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AppCleaner?

iphonedude2008

iphonedude2008

macrumors 65816
Nov 7, 2009
1,134
449
Irvine, CA
What are you gaining from that though? There is no reason to use that as you are only getting back about 2mb. You have to be uninstalling apps very frequently to need that (more than 1000 apps over your computers lifetime).
 
B

beauregard

macrumors newbie
Jun 19, 2012
19
0
Southern California
I believe it's safe and beneficial. I've had it for several years now and think it's a good product.

One benefit I can tell you about in addition to the space it frees up is the completeness of the application removal. In particular, I had Clean My Mac that I decided to remove once I saw some of its side effects. Using AppCleaner helped uncover and remove some remnants of this software that could have caused system startup options I did not want.
 
J

jedolley

macrumors 68000
Sep 18, 2009
1,780
7
I have used that "App Cleaner" in the past and it works to a point. However, I would recommend GGJstudios' guide as a much better and more effective suggestion.

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/11171082/

GGJstudios said:
While this thread is a few months old, I'll add this for those who might find it in a search:


To manually remove an application and all associated files:
  1. Launch Activity Monitor and change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes", then make sure the app you want to remove is not running. If it is, quit the process before proceeding.

  2. Launch Finder (see image below) and search your entire hard drive for the app name (hopefully unique, such as Skype)

  3. In Finder, select View > "as List", if you haven't already done so. Do not use "as Icons" for this procedure.

  4. You can narrow the search to specific folders or search your whole Mac, which is preferred

  5. In Snow Leopard and earlier, click "File Name" instead of "Contents" for better results.
    In Lion and later, click the + button below the search term, then select "Name" "Contains" and enter the app name. (see image)

  6. Click the + button below the search term to add criteria, then click the search criteria drop-down and select "Other...", then "System files"

  7. Click the "aren't included" and change to "are included"

  8. Sort by name, kind, date, etc. to identify components of the app, such as folders, .plist files, cache files. etc.

  9. Delete all files and folders related to the app.

  10. Don't empty your Trash until you've determined that everything is working OK, in case you need to restore something you deleted by accident.

  11. A reboot might be necessary to completely remove some apps.

Click here to see a video demonstration of this procedure, created by simsaladimbamba.

Edit: In some rare instances, an app may create hidden files or folders. In such instances, follow steps 6 and 7, then repeat those steps to add another criteria, this time choosing "File visibility" > "Visible or Invisible". Then proceed with the remainder of the steps.
Click to expand...

I had installed an app which installed another service. AppCleaner removed the original app, but there were still remnants of the add-on that was only removed by following those steps. Since then I follow those steps for all App removal.
 
ylrd

ylrd

macrumors member
May 25, 2013
96
0
Europe
CleanMyMac is way better if you truly want to clean up your system/delete apps/unnecessary files.
 
B

benwiggy

macrumors 68020
Jun 15, 2012
2,382
199
Jefe's MacAir said:
Does it work? Is it really needed? Pros and cons?
Click to expand...
Pro: May delete all files associated with a deleted app.
Con: May not actually delete them all and may delete some other files too.

Is it needed? Generally, No. Most apps that have complicated installation processes, putting files in various places, usually have an uninstaller.
Most other apps can be uninstalled by deleting the app.

Sure, may be there's a bit of cruft left over in your user account: a 4kb plist here and there. But that's peanuts.

I generally advise staying away from any software that claims to "clean" your Mac.
 
K

keystothecity

macrumors member
Jul 4, 2013
39
0
Just make sure you get it from the actual developer website/app store instead of through that link (I didn't click the link so I don't know if it is the developer website or not).

I actually read about this app in a Mac magazine just the other day and it received a great review. Don't know if that helps or not.
 
keysofanxiety

keysofanxiety

macrumors G3
Nov 23, 2011
9,539
25,302
ylrd said:
CleanMyMac is way better if you truly want to clean up your system/delete apps/unnecessary files.
Click to expand...

It's also way better if you truly want to clean up most of OS X's core components and brick your computer.

