How to uninstall garageband

[fish_tank]

Hello guys, I'm a music producer and I use my Mac to produce music. Previously I've been using the garageband to produce music, but I've been shifted other DAW. I've deleted the the garageband as I was taking too much space, but after the deletion space was not get enough free. I think that it has not been uninstalled completely. Please help me to uninstall it completely. Thank you.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'll make a suggestion, but it's up to you to try it.

First, download the tiny free app named "EasyFind":

DEVONtechnologies | Needful Things

A little collection of free utilities for the Mac to make your life easier.

www.devontechnologies.com

Open EasyFind and set it us thusly:
Search for -- files and folders
Operator -- Phrase
Comparison -- Ignore Case
Include -- Invisible files & folders

Next, check the popup menu that indicates WHERE you will be searching.
Set it up so it searches the entire "Macintosh HD" (unless you've given the drive another name)

Then, in the search bar, enter "garageband".
Click the magnifying glass to start the search and sit back for a while.

OK, did EasyFInd discover a bunch of left-over stuff from GB?
I'd go through the list and start deleting items.
BE AWARE that not all of them may "delete easily".

If you have an item that you can't just get rid of by clicking the delete button, try this:
Click ONE time on the item to select it
Type "command-R" to "reveal in the finder"
A finder window should open and the file should be highlighted.
Type "command-delete" to attempt to move it to the trash.
You will probably be asked for your administrative password, enter it.
Does the file disappear? GOOD, move on to the next one.

As you can see, this can be a job.
But step by step, it can be done.

Aside:
It probably would have been easier if you had used the free app "AppCleaner" to remove GB, but... you did what you did...

 

[chrfr]

Hello guys, I'm a music producer and I use my Mac to produce music. Previously I've been using the garageband to produce music, but I've been shifted other DAW. I've deleted the the garageband as I was taking too much space, but after the deletion space was not get enough free. I think that it has not been uninstalled completely. Please help me to uninstall it completely. Thank you.

After you delete the app, you can go to System Settings, then About, Then Storage Settings, and you should see "Music Creation" as one of the options there. If you click on the little "i" in a circle you can then delete the Garageband library from there.

 

[Cmd_Z_4ever]

I think you should not use any third party app to uninstall the garageband. Is it not odd that you install an app to uninstall another? Just do it @chrfr said, you can find all the leftover files of garageband and you can also see if you want to save any particular file.

 

[fish_tank]

I'll make a suggestion, but it's up to you to try it.

First, download the tiny free app named "EasyFind":

DEVONtechnologies | Needful Things

A little collection of free utilities for the Mac to make your life easier.

www.devontechnologies.com

Open EasyFind and set it us thusly:
Search for -- files and folders
Operator -- Phrase
Comparison -- Ignore Case
Include -- Invisible files & folders

Next, check the popup menu that indicates WHERE you will be searching.
Set it up so it searches the entire "Macintosh HD" (unless you've given the drive another name)

Then, in the search bar, enter "garageband".
Click the magnifying glass to start the search and sit back for a while.

OK, did EasyFInd discover a bunch of left-over stuff from GB?
I'd go through the list and start deleting items.
BE AWARE that not all of them may "delete easily".

If you have an item that you can't just get rid of by clicking the delete button, try this:
Click ONE time on the item to select it
Type "command-R" to "reveal in the finder"
A finder window should open and the file should be highlighted.
Type "command-delete" to attempt to move it to the trash.
You will probably be asked for your administrative password, enter it.
Does the file disappear? GOOD, move on to the next one.

As you can see, this can be a job.
But step by step, it can be done.

Aside:
It probably would have been easier if you had used the free app "AppCleaner" to remove GB, but... you did what you did...

It is too complex for me.

 

[fish_tank]

I think you should not use any third party app to uninstall the garageband. Is it not odd that you install an app to uninstall another? Just do it @chrfr said, you can find all the leftover files of garageband and you can also see if you want to save any particular file.

After you delete the app, you can go to System Settings, then About, Then Storage Settings, and you should see "Music Creation" as one of the options there. If you click on the little "i" in a circle you can then delete the Garageband library from there.

Thank you guys for your recommendations, I'll try to do this.

 

[fish_tank]

I think you should not use any third party app to uninstall the garageband. Is it not odd that you install an app to uninstall another? Just do it @chrfr said, you can find all the leftover files of garageband and you can also see if you want to save any particular file.

Hey thank you for your reply, I want to share that I was able to delete all the leftover files of garageband with the help of steps mentioned in a guide. I have found all the files in the library and the good thing is that I didn't need to install any cleaner app to delete the files.

 

[chrfr]

Hey thank you for your reply, I want to share that I was able to delete all the leftover files of garageband with the help of steps mentioned in a guide. I have found all the files in the library and the good thing is that I didn't need to install any cleaner app to delete the files.

For what it’s worth, the steps I mentioned in post 3 do exactly the same thing.

 

[Cmd_Z_4ever]

For what it’s worth, the steps I mentioned in post 3 do exactly the same thing.

I think OP is confuses when he/she was trying follow your steps, maybe the screenshots in the guide helped him/her. But the main thing is that he/she was able to do it. Cheers!

 

[haralds]

PearCleaner is the answer. I found it last year and never looked back. It's great to clean up the footprint apps and their old versions leave.

 

[Quotenfrau]

Sadly not maintained at the moment :-(

Pearcleaner​

Project Status: On Hold​

As you may have noticed, development on the app has basically stopped since end of 2025, so I wanted to provide some context.

Between a new job, joining a friend who is building a SaaS company, and other life priorities, I no longer have the time needed to actively maintain or continue development on the project.

Another major reason is that I previously relied on my work MacBook for development. After changing jobs, I no longer have access to a Mac device that I can use for personal development work, which means I’m currently unable to build, test, or release updates for the app.

Because of that, issue responses, feature work, PR reviews, and new releases are effectively on hold indefinitely for now.

The project is not abandoned entirely, and I’d still like to return to it someday if circumstances change. For now though, I want to be transparent that active development is no longer possible on my end.

Thank you to everyone who has used the app, reported issues, submitted ideas, or contributed. I genuinely appreciate all of the support the project has received.

 

[p33t3r]

You can also use a storage checker like https://daisydiskapp.com to see where big files/folders are and then delete them manually.