Guide
How to uninstall apps on a Mac completely
Dragging an app to the Bin removes the app, but not the settings, caches and support files it created. Here is where they live and how to remove them.
Updated
First, check for the developer's own uninstaller
Some large apps and suites ship with their own uninstaller, often in the app's folder or disk image. If one exists, use it first: it knows about helpers and system components that a generic method may miss.
Where leftovers live
In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder and enter ~/Library. Leftovers are usually named after the app or its bundle identifier, such as com.example.appname:
| Folder | What is kept there |
|---|---|
| ~/Library/Application Support | Data, databases and downloaded content. Often the largest. |
| ~/Library/Caches | Cached files the app can rebuild. |
| ~/Library/Containers | Everything for sandboxed apps, including most App Store apps. |
| ~/Library/Preferences | Settings, as a .plist file named after the bundle identifier. |
| ~/Library/Saved Application State | Window positions from the last session. |
| ~/Library/HTTPStorages, WebKit and Cookies | Web data the app stored. |
| ~/Library/LaunchAgents | Helpers that start at login. |
| ~/Library/Logs | Log files. |
Find an app's bundle identifier
Before you remove the app, run this in Terminal, replacing the app name:
osascript -e 'id of app "App Name"'Search each folder above for that identifier and for the app's name. Only remove items that clearly match.
The quicker way
Clean Rabbit's App Uninstaller checks the exact locations above by bundle identifier and name, shows you what it found, and removes the app and its leftovers together. It matches exact paths rather than searching loosely, so nothing unrelated is swept up.
Questions
Is it safe to delete a .plist file?
Deleting an app's own preferences file resets that app to its defaults. It is safe once the app is gone. Do not remove .plist files that belong to macOS (those beginning com.apple).
What about files outside my home folder?
Some apps install into /Library, which affects all users and needs your password to change. Check for a developer uninstaller for those.
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