How to uninstall?

If they don't have an installer, the best way is to ask the developer.

Otherwise just drag the app to the trash.

mostly there would be a file in library/preferences, or their may be one in library/application support..
you can search in finder, you wd get most of the files ..

cheers

MacKenzie999 said:

Hello...

I'm wondering if there's any way to discover which files get installed when installing an application? I have a couple of apps I wish to uninstall and I know they left files hidden on my system.

PS be gentle I am a designer not a hardcore tech guy

Thanks
-Mike

Click to expand...

it's probably informative to know why you can just drag and trash most apps in OS X. the reason is that despite the fact application icons look like icons, they hide behind it all the resources needed by the app. it's self-contained, except for minor preference files and such. (which needs to be stored with access with each user so can't be contained in the app itself.)

such isn't the case under windows where installation modifies system files or adds files needed by the program in system folders. so removing the application icon won't remove everything the app installed, including some files left behind at system levels.

for OS X, trashing the icon won't remove all the files related to the app either, but those left behind are very, very inconsequential. they are usually preference files, which are less than a MB and are harmless text files.

anyway, that was a long winded way of saying whatever is left isn't worth worrying about. but if you really want to know, you can use the Finder search on the app's name to locate many (if not most) files left behind. but unless you contact the developer, you never know for sure.

jxyama is right. most apps can simply be dragged to the trash. i usually just do this and leave the preference file in place, so that if i ever download a new version, all of my previous preferences are right there.

Many of the programs which are not drag and drop have a built in unistaller inside the installer program. So if the program for the installer is already in the computer, the install button becomes a unistall.

Coolvirus007 said:

Many of the programs which are not drag and drop have a built in unistaller inside the installer program. So if the program for the installer is already in the computer, the install button becomes a unistall.

Click to expand...

Some even have an uninstaller right in the directory. But usually they are on the CD (or image) the app came on. If it doesn't have one of these, I usually just trash the icon, do a quick search and delete anything else with the name (as previously mentioned).

- reaper

I kinda wished OSX was a little more organized in the manner. Like inside the Library folder was a developer folder and inside that a app folder and inside that the app's plist and Application Data. That would be simpler.Maybe move all Apple's stuff into a folder called "Apple".

Kinda off topic, but I wished OSX was a little more like OS9 in booting retrospect. All OS9 needs to boot is a system folder. OSX needs that and all the hidden unix files. I wish apple would move those files into a "Boot" folder inside the system folder. So all that would be needed to make a bootable OSX is to drag the System, Library, Apps, and Users folders over.[/rant]

When ever i delete, i usually put the name of the app in the search box, and it then will find any preference files as-well, its rarely that the preferences files don't have the name of the app in there name. But also search using the manufacturers name. Also the search tends to display any other folders created by that app.

Though it could be better done by os x itself, at least unlike windoze, theres no registry file getting fatter and slowing the comp down, and with windows, installers install stuff everywhere, and don't do the uninstall properly. As i was a windows users for 19 years, that was one of the many things i hated..