Uninstalling programs on MAC is not an easy task as it does not come with an Add or Remove Program Feature, like it does in Windows OS. Although uninstalling in MAC might look an easy task at first glance as all you need to do is to move the application to Trash bin. However this does not completely clean up your hard disk as application file, icons application will not be deleted and would be still capturing space on your hard disk. So today in this tutorial I am going to guide you on how to uninstall programs on MAC.
Reason:
Before heading onto the topic its necessary to know the actual reason behind this behavior. Actually programs on MAC Computers are of two types:
1. Bundled Programs.
The bundled programs are those programs which can be uninstalled just by moving the application to trash bin.
2. Non Bundled Programs:
The non-bundled programs are those programs which can also be uninstalled by moving the application to trash bin. However there is an additional manual task associated with this. You need to manually clean or delete all files, settings, references, shortcuts and support files that are stored on your hard drive. Although this a manual task, however it leads to complete uninstallation of program.
If you are a freeloader and you do not want to do this entire manual stuff, then there are many programs that will automatically do it for you. All you have to do is to just download these programs at the click of your finger. In this post on how to uninstall programs on MAC, I will be sharing only those tools which are free of cost or are available on trial so that your pockets are not drained.
Mac OSX Uninstaller Software:
MAC OSX Uninstaller is an uninstaller that allows you to uninstall applications. It also allows you to find changes in disk or folder by taking screenshots of the file system hierarchy and comparing the screenshots of two dates.
This software is not a freeware. However you can download a free 15 day trial period of this tool and try it.
Compatibility: It runs on MAC OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or higher versions.
Download Page: Please download it for trial from here.
AppZapper Uninstaller Software
AppZapper is another tool which could be used to uninstall programs on MAC. Its very easy and simple to use. All you have to do is to drag and drop the application file of the program to be uninstalled in AppZapper. After doing the analysis, AppZapper will display the linked files, support files, shortcuts, etc related to this application. You can select all applications and click on delete.
So is not it really simple and hassle free. This software is also not a freeware. However you can download a free 15 day trial period of this tool and try it.
Compatibility: AppZapper Version 2.0 runs on MAC OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or higher versions. AppZapper Version 1.8 run on MAC OS 10.4 (Tiger) and MAC OS 10.5 (Leopard)
Download Page: Please download it for trial from here.
AppTrap Uninstaller Software
AppTrap is another software that allows you to uninstall selected programs from Mac and also deleted supporting files, preferences, system files. After installation of this software it will add a preference pane to your system preferences which will keep monitoring the files you sent to trash. Whenever you send a file for uninstallation or removal to AppTrap, it will notify if you want to delete associated files with it or not. Thus, you easily use this software to uninstall non-bundled softwares for which you don’t want to do the manual deletion of associated files.
The best thing is that its an open source software and would not cause any extra burden on your wallet.
Compatibility: AppTrap Version 1.1.7 runs on MAC OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or higher versions. Tehre are other versions of AppTrap that run on MAC OS 10.4 (Tiger) and MAC OS 10.5 (Leopard)
Download Page: Please download it for trial from here.
AppCleaner Uninstaller Software
AppCleaner is freeware software that enables you to uninstall programs completely on MAC. Like other above listed tools, it also suggest the associated files and removes them from your hard disk. It is using the same drag and drop feature as is used by AppZapper listed above. All you have to do is to drag and drop the application file of the program to be uninstalled in AppCleaner. After doing the analysis, AppCleaner will display the linked files, support files, shortcuts, etc related to this application. You can select all applications and click on delete.
Compatibility: AppCleaner supports on all MAC OS X versions.
Download Page: Please download it for trial from here.
So this was all about how to uninstall programs on Mac using manual method or using above listed tools. Please feel free to share your feedback, issues, and concerns in the comments section below.
Article by Ankit
Ankit is the founder of Geek Revealed. He is tech Geek who loves to sit in front of his square headed girlfriend all day long. :D You can find Ankit on FaceBook or Google Plus
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