Uninstalling Programs

[Nerve]

Is there anyway to uninstall applications, like windows uses the Add Or Remove programs section? Any help is appreciated, thanks you.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Just drag them to the trash. That's it.

 

[mac-convert]

There is more than one way to uninstall apps - see this thread for a discussion earlier.

 

[IJ Reilly]

There is more than one way to uninstall apps - see this thread for a discussion earlier.

Right, there's an easy way and a hard way.

 

[Chone]

Right, there's an easy way and a hard way.

More like a basic uninstall and a complete or "anal" uninstall, the latter is needed in many cases but basic will do for most.

 

[Aniej]

one word AppZapper!

 

[Nerve]

I assume you mean the files in the application folder on the macintosh HD? Or do I have to dive deep into the library files.

 

[mac-convert]

Is there something specific that you are trying to uninstall?

 

[cbrain]

There are apps that can remove over apps for you.

Theres AppZapper which is Shareware, or you could try AppDelete which is Freeware!

 

[Nerve]

Is there something specific that you are trying to uninstall?

No, just general program uninstalling, I dont want random files floating around.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I assume you mean the files in the application folder on the macintosh HD? Or do I have to dive deep into the library files.

No, not really. Some people have a thing about leaving preference and application support files behind, but this is really only an issue for neat-freaks who just don't like having them around. The relatively rare exception is the application which installs kernel extensions. These should be removed using the uninstaller which should have come with the application. I think I've seen exactly one of these in the last five years.

 

[Nerve]

No, not really. Some people have a thing about leaving preference and application support files behind, but this is really only an issue for neat-freaks who just don't like having them around. The relatively rare exception is the application which installs kernel extensions. These should be removed using the uninstaller which should have come with the application. I think I've seen exactly one of these in the last five years.

Oh, right, so I'll just move the folder in the application section to trash and remove it, thanks.

*Macs continue to amaze me*

 

[cbrain]

Or if you want to get rid of any additional files which are out of sight for the program you want to remove, try the links that I gave you.

 

[reubs]

I've been using UApp lately, and I've been very pleased.

 

[AlmostThere]

No, not really. Some people have a thing about leaving preference and application support files behind, but this is really only an issue for neat-freaks who just don't like having them around. The relatively rare exception is the application which installs kernel extensions. These should be removed using the uninstaller which should have come with the application. I think I've seen exactly one of these in the last five years.

When application support files run into multi-gigabyte sizes, I don't think it is particularly freakish to expect the app to clean up after itself and return that space back to the OS. Garageband, I am looking at you.

 

[IJ Reilly]

When application support files run into multi-gigabyte sizes, I don't think it is particularly freakish to expect the app to clean up after itself and return that space back to the OS. Garageband, I am looking at you.

This is true, but GarageBand is probably the single greatest offender, and you can always peruse your Applications Support directories from time-to-time and toss anything pertaining to removed applications. Sorry if I made it sound like anyone who wanted to do this is freakish -- my point is, unlike Windows, it isn't necessary to remove everything associated with applications for the Mac to work properly afterwards.

 

[mac-convert]

I found this explanation here - I will quote part of it, not wanting to steal the author's credit. It's well worth the read, and explains why you can drag an app to uninstall it, and what it left behind, and why. It also explains the uninstall steps involved (in general) for Windows apps. Enjoy the read, and I hope this answers a lot of questions for those transitioning from Windows to OS X.

Most OS X applications use a "package" design to let users easily install an application. Application packages are essentially folders that contain all necessary files for the application to run; however, they appear as single files to the user. The advantage to this is that a packaged application can simply be "drag-installed" - the installation process merely involves dragging the application package to your Applications folder.

Uninstallation, therefore, is essentially the same process in reverse - drag the application package to the Trash, and empty it. Since packages are self-contained, all the files related to the application are removed.

Furthermore, because of this self-contained design, you can run multiple versions of an application side-by-side without conflicts - each version will run off of the files in its respective package. This is great, for example, if you work with one version of an application, but need to confirm that documents you create with it will work correctly with another version. With packages, you can jump back and forth between both.

The package design is not perfect, however. For instance, many applications create "preference" files after being initially run, which store your settings for that application. When you drag-uninstall an application, these preference files are left behind since they are not stored within the package, but rather in your ~/Library/Preferences or /Library/Preferences folders. Generally, this is harmless, but corrupt preference files can cause problems; if so, this means that uninstalling and reinstalling the application will not help. Instead, if you need to do a "fresh" install, you will need to figure out which preference files belong to the application and delete those manually. Then, when reinstalling, a new set of preference files will be created.

Some applications are not distributed as packages, but rather come with installers. Generally, installers are necessary if files need to be placed in a certain location for the application to function correctly. Apple provides a standard installer/uninstaller for developers to use with their applications; the installation process generally involves reading a license agreement and selecting which drive to install the application onto. There is also a button to toggle between an "easy" (automatic) install, and a custom install for more advanced options. A downfall to this approach is that while it is recommended that developers provide an uninstaller, it is not required. If a developer does not provide an uninstaller for their application, then you will unfortunately need to figure out which files belong to that application, and remove them manually.

Note to Mods: Perhaps a sticky with a compilation of the many discussions about this? I don't know if you can combine threads, but...