If you’re like most MacBook users, you have quite a few apps installed on your device. And, if you’re not careful, those apps can start to take up a lot of space. Eventually, you may find yourself needing to uninstall an app from your Mac.
Luckily, uninstalling an app in macOS is a pretty simple process. In this article, we’ll show you how to uninstall an app in macOS using three different methods. So whether you’re looking to free up some space on your drive or just want to remove an unused app from your system, read on for the details.
How to uninstall app in mac?
Follow the easy 3-step guide below to uninstall an app in MacOS.
1. Uninstall an app through Finder
The simplest way to uninstall an app on macOS is using the Finder. To do this, simply do the following:
Step 1: Click on the ‘Finder’ icon in your Dock (it looks like a blue face) to open up a new Finder window. (Alternatively, you can open a new Finder window by pressing ‘Command+N’ on your keyboard.)
Step 2: Navigate to the Applications folder by clicking on the ‘Applications’ option in the left sidebar.
Step 3: Once you’ve navigated into the Applications folder, find the app that you wish to uninstall and then drag it from its current location into the Trash. NOTE: Keep in mind that dragging an app into the Trash only deletes just its associated files from your system. In order to get rid of all traces of that app, you’ll have to perform a full uninstallation as well (we’ll be showing how this is done throughout this article).
2. Uninstall an app through Launchpad
If for some reason you don’t want to go through Finder, you can also uninstall an app from macOS by using Launchpad. To do this, simply follow these steps:
Step 1: Make sure that your Mac is running and then click on the ‘Launchpad’ icon in the Dock (it’s a pink circle with a house inside of it). You can also open Launchpad by pressing ‘F4’ on your keyboard or by clicking on the Launchpad section towards the right side of your dock at any given time. NOTE: Keep in mind that if you’re unable to access your Dock for whatever reason, you’ll have no choice but to use Finder in order to complete this process.
3. Uninstall an app through System Preferences
If you’re not a fan of Finder or Launchpad, you can also uninstall an app from your Mac via System Preferences. So if this sounds more appealing to you, here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: On your keyboard, simultaneously press ‘Command+Space Bar’ in order to access Spotlight Search. Then enter ‘System Preferences’ and hit the ‘Enter’ key on your keyboard.
Step 2: In the System Preferences window that appears, click on the ‘Security & Privacy tab. When the Security & Privacy window appears (it should default to this page), look for the section labeled ‘Privacy’. Once you’ve found it, click on the padlock at the bottom of this section in order to make changes to your settings.
Step 3: When prompted, enter your administrator password to make changes to the settings.
Step 4: Look for the section labeled ‘App Store’. From here, checkmark the box that reads ‘Do not allow apps to be installed from unidentified developers.’ NOTE: This will prevent your Mac from installing apps downloaded outside of the App Store.
Step 5: Now, look for the section labeled ‘Anywhere’. Checkmark the box that reads ‘Allow applications downloaded from anywhere and then exit out of System Preferences.
What happens when you uninstall an app in macOS?
When you delete an app (or any file on your Mac) from Finder, Launchpad, or System Preferences it is only removed from your account. All files that you delete are moved into a ‘Trash’ folder on your Mac and kept there until the Trash folder is emptied. If you’re using a third-party trashcan app, some of them offer more features than the built-in macOS trash can.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to uninstall an app on your Mac using Finder, Launchpad, or System Preferences, feel free to try it out for yourself. If you have any questions about the process of deleting apps in macOS, be sure to leave us a comment down below. And if this guide has helped you in any way, please share it.
