HOW TO: Uninstall Mac App Store Apps

ByMike Moffit

The brand new Mac App Store is a great way to discover and install fresh applications for your Mac. Though millions of MAS apps have already found their way into the docks, stacks, and folders of many OS X users, not all apps are winners.

If you download a clunker, and decide that it’s not worth the space on your hard drive, how should you go about properly deleting it? The answer is a simple one, and likely a process you’re already familiar with. Although MAS apps are installed a bit differently from traditional applications, they’re deleted in the same way—by being dragged to the trash.

While it can vary from app to app, this method typically deletes many, if not all, installed components of a piece of software. Since Mac applications come in packages, their frameworks, resources, and other essential files are stored in one place on your machine.

In the case of many apps, simply trashing the icon and emptying the trash will remove the application from your computer. If the app being deleted was purchased through the MAS, you’ll notice a “Not Installed” icon next to it in the Purchases menu. Should you ever need the app in the future, it can easily be reacquired and reinstalled from the within the store.

This process is typically sufficient for most Mac users, but not all applications come bundled in such neat and succinct packages. Especially when dealing with larger applications, preference, cache, and support files can clog up areas of your hard drive even after the app is long gone. If you’re an app fiend and leave these files unchecked, they can consume valuable disk space and in rare instances slow system performance.

To aid with this dilemma, numerous third party developers have stepped up to offer comprehensive uninstaller solutions. Among them, AppZapper and AppCleaner stand out. The former ($12.95) and the latter (free) scour your system for stray files related to the app being deleted. Any items discovered are sent to the trash to be reviewed and deleted.

Though each app contains a number of safeguards to prevent from deleting apps unintentionally, it’s always best to double check the files being deleted and keep a recent Time Machine backup of your system. (Ironically, neither app is currently available in the MAS.)

Download AppZapper here.
Download AppCleaner here.

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