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How do I delete an app from my Mac Air

How do I delete an app from my MacBook Air?




MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Dec 25, 2022 5:33 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 25, 2022 7:30 PM

Hi recoyle2,


Generally, you should delete apps using one of these methods. They are ranked from best to worst, with the best method at the top.


  • If the app provides an uninstall function, use that.
  • If the app developer provides an uninstaller tool, use that.
  • If the app developer provides uninstallation instructions (aside from just moving the app to the Trash), use those instructions.
  • If the app was downloaded from the App Store, open Launchpad, click and hold on the app you wish to delete, then click the (X) button on the app.
  • Move the app to the Trash.


I usually encourage other methods instead of moving an app to the Trash. When an app is moved to the Trash, the main app is "deleted" and cannot be ran at all, but that doesn't delete other hidden services and files that the app may have installed. Uninstallers provided by the app developer usually do delete those hidden services and files.


Please note that most Apple-provided apps included with your Mac cannot be uninstalled. In recent versions of macOS, they reside on a signed and sealed system volume. For safety, this volume cannot be modified unless explicitly authorized in macOS Recovery. In older versions of macOS, the apps are protected by System Integrity Protection, which can only be disabled from macOS Recovery.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 25, 2022 7:30 PM in response to recoyle2

Hi recoyle2,


Generally, you should delete apps using one of these methods. They are ranked from best to worst, with the best method at the top.


  • If the app provides an uninstall function, use that.
  • If the app developer provides an uninstaller tool, use that.
  • If the app developer provides uninstallation instructions (aside from just moving the app to the Trash), use those instructions.
  • If the app was downloaded from the App Store, open Launchpad, click and hold on the app you wish to delete, then click the (X) button on the app.
  • Move the app to the Trash.


I usually encourage other methods instead of moving an app to the Trash. When an app is moved to the Trash, the main app is "deleted" and cannot be ran at all, but that doesn't delete other hidden services and files that the app may have installed. Uninstallers provided by the app developer usually do delete those hidden services and files.


Please note that most Apple-provided apps included with your Mac cannot be uninstalled. In recent versions of macOS, they reside on a signed and sealed system volume. For safety, this volume cannot be modified unless explicitly authorized in macOS Recovery. In older versions of macOS, the apps are protected by System Integrity Protection, which can only be disabled from macOS Recovery.

How do I delete an app from my Mac Air

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