Good Clean up Application

TinkerTool, OnyX, AppDelete, ClamXav, Cocktail, Tiger cache cleaner. There are so many you must chose what is right for you. I don't want to steer you to any one application. Look up the ones I gave you, some users may offer more, do your research and pick one of two. Many like Apple jack too.


Ray

Most small apps will just install the app package and then a preferences file when you actually run the application. Utilities like AppDelete can hunt down these applications and delete obviously associated files like the preferences files. Preferences may be in the system library or your user library, or both. More advanced programs may install files and fonts that are not so easily associated and it is hard to do a proper cleaning there without a before and after installation listing. Some will also put invisible files on your computer.

Or you could just drag them to your trash, empty trash and restart. Those preference files don't take much drive space at all.

Here's Freeing Up Space, if you want to know the correct way to do it.

DALE

Ray,

Please check your sources before making suggestions. Of the list of utilities you mention, only AppDelete will do what the OP asked for.

VANsTheMAN21,

Lots of people like AppZapper. To tell the truth, you can remove most applications manually without much trouble.

If the installer for a program has the option to uninstall itself, use that. Otherwise, just locate the application and put it in the trash. Large applications like Photoshop must be removed by the uninstaller provided with the software. Not that you still couldn't do it yourself, but the files it installs are spread all over the place, so it's much easier to let the uninstaller do it for you.

For those programs you manually delete from the Applications folder, look for obviously named files that relate to the software in the Preferences folder of your user account, and in the Application Support folders in the main Library folder and the like named folder in your user account. But that's where a program like AppZapper is nice, it searches out these smaller files for you.

Other than the obvious, putting the app in the trash, your telling me the other apps do not claim to clean caches, old files, previous libraries? Check again, OK, maybe yours are better at the job, great, the apps I mentioned also clean up, the question.


Ray

Hi Ray,

Other than AppDelete, non of the others you mentioned are for locating and removing old applications from the hard drive, which is the OP's question. None of the others will even help the OP gain disk space. Here's why:

1) TinkerTool - For modifying OS behavior. Tinkering with the OS so to speak as its name suggests. Won't clean up or remove anything, other than maybe cache files.

2) OnyX - More OS modification. Can remove cache files and manually run the cron scripts.

3) AppDelete - That one will help.

4) ClamXav - A free anti virus program for the Mac. Will do absolutely nothing to save disk space.

5) Cocktail - Another OS modifier. Probably a cache cleaner, too.

6) Tiger cache cleaner - Just what it says.

7) Apple jack - Another app for cleaning cache files and other such maintenance.

The thing is, removed cache files are rebuilt. So any of those that clean cache files are not going to save you any space. The only one that will is running the cron scripts. But that's also temporary as the files will increase in size again as the system is used.

Hi Kurt, thank you for correcting me in a polite manner. On this forum it is rare.

Good for you for showing some class.

Quoting posters with Whoever said: ....is so tasteless and illiterate it make me assume the poster is being rude. This form of quoting another is not accepted in the English language. I applaud your post.

Ray

You're quite welcome, Ray. We all learn things along the way. I certainly know I still am. 🙂