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How to uninstall programs and applications on Mac completely? Step by step guide

Thanks to the remarkable development of technology, today, users of any operating system have the possibility of install and use endless programs and applications to optimize your experience and carry out different activities in a better way.

Thus, due to the numerous options available to Apple computers, Mac users they can end up saturating your machine with so many softwares and applications installed there. Taking into account that, they are not always so useful and many of those tools are not really required by these people; so they are taking up unnecessary space.

In this sense, in order to free up storage space and obtain a better system operation, the most recommended is uninstall all those programs and apps completely, which you do not use on your MacOS. Therefore, below, we present each of the steps to be carried out.

Benefits of removing unused programs from MacOS Why do it?

Before knowing the steps that must be carried out to be able to erase all those programs and / or applications that you no longer use on your Mac, it is important to know what are the main advantages that this action reveals. Since, although it is a determining act, many people do not imagine how important this is.

Therefore, in general terms, it should be noted that uninstalling such useless programs or applications in the system can generate a better experience for each user when carrying out any task from their computer.

Valuing that, the benefits of greatest interest are the following:

  • Mainly, removing softwares that are not in use allows free up a noticeable amount of storage on your computer. Which can only be occupying unnecessary memory on the Mac and thus prevent you from installing other programs that you really need, for example.
  • As we indicated earlier, once you get rid of this type of program, it will be possible get a better user experience. Since, the team will gain more lightness and thus, it can relieve a greater speed when executing any action that you require.
  • Despite the fact that Apple teams are responsible for providing the greatest possible security and privacy, there are certainly possibilities that its users are victims of malware or any cyber threat, mainly through installed programs. Therefore, when you take care of uninstalling third-party programs, it will be possible to acquire more protection around your data and all the information you manage on your computer.
  • Because any computer with many installed programs can easily become saturated and for this reason, the system does not operate in the best way; when you uninstall all those programs or applications that you don't use, its operation will be more optimal and it will allow you to run the other softwares you need much more efficiently.

Steps to remove any program or application from my Apple MacOS computer

Now, it is time to know what is the process to follow to uninstall any software or application from an Apple computer. Limiting that, it is about a really simple procedure thanks to the company focused on separate system files with user workspace, unlike Windows that operates in a different way.

For its part, it is also worth noting that, to remove a MacOS program, there are several mechanisms available. However, the most used of them are based on doing it through the Finder or through the Launchpad.

Through the Finder

To be more specific, the MacOS operating system Finder refers to an application that has the function of managing user files, disks, network and the launch of other applications, in its entirety. Thus, It is indicated to easily uninstall a program or application in the system.

Then, we explain the steps to follow:

Open the "Finder" folder

To start, you have to access the Finder of the system and in any window of the same, proceed to look for the option that says "Applications" and that it is a folder located in the left sidebar.

Find the program or application you want to delete

Once you select the "Applications" folder in the indicated menu, proceed to find the program or app that you want to remove from the system. Taking into account that, all these softwares are usually saved in said folder, automatically, once you install them on the computer.

Delete the program or app in question

Once you find the program / application to remove, it is necessary that drag it to the trash icon in your Dock. Although, you can also choose to select the app, then right-click on the file and finally, in the drop-down menu, click on “Transfer to Trash” to complete the uninstallation process.

It is appropriate to distinguish that, this procedure works with all programs, practically. However, it is likely that on some occasions you will have to confirm the action using your password associated with the user account of the computer administrator (this will depend on the type of software or application that is).

From the launchpad

Another of the most comfortable ways to uninstall a program or application obtained from the Apple Store on a Mac, is making use of the application launcher of this operating system which is known as Launchpad and it was introduced from Mac OS X Lion. So if you like the idea of ​​using this mechanism to free up storage space on your machine, here we show you how to do it:

From the launchpad

Access the launchpad

First of all, you have to open Launchpad by clicking on the Dock or directly from the Applications folder. In case you can't find it, we advise you write that name in the system search field located at the top of the screen. Once you access the application in question, you will see a list with all the applications installed at that time.

Find the software or application to delete

Now, among all the list that is observed, you must proceed to locate the application or program that you want to uninstall from the computer. Taking into account that, you can scroll from left to right to carry out this search.

Press and hold the application / program and delete it

When you find the application or program you want to remove from your Mac, you have to click on it and hold it down until it starts to shake.

After that, click the X icon next to the program or application to be removed. After that, confirm the action by clicking on the "Delete" button so that the uninstallation occurs immediately.

On the other hand, if at this point you don't see the "X" in question, means that this software or application does not come from the App Store and, therefore, it will not be possible to execute the uninstallation using the Launchpad.

Learn how to easily remove preinstalled MacOS applications and programs

Unfortunately, using any of the methods detailed in the previous part, it is not possible to uninstall the programs and / or apps that are pre-installed on the system, that is, the famous MacOS “Bloatware”.

Being this, a term used to refer to all those softwares that they are factory installed on the equipment and take up considerable space, Besides that consume a lot of RAM. Generally, they are language files, video editors, browser extensions, unnecessary applications for users, etc.

So, since these are pre-installed programs or applications on the computer, it can be very difficult to get rid of them to get more storage space. However, today, there is a tool designed for MacOS that has the ability to remove all Bloatware in one fell swoop in order to ensure optimal cleaning of the system. Which, is known as "CleanMyMac".

Consequently, if your attention is drawn to using this powerful tool in order to remove all the factory installed applications and programs on your Mac, here we show you how you can manage it in a very simple way:

Learn how to easily remove preinstalled MacOS applications and programs

  • First of all, you have to download and install CleanMyMac on your computer. The most recommended is to do it from its official website.
  • Now, once you access its interface, you can view the main menu of the application, where three essential modules are observed to eliminate all the Bloatware.
  • Then, click on the “System Trash” option which is on the left side of the panel and there it will be possible to delete the language files.
  • Later, in the applications part, click on “Uninstaller” and «Extensions» to manage to erase all those pre-installed programs and applications.

Download CleanMyMac MacOS

In addition to this solution, if you have administrator permissions on your Mac computer, you have the possibility of removing the factory installed apps using a method that does not require third-party tools. Then, the steps to take in these cases:

  • Start with open the Applications folder from your Mac computer and, among all the applications that are shown, search and select the one you prefer to delete.
  • Once you choose the app in question, right click on it and click on the “Get information” option.
  • After that, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the padlock icon to enter the administrator password correctly there.
  • By last, from the section "Sharing and permissions", specifies that all users have permission to "Reading and writing". After that, you will be uninstalling the selected app (only if you have administrator permissions).