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How to uninstall Mac apps properly, leftovers included

Guide · Fabian Faraz Farid · 04.11.2026

Dragging an app to the Trash removes the program, but not everything it created. Settings, caches and support files stay in the Library. Usually that is a few megabytes, sometimes many gigabytes.

1. Remove the app itself

  1. Quit the app (⌘Q). If it lives in the menu bar, quit it from its menu.
  2. Check whether the developer ships its own uninstaller, in the app's folder or on its website. Apps with drivers or background services often do. If so, use it.
  3. Otherwise drag the app from Applications in Finder to the Trash. For App Store apps, macOS may ask for your password.

2. Find the app's identifier

Leftovers are usually named after the app's identifier (bundle ID), for example com.developer.app. While the app is still there, Terminal shows it:

mdls -name kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier /Applications/Example.app

3. Look for leftovers in the Library

In Finder choose Go › Go to Folder and enter ~/Library. Search these folders for the identifier and the app's name:

  • Application Support, Caches, Containers, Group Containers
  • Preferences (files like com.developer.app.plist)
  • Saved Application State, HTTPStorages, WebKit, Logs, Cookies
  • LaunchAgents (starts background services at login)

For all users there are also /Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchDaemons, /Library/Application Support and /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools. Moving items there needs an administrator password.

Careful with Containers: for App Store apps they often hold your documents from that app. Look inside before you remove anything. And keep folders that belong to another app of the same developer you still use.

4. Check background items

System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions shows what starts with your Mac. You can turn off entries of a removed app there.

Where Searoom helps

Drag an app onto the Searoom window or onto the Searoom icon in the Dock. Searoom shows the app and its leftovers with checkboxes: exact matches for the identifier are selected, looser matches are not. If the app is open, Searoom asks it to quit first. Everything goes to the Trash, and you can put it back from Cleaned Up. Apps that are part of macOS stay where they are. With Pro, Searoom also finds leftovers without an app: folders and settings of apps that were dragged to the Trash earlier.

Searoom explains every storage item on your Mac in one sentence, only moves things to the Trash, removes apps with their leftovers and keeps your apps updated. 14 days with everything, then a free version stays, Pro is €29 once.

See Searoom

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