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Uninstalling programs in Mac OS X

I just got my first iMac and so far I've found just about anything I need to know and it's running great and I can do all sorts of cool new things. But I've searched all my help files, went thru tutorials and tried to find this subject in Mac support to no avail...on my old PC I could add and delete programs pretty easily (though can't say it worked so great getting rid of all files). I don't want to uninstall any of the apps I got with the iMac, but I'm trying a couple of downloads from the Apple site and am unsure of a couple and don't want to download unless I know I can delete them if they don't do what I want. Thanks!

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Dec 24, 2007 10:02 PM

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Posted on Jan 3, 2011 4:32 PM

Most programs on the Mac can be uninstalled by opening the applications folder and dragging the application to the trash.
If you want to uninstall a professional application or an application which is not drag and drop and is non-Apple you should consult the software company web site or included documentation for information about uninstalling.
For example, Microsoft has included a Remove Office application in their folder.
As for downloading applications from the Apple site, most of those applications are 3rd party apps.
I would visit their web site and determine how to uninstall.
If you can't find the info try the downloaded information for a read me file or documentation.
7 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jan 3, 2011 4:32 PM in response to macvirgin1

Most programs on the Mac can be uninstalled by opening the applications folder and dragging the application to the trash.
If you want to uninstall a professional application or an application which is not drag and drop and is non-Apple you should consult the software company web site or included documentation for information about uninstalling.
For example, Microsoft has included a Remove Office application in their folder.
As for downloading applications from the Apple site, most of those applications are 3rd party apps.
I would visit their web site and determine how to uninstall.
If you can't find the info try the downloaded information for a read me file or documentation.

Jan 3, 2011 4:33 PM in response to macvirgin1

Congrats with your new Mac. I'm sure you will only get more addicted to it the next couple of weeks.

Removing an application is indeed as simple as dragging it to the bin. In most cases this will remove all of the files of the parent application, however, sometimes there can be some leftovers. These are not really harmful as they don't jam up the system like on Microsoft Windows (which has the dreadful registry), but just to be sure I recommend a third party application for removing applications.

AppZapper was mentioned a few times but this isn't free software. May I suggest uApp? This is a free software package and can be found at http://uapp.en.softonic.com/mac. It removes all application folders and purges configuration files. It has a very straightforward interface. Just launch uApp, drag your application in it and hit 'Delete'. Boom, as Steve would say, you're done.

Cheers.

Jimmy Cappaert

Jan 3, 2011 4:33 PM in response to Jimmy Cappaert

thanks, Jimmy...freeware is always great! I went ahead and downloaded it and don't see how it could be any simpler. I didn't see an option to mark your reply as helpful...but it really was 🙂

Hard to believe I'd get any more addicted...I can't believe that I was so reluctant to make the switch over...I think it's a true urban myth that it's hard to learn...I can already do way more than I ever could on my PC. I'm a Mac user for life 🙂

Uninstalling programs in Mac OS X

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