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Delete app's?

B

BennyDigital

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hello guys. Could anyone please tell me how I can completely wipe an app from my MacBook? I've tried everything but there are still traces of it. Thanks in advance 😀
 
e93to said:
You can use AppCleaner. It finds all the files related to the app.
Click to expand...
No, it doesn't. In fact, AppCleaner is one of the least effective of such apps. 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.
 
GGJstudios said:
No, it doesn't. In fact, AppCleaner is one of the least effective of such apps. 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.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I deleted a number of apps with AppCleaner, so I should check the preference folder for any leftover files
 
e93to said:
Thanks for the info. I deleted a number of apps with AppCleaner, so I should check the preference folder for any leftover files
Click to expand...
You should check more than the Preferences folder. Many such apps will delete the .plist files, which are very small, and leave behind files in other locations which may be much larger. Use the instructions to search your entire drive for files left behind.
 
GGJstudios said:
You should check more than the Preferences folder. Many such apps will delete the .plist files, which are very small, and leave behind files in other locations which may be much larger. Use the instructions to search your entire drive for files left behind.
Click to expand...

Thing is.... I don't remember what apps I deleted. So I won't know the names of the apps until I come across the files related to them. So I will have to manually search entire library folders. I nuked cache folder a couple of months ago, and I checked Application Support folder quite recently. And I check Launch Agents/Daemon folder often for malware. Are there are folders I should look into?
 
e93to said:
Thing is.... I don't remember what apps I deleted. So I don't the names of the apps. So I will have to manually search entire library folders. I nuked cache folder a couple of months ago, and I checked Application Support folder quite recently. And I check Launch Agents/Daemon folder often for malware. Are there are folders I should look into?
Click to expand...
You can check the following locations for apps that automatically launch on startup and delete any you don't need/want:
  • System Preferences > Users & Groups > yourusername > Login Items (SL and older: System Preferences > Accounts > yourusername > Login Items)
  • In Finder, click Go > Go to Folder > /Library/LaunchAgents
  • In Finder, click Go > Go to Folder > ~/Library/LaunchAgents
  • In Finder, click Go > Go to Folder > /Library/StartupItems

There may be other locations, but if you can't recall the app names, it would be tougher to locate remaining remnants.

As far as malware is concerned, Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 12 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). 3rd party antivirus apps are not necessary to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as a user practices safe computing, as described in the following link.
​
Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.
 
GGJstudios said:
You can check the following locations for apps that automatically launch on startup and delete any you don't need/want:
  • System Preferences > Users & Groups > yourusername > Login Items (SL and older: System Preferences > Accounts > yourusername > Login Items)
  • In Finder, click Go > Go to Folder > /Library/LaunchAgents
  • In Finder, click Go > Go to Folder > ~/Library/LaunchAgents
  • In Finder, click Go > Go to Folder > /Library/StartupItems

There may be other locations, but if you can't recall the app names, it would be tougher to locate remaining remnants.

As far as malware is concerned, Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 12 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing (see below). 3rd party antivirus apps are not necessary to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as a user practices safe computing, as described in the following link.
​
Read the What security steps should I take? section of the Mac Virus/Malware FAQ for tips on practicing safe computing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the info. Really appreciate it
 
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