To uninstall an app completely, quit it, move it to the Trash, then review the files it left in your Library and remove the ones you are sure about. The app is the easy part. The leftovers need a little care, because some of them hold your own data.
DiskJoy is our product. It does not uninstall apps or find their leftovers today: it scans folders you choose, read-only, and cleanup is not built yet. So this guide teaches the manual way, which works without any extra app.
Step 1: quit the app
Quit the app from its menu or right-click its Dock icon and choose Quit. A running app rewrites some of its files, so removing them while it runs can be undone by the app at once.
Step 2: check for an uninstaller
Apple’s guide says some third-party apps include their own uninstaller. Look inside the app’s disk image or its Applications folder for one. Use it if the maker provides it, because it knows where its own files live.
Step 3: move the app to the Trash
Following Apple’s guide: open Finder, go to Applications, drag the app to the Trash or choose File, Move to Trash, and enter your password if asked. Apple notes that some apps cannot be deleted, such as macOS system apps.
Step 4: cancel any subscription
Apple says deleting an app does not automatically cancel its subscriptions. If you pay for the app, cancel where you bought it before you forget.
Step 5: look for leftovers
Most leftovers live in the hidden Library folder inside your home folder. First find the app’s bundle identifier, a name such as com.company.app. You can read it from an app that is still installed:
defaults read /System/Applications/Calculator.app/Contents/Info CFBundleIdentifierThat example prints com.apple.calculator. Use the path of your own app. If the app is already in the Trash, you can often read the same file there.
Then look, without changing anything:
ls ~/Library/Application\ Support
find ~/Library -maxdepth 2 -iname '*appname*'
mdfind "kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier == 'com.company.app'"Replace appname and the identifier with your own. These commands only list. The leftovers guide explains each Library folder, and the launch agents guide covers helpers that start at login.
Step 6: remove what you are sure about
Move leftovers to the Trash rather than deleting them, and keep them there for a while. If the app still works the way you expect when you reinstall it, you got it right. Empty the Trash only when you are sure, and remember that it is permanent. See why space returns only after you empty the Trash.
What to leave alone
- A folder you cannot match to the app.
- A folder shared by several apps from one company.
- Anything with your own work inside, such as a library or project, if you may reinstall.
An example run
Say you removed an app called Sample months ago and want to check what is left. Run find ~/Library -maxdepth 2 -iname '*sample*'. It might list a folder in Application Support, a Caches folder and a preferences file. Look at each name. The Caches folder is the lowest risk. The Application Support folder may hold your own work, so open it and look before you decide. If you are not sure, leave it. A forgotten folder of a few megabytes costs you nothing.
Apps from the Mac App Store
Apps from the Mac App Store are sandboxed, so their data usually lives under ~/Library/Containers in a folder named after the app’s bundle identifier. The steps above apply, and the Containers folder is where to look first. Containers can hold your own work, so open the folder and read what is inside before you remove it.
Which apps cannot be removed
Apple notes that macOS system apps, such as Mail, Music and Books, and anything in the System folder, cannot be deleted this way. Leave them alone.
Safe, Risky, Never
| Level | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Safe | The app itself, once quit and moved to the Trash. Caches, logs and saved window state of an app you are not reinstalling |
| Risky | Application Support and Containers, which can hold your own data. Preferences if you might reinstall. Launch agent files you have not matched to the app |
| Never | System folders. Anything belonging to macOS. The Photos library package. Any file you cannot identify |
Where DiskJoy fits today
DiskJoy scans and shows where your space is. It does not list an app’s leftovers and it does not uninstall apps today. You can use a scan to see how big your Library has become, then follow the steps above by hand.
Try a scan
To see where space goes before you start, run DiskJoy’s scan. It reads only and removes nothing.
Sources and disclosure
Apple, uninstalling apps, accessed 2026-10-05: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102610. The read-only commands ls, find -iname, mdfind and defaults read were run on macOS 27.0. We did not run any removal step.
Frequently asked questions
How do I completely uninstall an app on Mac?
Quit the app, check whether it has its own uninstaller, move it to the Trash from the Applications folder, then look for its files in your user Library and review them before removing anything. Empty the Trash when you are sure.
How do I fully uninstall apps on Mac?
Moving the app to the Trash removes the app itself. Its settings, caches and support files stay in your Library until you remove them. Also cancel any subscription, since deleting an app does not do that.
Does dragging an app to the Trash delete everything?
No. Apple says deleting an app does not remove the documents or other files you created with it, and the app's own support files usually stay too.