Just avoid cleaning software. If you want to uninstall an app, either drag it from Applications to the Trash, or run the uninstaller if the app has an uninstaller.

Just get out of the Windows mentality. OS X looks after itself.
 
keysofanxiety

keysofanxiety

macrumors G3
Nov 23, 2011
9,539
25,302
ylrd said:
:rolleyes:

You do have a point, though. Cleaning apps aren't for dumb users.
Click to expand...

Heh heh, should've clarified :D Normally when uninstalling stuff on Windows it's not unusual to have a slew of .dll files/reg entries left over, so then it's a case of running CCleaner and stuff like that …*

+1 though, your comment did give me a giggle. Sometimes I can't tell whether I'm more a Mac fan or a Windows hater :eek:
 
GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Jefe's MacAir said:
Is it safe to download? I couldn't find it in the Apple App Store. I did find a link for the download though.
Does it work? Is it really needed? Pros and cons?
Click to expand...

ylrd said:
CleanMyMac is way better if you truly want to clean up your system/delete apps/unnecessary files.
Click to expand...

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.
​
The most effective method for complete app removal is manual deletion:
You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Most only remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process. These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space. In fact, deleting some caches can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt. Many of these tasks should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance. OS X does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention.
 
Seamaster

Seamaster

macrumors 65816
Feb 24, 2003
1,125
176
GGJstudios has some weird hangup about all this, but don't pay too much heed. I'll cheerfully give another vote to CleanMyMac. It's always worked well for me, and the current version (V2) is great.
 
MisterMe

MisterMe

macrumors G4
Jul 17, 2002
10,709
69
USA
Seamaster said:
GGJstudios has some weird hangup about all this, but don't pay too much heed. I'll cheerfully give another vote to CleanMyMac. It's always worked well for me, and the current version (V2) is great.
Click to expand...
It is not a hangup and there is nothing weird about it. GGJstudios is giving the members of this forum the results of extensive research and experience on the subject. You are describing the Placebo Effect. Despite testimonials to the contrary, placebos do not provide a benefit. Clean-up utilities are a waste of money and hard drive space.
 
GGJstudios

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
Seamaster said:
GGJstudios has some weird hangup about all this, but don't pay too much heed. I'll cheerfully give another vote to CleanMyMac. It's always worked well for me, and the current version (V2) is great.
Click to expand...
I don't have a "hangup" about this, or anything. I'm informing users about the dangers and ineffectiveness of using such apps, learned from years of testing. Sorry, but a "cheerful vote" by an uninformed user doesn't outweigh the fact that CMM doesn't effectively remove all files related to deleted apps, and that many of the "maintenance" functions of such apps are at best, unnecessary, some can negatively impact performance with no offsetting benefit, and such apps can, in the hands of a novice user, cause severe problems.

Some users are happy with a "warm fuzzy" endorsement, while many prefer to learn the facts about such apps, to make an informed buying decision.
 
Shrink

Shrink

macrumors G3
Feb 26, 2011
8,929
1,727
New England, USA
MisterMe said:
It is not a hangup and there is nothing weird about it. GGJstudios is giving the members of this forum the results of extensive research and experience on the subject. You are describing the Placebo Effect. Despite testimonials to the contrary, placebos do not provide a benefit. Clean-up utilities are a waste of money and hard drive space.
Click to expand...

I agree completely with your comments about GGJ's suggestions and information. If someone wants ot ignore the advice of someone who has done research and has extensive experience...fine. And when CMM REALLY cleans his/her Mac...well...

OT: I do take issue with your comments on the placebo effect. I asumed that you used it as an analogy, but your statement that the legitimate placebo effect is based on "testimonials", and that placebos "do not provde benefit" is not accurate. There has been a vast amount of solid scientific research (sources upon request...I would have to dig through my library to find the books :p) indicating the measurable effects in such ares as pain control, for example...and other areas.

Sorry to be a picky pest, but I thought it important to respond to a general statement about the placebo effect in areas other than electronics.:)
 
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