JSD1985
Level 1 (20 points)
Apple TV

Q: Uninstaller: AppCleaner, AppDelete, CleanApp or AppZapper

Hello everyone,

 

I'm looking for a good uninstaller for OSX. I've searched the forum and found similar topics, but those are somewhat older.

I'm having the following programs in mind:

 

  • AppCleaner
  • AppDelete
  • AppZapper
  • CleanApp

 

They all seem to work fine under Yosemite. Which app would you prefer and why?

CleanApp sounds good but I see a lot of negative reviews on the internet.

 

Greetz!

Posted on Aug 19, 2015 6:49 AM

by thunderzzz,Solvedanswer
thunderzzz thunderzzz
Level 6 (8,379 points)
Notebooks
A:

I have used AppCleaner several times. It has good reviews and feedbacks: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/25276/appcleaner

Posted on Aug 19, 2015 6:53 AM

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JSD1985

Q: Uninstaller: AppCleaner, AppDelete, CleanApp or AppZapper

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by thunderzzz,Solvedanswer

    thunderzzz thunderzzz Aug 19, 2015 6:53 AM in response to JSD1985
    Level 6 (8,379 points)
    Notebooks
    Aug 19, 2015 6:53 AM in response to JSD1985

    I have used AppCleaner several times. It has good reviews and feedbacks: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/25276/appcleaner

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Aug 19, 2015 6:58 AM in response to JSD1985
    Level 9 (50,397 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 19, 2015 6:58 AM in response to JSD1985

    There are no good uninstallers for a Mac, use the manufacturers method of removal, if it is an Apple app you can just put it in the trash, if it is a 3rd party app then use the method recommended by the manufacturer.

     

    All of the apps you listed are junk, potentially damaging junk.

  • by JSD1985,

    JSD1985 JSD1985 Aug 19, 2015 7:19 AM in response to thunderzzz
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 19, 2015 7:19 AM in response to thunderzzz

    Thanks, I will try that one.

    What about http://www.macupdate.com ?

     

    Is that a reliable website? I'm pretty new to OSX so have to figure a lot of things out.

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Aug 19, 2015 7:23 AM in response to JSD1985
    Level 9 (50,397 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 19, 2015 7:23 AM in response to JSD1985

    No, Macupdate (& CNET, Softonic etc) is not a safe website, no 3rd party site can be trusted, but as you intend to download junk software it hardly matters. Good luck.

     

    Did you come over from Windows, if yes please remember that OS X is not Windows, don't treat it as if it is.

  • by OSX Enthusiast,

    OSX Enthusiast OSX Enthusiast Aug 19, 2015 7:22 AM in response to JSD1985
    Level 2 (176 points)
    Aug 19, 2015 7:22 AM in response to JSD1985

    I highly suggest downloading software only from the manufacturer's website.

  • by JSD1985,

    JSD1985 JSD1985 Aug 19, 2015 7:27 AM in response to Csound1
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 19, 2015 7:27 AM in response to Csound1

    Hi CSound1,

     

    Yes, I'm coming from Windows. Just got a Macbook Air since a couple of weeks.

    I see a lot of forum users refer to this website so I thought it was a reliable site. I will avoid this site from now on.

     

    I'm just looking around for some handy tools that I might need. When using Windows, I know exactly which tools can come on handy and are reliable. Still need to find my way on OSX.

  • by OSX Enthusiast,

    OSX Enthusiast OSX Enthusiast Aug 19, 2015 7:29 AM in response to JSD1985
    Level 2 (176 points)
    Aug 19, 2015 7:29 AM in response to JSD1985

    Welcome to OS X. The Mac App Store is a safe place for downloading applications.

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Aug 19, 2015 7:30 AM in response to JSD1985
    Level 9 (50,397 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 19, 2015 7:30 AM in response to JSD1985

    OS X needs no 3rd party tools, you're still thinking the Windows way and will inevitably mess up your Mac with useless utilities that steal cycles, conflict with OS X and generally make things worse.

     

    Your choice, leave OS X as Apple wrote it (it works very well on its own) or waste your time messing it up.

  • by JSD1985,

    JSD1985 JSD1985 Aug 19, 2015 7:41 AM in response to OSX Enthusiast
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 19, 2015 7:41 AM in response to OSX Enthusiast

    Thanks OSX Enthusiast! I already own a iPad Air and iPhone but working with OSX apps is a little bit different.

     

    @Csoun1: If a 3rd party app is making OSX worse, then why are some of them available in the App Store?

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Aug 19, 2015 7:50 AM in response to JSD1985
    Level 9 (50,397 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 19, 2015 7:50 AM in response to JSD1985

    Marketing should not be confused with engineering.

     

    You can load junk on your Mac all you want, come back here when your Mac gets slow and unstable and we'll guide you through how to remove it. It seems that although you can get Windows off your computer it is much harder to get it off of you.

     

    These simple rules are all you need,

     

    1. Dont install anything unless you know how to remove it.

    2. Dont install anything that claims to clean, optimize or protect your Mac

    3. Backup, backup and backup. (use Time Machine for that)

    4. Stop worrying, this is not Windows.

  • by William Donelson,

    William Donelson William Donelson Aug 29, 2016 11:16 AM in response to Csound1
    Level 4 (2,514 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 29, 2016 11:16 AM in response to Csound1

    I just used AppCleaner on about 8-10 apps, before moving to El Capitan.

     

    Each time it showed me clearly which files would be deleted, and I checked them carefully

     

    Many of the apps did NOT have un-installers, and can you really trust them either?

     

    #3 Backup... Is a great idea, except that Time Machine is only good for some things. Most things it's teeth-pullingly slow once you get above 300GB or so.

     

    <Edited by Host>

  • by Kukakuka,

    Kukakuka Kukakuka Aug 26, 2016 8:01 PM in response to William Donelson
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Aug 26, 2016 8:01 PM in response to William Donelson

    Amen!