AppZapper
Does a Mac really need an uninstaller?
17 July 2008; 21:45 Filed in: Posted by:
Barry WardReview
Well unfortunately, I would say the answer is yes.
When I bought my first Macbook I was told in order to
remove an app, all you need to do is move it to the
Trash and delete. Sure, you can do that. But, what
about the other files and folders the app may have
put elsewhere on your hard drive? In most cases, an
app may store files and folders in your
Library/Preferences folder, or your
Library/Applications Support folder etc. So, what can
we do to save having to search for these extra files
to remove them manually? We can install something
like AppCleaner (which is
freeware).
This is one of a handful of apps that not only remove the app you want to delete, but also search for the extra bits and bobs it would have otherwise left behind. With this particular app, there are three ways to accomplish the task. Firstly, you can just load the app and click on the Applications icon at the top of it's window. It will then switch (by the use of a neat cube rotation animation) to a list of the apps in your Applications folder.
Each one has a tick box next to it. Tick the box of the app you want to remove and click the Search button, and let AppCleaner work it's magic. It will, within seconds, list the app location and other related files locations too.
Again we have tick boxes next to each and, by default, they are all automatically ticked at this point. If you want to remove everything, just click the Delete button, and it will all be moved to Trash. The second way is to load the AppCleaner, and drag the app you wish to remove to the AppCleaners window. It will then start it's search as before. The third way is even easier. Just drag the app you want to remove to the AppCleaner's icon. The AppCleaner will then load and automatically search for all the files and folders and go straight to the list of things to delete. If you are someone who likes to try a lot of new apps out, perhaps you might like to have the AppCleaner icon on your dock, so it is easy to drag apps to (so long as you are careful what you drag to it of course). This isn't all the AppCleaner does. It can also remove downloaded widgets you have installed...
... and it can even remove plugins-
Let's go back to the tick boxes next to those extra files and folders it finds for your selected app. This is a great little feature, as there might be times you actually want to keep the app, but want to revert back to it's default settings. All you need to do then is un-tick the apps tick box, but leave the rest of the files ticked. It will then send everything to the trash except your app, so when you load the app next time, it's as though you are loading it for the first time. Of course all this comes with a warning: be VERY careful what you are selecting to remove. Basic rule, if you don't know what an app, or plugin does, leave it alone- it might be important to the smooth operation of your computer.
There are other app uninstaller's (I use AppZapper, which is not FREE, but I have used this for years - Ed) out there, but this one has never removed anything it shouldn't have, and has served me very well since I moved to Mac.
This is one of a handful of apps that not only remove the app you want to delete, but also search for the extra bits and bobs it would have otherwise left behind. With this particular app, there are three ways to accomplish the task. Firstly, you can just load the app and click on the Applications icon at the top of it's window. It will then switch (by the use of a neat cube rotation animation) to a list of the apps in your Applications folder.
Each one has a tick box next to it. Tick the box of the app you want to remove and click the Search button, and let AppCleaner work it's magic. It will, within seconds, list the app location and other related files locations too.
Again we have tick boxes next to each and, by default, they are all automatically ticked at this point. If you want to remove everything, just click the Delete button, and it will all be moved to Trash. The second way is to load the AppCleaner, and drag the app you wish to remove to the AppCleaners window. It will then start it's search as before. The third way is even easier. Just drag the app you want to remove to the AppCleaner's icon. The AppCleaner will then load and automatically search for all the files and folders and go straight to the list of things to delete. If you are someone who likes to try a lot of new apps out, perhaps you might like to have the AppCleaner icon on your dock, so it is easy to drag apps to (so long as you are careful what you drag to it of course). This isn't all the AppCleaner does. It can also remove downloaded widgets you have installed...
... and it can even remove plugins-
Let's go back to the tick boxes next to those extra files and folders it finds for your selected app. This is a great little feature, as there might be times you actually want to keep the app, but want to revert back to it's default settings. All you need to do then is un-tick the apps tick box, but leave the rest of the files ticked. It will then send everything to the trash except your app, so when you load the app next time, it's as though you are loading it for the first time. Of course all this comes with a warning: be VERY careful what you are selecting to remove. Basic rule, if you don't know what an app, or plugin does, leave it alone- it might be important to the smooth operation of your computer.
There are other app uninstaller's (I use AppZapper, which is not FREE, but I have used this for years - Ed) out there, but this one has never removed anything it shouldn't have, and has served me very well since I moved to Mac.
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