i'm still getting used to the osx

when deleting an application, how do i know for sure that its completely gone?

Check the basement. Seriously this is asked so often a quick search on the forum will reveal the answer.
 

tzus

macrumors member
Aug 18, 2008
73
0
UK
A very good uninstaller is iTrash. It can be run in the background and uninstalls apps when they are dragged into Trash.
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,540
941
A very good uninstaller is iTrash. It can be run in the background and uninstalls apps when they are dragged into Trash.
If you elect to use such apps, be aware that in most cases, app removal software doesn't do a thorough job of finding and removing files/folders related to deleted apps. For more information, read this and this. If you just want to delete the app, drag the .app file to the trash. No other software needed. If you want to completely remove all associated files/folders, no removal apps will do the job.
 

tzus

macrumors member
Aug 18, 2008
73
0
UK
If you elect to use such apps, be aware that in most cases, app removal software doesn't do a thorough job of finding and removing files/folders related to deleted apps. For more information, read this and this. If you just want to delete the app, drag the .app file to the trash. No other software needed. If you want to completely remove all associated files/folders, no removal apps will do the job.

True. But you don't always need a sledge hammer to crack a peanut! In most cases what iTrash will do is quite sufficient; and it has an advanced setting if you want to dig deeper. It all depends on how keen you are to scrub everything off every time.
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,540
941
True. But you don't always need a sledge hammer to crack a peanut! In most cases what iTrash will do is quite sufficient; and it has an advanced setting if you want to dig deeper. It all depends on how keen you are to scrub everything off every time.
It's not a sledge hammer. It takes less than a minute to completely remove an app using Finder. Even with advanced settings, iTrash will not remove all files/folders, and in many cases such apps remove small files like .plist files, but leave behind much larger files. For those with limited space available on internal drives, freeing such space is extremely useful. Again, use iTrash if you prefer, but be aware of its limitations.
 

johnnyyt

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 22, 2013
67
0
It's not a sledge hammer. It takes less than a minute to completely remove an app using Finder. Even with advanced settings, iTrash will not remove all files/folders, and in many cases such apps remove small files like .plist files, but leave behind much larger files. For those with limited space available on internal drives, freeing such space is extremely useful. Again, use iTrash if you prefer, but be aware of its limitations.

thanks for the advice. its funny because i just download appzapper and one of the links you posted showed that appzapper was one of the worst apps for deleting programs lol
 
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