Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

De-bloating/uninstalling Default Apps

Not possible, unless the app also shows up in App Store (e.g. Tips, Stocks, iMovie, Garage Band, Keynote, etc). At least that is what Gemini said (and my own previous experience).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Parowdy
There once was a time in the history of the Mac OS when you could do this.
But those days are over, and they won't be coming back.

The Apple pre-installed apps reside in the "sealed system volume" and you can't get to them. Not possible.

The only apps you (as the account user) can remove, are those that you previously "added". The OS "blends together" the Apple-installed apps and the user-installed apps so that they all appear in one "applications" folder. But they actually reside in different places.

You CAN remove unwanted app icons from the dock, of course...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Queen6
Well. You can disable SIP protection (reducing system security), and then delete the apps from the system volume. But they'll just come back any time you do a macOS update.
 
"You can disable SIP protection (reducing system security), and then delete the apps from the system volume."

Nope.
Have you ever TRIED to do this with an Apple app?
Try it now.

SIP is disabled on my 2024 Mini (Sequoia).
I open the Applications folder.

If I pick a NON-Apple app -- for instance, Cookie -- you will note that the "delete" icon in the toolbar is "active". It can be clicked and the app deleted. That works.
delete1.jpg

BUT
If I pick an Apple app -- for instance, FaceTime.
Click on it, then pay attention to the "delete" option in the toolbar.
It is no longer "clickable", but is instead dimmed out. You can't choose it.
delete2.jpg

If you've figured out a way around this, please explain how you do it.
Include specifics.
 
  • Like
  • Angry
  • Wow
Reactions: schnaps, Queen6, rmadsen3 and 2 others
it's about 600meg on my mac. would i like some of that space back? sure. will it make much difference? not really. still, frustrating that i have apps i never us that i can't delete. would be easy enough to offer chess, or journal as apps to DL from the app store. so it goes 🤷
 
  • Like
Reactions: schnaps and mansplains
triptolemus said:
Can you provide an example of these reasons?
Click to expand...
Sure. Uninstalling useless applications reduces the size of lists in various menus or when using Open With. Uninstalling also reduces clutter in the Applications folder. And, personally, I would like the option to organize the OS with more granularity. Apple can keep the frameworks in place in the system volume while allowing applications themselves to be deleted.

One of the surprises that I’ve found using Windows over the years is the number of apps I can cut away without the OS kicking up a fuss.
 
  • Like
Reactions: losthismarbles, Queen6, Ben Sparrow and 3 others
CrabQueenInc said:
Apple can keep the frameworks in place in the system volume while allowing applications themselves to be deleted.
Click to expand...

Not without sacrificing the security of the SSV system volume, the degree of which I'm not interested in debating. A read-only snapshot of the system volume is far more beneficial than the user being able to de-clutter a few things.

Don't forget where we were not that long ago, mainly in Windows (which you brought up) where any application could write to the system directories at will. Not good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hjkuldbrot, Non-Euclidean, Tagbert and 2 others
triptolemus said:
Not without sacrificing the security of the SSV system volume, the degree of which I'm not interested in debating. A read-only snapshot of the system volume is far more beneficial than the user being able to de-clutter a few things.

Don't forget where we were not that long ago, mainly in Windows (which you brought up) where any application could write the to the system directories at will. Not good.
Click to expand...
If the frameworks are tied to the content within the .app itself, untangle the frameworks from the .app and keep them in the system volume.

Edited to add for clarity: I want the ability to remove the application rather than the ability to write to the SSV. Somewhat relatedly, Apple has made this possible in the European version of iOS.
 
  • Like
Reactions: losthismarbles, Queen6, Non-Euclidean and 3 others
+1 for “Don’t even try”. If you’re used to the PC world -- PC's arrive chock-full of bloatware, sketchy antivirus crap, adware, and trial apps with limited functionality. But the Mac apps you want to delete are fully-functional core MacOS applications that you technically already paid for (because they’re included in MacOS on your new computer). They are deeply integrated with MacOS and removing one might have far-reaching effects. As you read above we’re not talking about reclaiming dozens of GB’s, we’re talking about maybe a couple of GB’s max. Please try to stop worrying about this and enjoy your new Mac — and all the excellent apps it arrived with.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: Non-Euclidean, blob.DK, Allen_Wentz and 2 others
CrabQueenInc said:
If the frameworks are tied to the content within the .app itself, untangle the frameworks from the .app and keep them in the system volume.

Edited to add for clarity: I want the ability to remove the application rather than the ability to write to the SSV. Somewhat relatedly, Apple has made this possible in the European version of iOS.
Click to expand...
What if they simply allowed you to choose which ones to install in an advanced operating system installation mode? (I know, nothing new, it used to be like that.)
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: losthismarbles, AlumaMac, tomtattoo and 1 other person
Wolf1701 said:
What if they simply allowed you to choose which ones to install in an advanced operating system installation mode? (I know, nothing new, it used to be like that.)
Click to expand...
Since they switched to the signed system volume "image-based" deployment method, customizations (in the way of taking pieces out) are less practical. Are they going to dynamically sign the package based on what you choose to include, or offer a whole bunch of different variations for you to pick from? And for what? Checking the size of the bundled apps that aren't from the App Store, most of them are single-digit MB's. A handful of them break into double digits. The security benefits of SSV outweigh the negligible space that you'd get back.

...I know they allow deletion of apps in iOS in some circumstances. I'm thinking that they probably just hide them from the home menu and not actually delete them, though? iOS uses the same signed system volume methodology. ...I haven't actually investigated if you actually get space back by doing this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hjkuldbrot, Timpetus, Tagbert and 1 other person
I'm going to GUESS that the Apple applications reside on the Sealed System Volume (which is normally hidden from sight).

Even if you can (with considerable effort and some risk) delete an Apple app from the SSV, is not the SSV STILL going to occupy the same amount of disk space anyway? Space that you cannot adjust (the size of)?

If that's the case, what difference would "deleting" an app (to save space) make, if it's not really going to result in an increase in available space?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Boppi
PotentPeas said:
...I know they allow deletion of apps in iOS in some circumstances. I'm thinking that they probably just hide them from the home menu and not actually delete them, though? iOS uses the same signed system volume methodology. ...I haven't actually investigated if you actually get space back by doing this.
Click to expand...
As mentioned earlier, it is not so much a matter of recovering a few megabytes as it is of ‘order’. Hiding them would be fine. As for the sealed volume... I believe that, if desired, they could create an identifier first and then later, in order to keep unauthorized modification attempts under control.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back