How to Delete Apps on Mac

Show:

December 14, 2022 Business

Did you know that by early 2022, there were 1.8 billion active Apple devices? That’s 150 million more than the count back in the early days of 2021. iPhones are still leading the way, with over a billion currently in use.

However, Macs have also gained traction, with over 6.3 million units shipped in the 2nd quarter of 2022 alone. That’s an impressive 9.3% increase from 2021’s 2nd quarter shipments.

If you’re one of those new Mac owners, you’re likely still enjoying its speedy performance. But unless you learn how to delete apps on Mac, it won’t be long before your device runs out of space.

Don’t worry; below, we’ll tell you exactly how to uninstall apps to free up space on your Mac.

How to Delete Apps on Mac via Launchpad

The Mac Launchpad is the central location where you can view and access all the apps on your Mac. It’s the icon with nine tiny, colorful squares on a white background. By default, it sits on the Dock, which, in turn, is the small horizontal panel along the edge of the screen.

You can use Launchpad to delete unwanted Mac apps you downloaded from the App Store.

To open Launchpad, click on its icon on the Dock. Another option is to use Spotlight, the primary search feature on your Mac.

You can access Spotlight by pressing the command (cmd or ⌘) button and spacebar. You can also click the magnifying glass icon on the top-right corner of your screen. Once it’s up, type “Launchpad” in the search bar and hit the enter button to proceed.

Once Launchpad is open, look for the apps you want to delete or type one of their names in the search bar at the top. Next, click and hold the app’s icon for a few seconds and then release. It should be jiggling at this point, and an X should appear in the top-right corner.

Click the X button, and a window should pop up asking if you want to delete that app. Hit the delete option to confirm, and it should immediately remove the program from your Mac.

How to Delete Apps on Mac via Finder

Finder is the native graphical user interface and file manager of macOS devices. It launches all other applications and manages files, folders, disks, and network volumes. Like Launchpad, it’s on the Dock by default, with the icon featuring a smiling face, known as the Happy Mac.

When you need more space on your Mac, you can use Finder to delete apps straight from its interface. You can also opt for this method if the application you want to remove didn’t come from the App Store. For example, if you tried using Launchpad to uninstall an app and it didn’t show an X button, then Finder is the way to go.

To launch Finder, click its smiling face icon on the Dock or use Spotlight to open it. Once up on your screen, click Applications on the left sidebar.

Look for the app you want to delete in the Applications section of your Finder window. Then, click on its name to highlight it, and simultaneously tap your Trackpad with two fingers.

That should bring up a sub-window where you should find a “Move to Trash” option. Clicking that should delete the app.

Alternatively, you can click and hold the app and then drag it to Trash.

On some apps, your Mac may ask you to provide a username and password. Try entering the same credentials you use when you log in to your computer; they’re likely the same.

Once you’ve deleted all unwanted apps, use the double-finger tap method on the Trash icon on your Dock. Finally, choose the “Empty Trash” option to delete files in this folder permanently.

How to Delete macOS Apps That Won’t Uninstall

If you can’t delete apps with Launchpad or Finder, they likely have a separate uninstaller. It may also have to do with macOS Ventura issues, particularly incompatibility.

In such cases, you can try the following methods.

Use the App’s Uninstaller Program

Many apps from sources other than the App Store come with uninstaller software. Usually, these programs have their very own folders inside Applications.

If you want to delete such an app, open its separate folder within Applications. Check if there’s an uninstaller program and if so, click that. Then, follow the onscreen instructions provided by the software to remove the app.

Download and Use an Uninstaller Program

If the above doesn’t work or the app doesn’t have an uninstaller in the first place, you can download one instead.

An uninstaller is utility software specifically designed to remove other software. It works by reversing the changes made by a user from the time of the unwanted app’s installation. That reversal then enables the uninstaller to remove it from the system.

A chief benefit of an uninstaller is it lets you remove multiple apps simultaneously. The best ones even have extra features allowing you to delete files and folders. Thus, its use is one of the fastest methods for making more space on Mac computers.

It might also be safer to use an uninstaller if there are several unfamiliar or suspicious apps on your Mac. Doing so can help reduce your risk of accidentally launching them.

Those unknown applications may be malicious software, or malware, for short. The good news is that they’re not that common, as evidenced by a study that found only 6.2% of infections in 2022 were in Macs. Instead, most were in Windows (over half), while nearly 40% were in Linux.

That’s How You Delete Apps on Mac

As speedy and stable as Macs are, they don’t have as much space as other similar-priced laptops. For example, entry-level MacBooks only have 256 GB of storage. For the same price, you can already find gaming models with twice the same capacity from other brands.

That’s why you’d want to learn how to delete apps on Mac. That way, you can avoid running out of storage, especially if your Mac only has 256 GB.