PDF EXPERT

Basics for Uninstalling Software

Most OS X applications are completely self-contained "packages" that can be uninstalled by simply dragging the application to the Trash.  Applications may create preference files that are stored in the /Home/Library/Preferences/ folder.  Although they do nothing once you delete the associated application, they do take up some disk space.  If you want you can look for them at the above location and delete them, too.

Some applications may install an uninstaller program that can be used to remove the application. If you cannot find the uninstaller then you could download the freeware, Easy Find, to locate files that need to be removed. The places you need to search include:

1. /Home/Library/Applications Support/ folder. Check if the application has created a folder then delete the folder that's in the Applications Support folder.
2. Applications may install a startupitem or a LogIn item. StartupItems are usually installed in the /Library/StartupItems/ folder or the /Home/Library/StartupItems/ folder.  Login Items are set in the Users & Groups preferences. Open it in System Preferences, then click on the Login Items tab. Select the item from the list and click on the Delete [-] button to remove it.
3. Some software use startup daemons or agents.  Look for them in /Library/LaunchAgents/ and /Library/LaunchDaemons/ or in /Home/Library/LaunchAgents/.

Some applications install a receipt in the /Library/Receipts/ folder.  Usually with the same name as the program or the developer.  The item generally has a ".pkg" extension.  Be sure you also delete this item as some programs use it to determine if it's already installed.

There are many utilities that can uninstall applications.  Here is a selection:

• AppZapper
• AppDelete
• Hazel
• AppCleaner
• CleanApp
• iTrash
• AppBolish
• AppUninstaller
• Uninstaller

For more information visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on removing software.

The installation of the evaluation copy of PDF Expert does not request your administrator password, so it is installed in the /Applications folder, and various places in your local Library folder. Also, it did not install any package receipt information as it does not have that privilege.

More disturbing is that within that Application Support com.readdle folder is another folder named com.microsoft.HockeyApp, which contains a metadata object, and a telemetry folder. The latter makes me wonder if they are tracking usage of their PDF Expert application and what is done with that data.

In the case of PDF Expert, one can drag and drop the following installed files to the Trash:

1. /Applications/PDF Expert.app
2. /Users/yourname/Library/Application Support/PDF Expert
3. /Users/yourname/Library/Application Support/com.readdle.PDFExpert-Mac
4. /Users/yourname/Library/Application Support/CloudDocs/session/containers/*.com.readdle.CommonDocuments.plist
5. /Users/yourname/Library/Mobile Documents/*~com~readdle~CommonDocuments
6. /Users/yourname/Library/Preferences/com.readdle.PDFExpert-Mac.plist
7. /Users/yourname/Library/PDF Expert
8. /Users/yourname/Library/Cookies/com.readdle.PDFExpert-Mac.binarycookies
9. /Users/yourname/Library/Caches
   1. ./CloudKit/com.apple.bird/3L68KQB4HG.com.readdle.CommonDocuments
   2. com.readdle.PDFExpert-Mac
   3. com.readdle.handoff
   4. com.readdle.PDFExpert-Installer
   5. com.plausiblelabs.crashreporter.data/com.readdle.PDFExpert-Mac

So, quite the splatter job. It would have been worse if it were a .pkg installer and asked for your adminstrator password.