which is your favorite app unistaller, im using appcleaner but i see other apps with better reviews lately, not sure if its worth it to change.
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best app unistaller?
- Thread starter patriotaki
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I've been using AppCleaner for ages. Works well enough and the price is right.
Ditto this. Guessing that these uninstallers look for pathnames in the binary/executable and if it finds one list/delete it. Something along the lines of the "strings" command (part of Xcode install).
ADD: and if think anything might be left over, pretty simple to manually get the last bits. Eg.
Ditto this. Guessing that these uninstallers look for pathnames in the binary/executable and if it finds one list/delete it. Something along the lines of the "strings" command (part of Xcode install).
ADD: and if think anything might be left over, pretty simple to manually get the last bits. Eg.
Code:
cd ~/Library
find . -type d -name '*LibreOffice*'
./Application Support/LibreOffice
rm -rf './Application Support/LibreOffice'
I still use AppDelete on Big Sur http://www.reggieashworth.com/appdelete.html
I would and an 'i' to that, just in case
Code:
find . -type d -iname '*LibreOffice*'
When I need to "get rid of" an app, I use the free "AppCleaner".
Get it here:
Then, do this:
1. Open AppCleaner
2. Open your Applications folder (in the finder)
3. Grab the app you want to delete, and "drag and drop" it into AppCleaner's window.
4. AppCleaner will "look around" and gather up all the files related to the app.
5. If any are "unchecked", put a check into them.
6. Click the "remove" button, and they're ALL moved to the trash.
7. Close AppCleaner and empty the trash.
8. Gone!
I'm guessing there might be a few applications that AppCleaner can't "clean out" (perhaps Adobe stuff, Microsoft stuff, etc.). Those software publishers usually make available a standalone "uninstall" utility to get rid of them.
Get it here:
Then, do this:
1. Open AppCleaner
2. Open your Applications folder (in the finder)
3. Grab the app you want to delete, and "drag and drop" it into AppCleaner's window.
4. AppCleaner will "look around" and gather up all the files related to the app.
5. If any are "unchecked", put a check into them.
6. Click the "remove" button, and they're ALL moved to the trash.
7. Close AppCleaner and empty the trash.
8. Gone!
I'm guessing there might be a few applications that AppCleaner can't "clean out" (perhaps Adobe stuff, Microsoft stuff, etc.). Those software publishers usually make available a standalone "uninstall" utility to get rid of them.
AppCleaner! Highly recommended. Been using it for years on PPC and Intel Macs. A brilliant app with a very simple user interface.
I get it, but I've never been a fan of it, as I usually want to be specific. Or put in a shorter/more wild-carded search term. Eg. '*oogle*'.
(I don't delete apps often, and usually stuff that only leaves a few plists lying around, so no big whoop if not tended to immediately: will periodically scroll through ~/Library to see if anything left over, as not hurting for disk space, more concerned about auto-updaters, support programs/extensions left over)
I used to use an app called AppDelete to delete app and its associated files. As I'm setting up my new M1 MacBook Pro, I realized the app is not Apple Silicon compatible. So, my search for a replacement starts.
Could you suggest a reliable app that deletes apps and the its data? I want to avoid any app that does things behind my back, and browsing the App Store doesn't give me much ideas that are dependable and safe to use.
Could you suggest a reliable app that deletes apps and the its data? I want to avoid any app that does things behind my back, and browsing the App Store doesn't give me much ideas that are dependable and safe to use.
I have been using App Zapper for years. I do not notice any behind the scene activity. I do not use it very often because I do not delete a lot of apps, but when I do it seems Otto out and search the app and its attendant files. I have never had it delete anything I later needed. I have not upgraded it in years, so there may be a newer version out there, but I just transitioned in April to a Mac Studio and it is compatible.
I have been an user of AppCleaner for a long time and it has been a great tool - there is an AS version as well.
I've also used AppCleaner for years. It gets updated. It's very simple, and a very small app with no background processes I know of. It intelligently finds related files and folders. Recommended.
+1 for App Cleaner
I used App Zapper for a long time too, but at some point I think I lost my license or something. Turns out App Cleaner is pretty much exactly the same (minus the "zap" sound effect), and is free and gets updated fairly frequently. I don't think App Zapper has been updated in quite some time.
I used App Zapper for a long time too, but at some point I think I lost my license or something. Turns out App Cleaner is pretty much exactly the same (minus the "zap" sound effect), and is free and gets updated fairly frequently. I don't think App Zapper has been updated in quite some time.
Well, you are probably missing some leftover files, if all you're reviewing is the Application Support folders. It probably doesn't matter unless they're in your way.
It is possible some of the leftover files have slight consequences, like LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons (as found in ~/Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchDaemons). But, probably they'll just cause console error messages when they fail to execute properly since the programs they invoke might have been deleted.
I do have LaunchDaemons that invoke code in their dedicated /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools files. Those helper tools you would also be failing to delete. I don't really know the consequences of that.
Unfortunately, App Cleaner only deletes files. I've had system extensions left over that I've had to address (in the terminal run "systemextensionsctl list" to see those things). I believe Surfshark VPN left such an extension installed (WireGuard support) because it didn't provide any uninstall tools. Some software does even more. For example, Wireshark creates a user group and modifies permissions of some devices. It's all kind of a mess that I blame on Apple, since they didn't provide a standard framework for uninstalls.
Some people swear by HomeBrew as an alternative approach to installs/uninstalls.
Exactly.
Unless you're constantly uninstalling things you've tried and found wanting, it might be that the "leftovers" take up far less space on your hard drive than an App uninstaller app would. So, as said above, what's the point?
Because disk space is not the issue; uninstallers and leftover cruft are itty bitty. But, some of those leftover things actually execute or have other system impact.
Also, files and folders left in common directories can be confusing if you're in there, poking around, investigating some issue or other.
I can't comment on what the point is for other people, but those are the points for me. App Cleaner is free, nearly instantaneous, makes it very clear what it will do, and allows you to intervene and fine tune the deletions. I can't think of any reason not to use it. Dragging an application to the trash - 1 second - firing up App Cleaner and deleting the app with that - 10 seconds (that includes a quick perusal of the files being deleted).