Guide · 4 min read
How to uninstall Mac apps completely (with leftovers)
On macOS, deleting an app is only half the job. Apps scatter support files across your Library that stay behind and keep using space - sometimes hundreds of megabytes per app. Here's how to remove all of it.
What gets left behind
When you drag an app to the Trash, these usually remain:
- ~/Library/Caches/<app>
- ~/Library/Application Support/<app>
- ~/Library/Preferences/<bundle id>.plist
- ~/Library/Logs/<app>
- ~/Library/Containers and Group Containers (sandboxed apps)
- LaunchAgents that keep helpers running
Remove leftovers by hand
- Quit the app and drag it from /Applications to the Trash
- In Finder press Cmd-Shift-G and check each ~/Library folder above for items matching the app's name or bundle id
- Move those to the Trash as well, then empty it
The one-click way
TidyBar's uninstaller finds the app plus every leftover it can - caches, preferences, support files, containers - shows them with sizes, and removes the lot to the Trash so it's recoverable. No hunting through Library by hand.
FAQ
Why isn't dragging an app to the Trash enough?+
It removes the app bundle but leaves support files in ~/Library that keep using space. A full uninstall removes those too.
Is removing leftovers safe?+
Yes, if you only remove files belonging to that app. TidyBar matches them for you and moves everything to the Trash so it's recoverable.
Do it all in one click with TidyBar
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