Is there a way to uninstall 3rd party software installations?

Question

Is there a way to uninstall 3rd party software installations?

From the dock, Finder displays about 64 Applications on my iMac compared to more than 300 applications on my iMac by way of menu bar / bitten black apple / About This Mac / Overview / System Report / Software / Applications>. Starting on the same path> ... / System Report / Software / Installations> there are about 80 installations on my iMac. Among these 80 installations there are approximately 33 third party installations. I have found no way to delete; click and drag to trash; or uninstall any of the 3rd party installations. What am I doing wrong or not doing right?

I am running macOS High Sierra Version 10.13.5 on an iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017). The model identifier is "iMac18,2" with a 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 8 GB memory (2400 MHz DDR4).

macOS High Sierra (10.13.5), 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5

Posted on Jun 19, 2018 10:37 AM

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Answer 1

macjack

Level 10

111,242 points

Jun 19, 2018 10:44 AM in response to Community User

Yes, well installations counts every update of every software. A better way to check would be to use EtreCheck. It's a lightweight diagnostic tool that's very useful to us in finding problems. After it runs post the log file here if you need help reading it. It will contain no personal information.

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Answer 2

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Jun 19, 2018 3:20 PM in response to Community User

The easiest is to access any app in the Applications folder on your hard drive. If they were simply dropped into that folder, just drag it to the trash and delete. If they used an installer, check them for uninstall instructions as they sometimes include an uninstaller.

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Answer 3

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Jun 19, 2018 9:12 PM in response to Community User

You cannot rely on the info in the system report as that shows every app that has ever been installed (even if they were uninstalled).

So, if it has to do with printing, simply delete the current printer in System Preferences > Printers and then do a search for anything with the name of the printer in it. FWIW, you really do not have to do that in order to install a new printer.

Additionally, do NOT install any third party "uninstall" apps; there is no need and things would get worse. As for getting instructions on how to uninstall a third party app from its developer: they're instructions and/or a built in installer, that is all.

If you are so set against third party anything, then my suggestion is that you boot into internet recovery, delete your entire hard drive and reinstall the OS. That is the quickest and easiest way to get rid of every third party app. As long as you back up your personal files, photos, etc on an external drive, you can then simply copy them back after the brand new install.

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Answer 4

Jun 19, 2018 7:22 PM in response to macjack

When I searched the App Store, it showed several dozen apps, but EtreCheck wasn't one of them. Apparently, I have used three of them in the past. Here is a screen shot of the three already lined up in a column which made the shot easy. To be specific, I need to uninstall everything related to printing, scanning, copying, and faxing. In a post here earlier this month, I had stated that I had removed all such applications as required for the installation of new all-in-one printer, but now a "system report" shows nearly five times as many applications as are revealed by Finder in "applications". It may be a while before I get much farther with this project.

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Answer 5

Jun 19, 2018 7:38 PM in response to babowa

I had clicked and dragged everything related to printing out of "applications" and into the "trash" earlier this month, but now I see five times as many apps listed in a "system report". I was hoping Apple would have a single utility embedded in its software, so I wouldn't have to download and install some app from elsewhere. I am also hoping to remove all 3rd party applications and installations, at least temporarily, and I am therefore not comfortable with an uninstaller app which itself came from a 3rd party developer. Isn't that the way the cookies crumble? This iMac is barely a year old, so there have not been a lot of updates installed. Thank you, babowa.

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Answer 6

Jun 19, 2018 6:58 PM in response to macjack

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