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:
- /Home/Library/Applications Support/ folder. Check if the application has created a folder then delete the folder that's in the Applications Support folder.
- 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.
- 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.
High Sierra may require you to disable the SIP in order to remove files depending on how they were installed.
Turning Off Rootless System Integrity Protection in OS X El Capitan 10.11.x or Later
Again, the vast majority of Mac users should not disable rootless. Disabling rootless is aimed exclusively at advanced Mac users. Do so at your own risk, this is not specifically recommended.
- Reboot the Mac and hold down Command + R keys after the startup chime, this will boot OS X into Recovery HD.
- When the Utility Menu appears, select the Terminal from the Utilities' menu in the menubar.
- Paste the following command into the terminal then hit return: csrutil disable; reboot
- You’ll see a message saying that System Integrity Protection has been disabled, and the Mac needs to restart for changes to take effect. The Mac will then reboot itself automatically.
- You can also issue the command by itself without the automatic reboot like so: csrutil disable
Once the Mac boots up again, System Integrity Protection will be disabled entirely in OS X.
Checking the Status of Rootless / System Integrity Protection in OS X
If you want to know the status of rootless before rebooting or without rebooting the Mac from the Recovery HD, just paste the following command into the Terminal: csrutil status
You’ll either see one of two messages:
$ csrutil status
$ System Integrity Protection status: enabled.
or
$ csrutil status
$ System Integrity Protection status: disabled
If at any time you want to change the status of rootless, another reboot from the Recovery HD is required.
How to Re-Enable Rootless System Integrity Protection in OS X
Simply reboot the Mac again from the Recovery HD as directed above, but at the command line use the following syntax instead: csrutil enable
Just as before, a reboot of the Mac is required for changes to take effect.
