Completely Removing Applications

[blythy]

I'm not what you'd call a Mac-newbie (used them for about 5 years now) but there are still a few problems I have from time-to-time!

Now, like many people I suspect I have had a few what you might call ''dodgy'' applications on my Mac (Photoshop, Illustrator), but I've decided to clean up (at least on my office Mac anyway )

I'd like to completely remove all traces of these, without re-installing everything (if possible). I have deleted the apps via the trash, but I know that there are other files elsewhere on the mac tucked away (for any software inspector to find ).

How do I manually delete these.

Thanks in advance.

 

[skunk]

You can go a long way by Spotlighting "Adobe", "Photoshop", "Illustrator" etc., and trashing whatever comes up.

 

[blythy]

Cheers, any idea what I need to be looking for in terms of file-types?

Thanks.

 

[skunk]

Cheers, any idea what I need to be looking for in terms of file-types?

Thanks.

All sorts: there'll be plists and plug-ins, components and samples, help documents, logs, fonts, you name it. Most should come up in your searches. Of course, if you had the original CDs, you could choose the uninstall option, but them's the breaks....

 

[UKnjb]

There is also a programme called AppZapper -

"Product Description:
AppZapper allows you to confidently uninstall virtually any application as easily as it was installed -- just drag and drop. Drag one or more unwanted apps onto AppZapper and watch as it finds all the extra files and let's you delete them with a single click. A slick safety system remembers which apps you want to keep safe, and the log tracks all the files you've zapped. Put simply, AppZapper is the uninstaller Apple forgot."

I haven't used it as it as it is for Tiger and I am on Panther. But I have heard it is v. good!

 

[blythy]

Cheers, I'll take a look at that.

 

[skunk]

There is also a programme called AppZapper -

"Product Description:
AppZapper allows you to confidently uninstall virtually any application as easily as it was installed -- just drag and drop. Drag one or more unwanted apps onto AppZapper and watch as it finds all the extra files and let's you delete them with a single click. A slick safety system remembers which apps you want to keep safe, and the log tracks all the files you've zapped. Put simply, AppZapper is the uninstaller Apple forgot."

I haven't used it as it as it is for Tiger and I am on Panther. But I have heard it is v. good!

The reviews on VT for AppZapper are not uniformly positive, to say the least: there's a lot about files being left on the drive.

 

[UKnjb]

The reviews on VT for AppZapper are not uniformly positive, to say the least: there's a lot about files being left on the drive.

I'm sure you're correct and, as I wrote, I haven't used it myself. Is it your experience that it leaves files? To help the OP further, a thread search for AppZapper on these forums will give 7 results that give some feedback on MR members comments and one of them has done a detailed review here with posted comments/feedback.

 

[skunk]

I'm sure you're correct and, as I wrote, I haven't used it myself. Is it your experience that it leaves files?

No, I haven't used it either. I just checked it out after you mentioned it.

 

[gekko513]

If an application follows the User Experience guidelines from Apple, there are only a three places where it should install files in addition to the application it self.

/Library/Application Support/
/Users/<some_username>/Library/Application Support/
/Users/<some_username>/Library/Preferences/

Look for folders or files with the application name (or company name) in the above folders and you should be fine.

Some OS X applications may not follow these guidelines, if they don't they should have an uninstaller or the developers should be punished with 0xFF whiplashes.

 

[robbieduncan]

If an application follows the User Experience guidelines from Apple...

This is Adobe we are talking about...

You can expect that they will have done anything but follow the guidlines