In this guide, you will learn to uninstall or delete applications or software from Mac. There are two ways to delete app from mac, one is using Finder and other is using Launchpad. We will describe both of these methods.

Delete apps on Mac from Launchpad

All the apps downloaded in Mac from Apple App Store are shown in the Launchpad, so it is very easy to remove an app from Launchpad. To delete an application from Launchpad, follow the steps below.

Open Launchpad. You can open Launchpad from the Dock or from the Applications folder or you can also open Launchpad by pinching closed with thumb and three fingers on mousepad.

All the apps which you have downloaded from app store appears here. If you are unable to find the app which you want to delete, you can simply search it. To search app in Launcher, type its name in the search bar or swipe left or right to move to the next page.

Once you have located the app which you want to delete, simply long click on it until all the apps start jiggling and a “X” icon appears on their icon.

Click on “X” on the icon of the app which you want to delete.

A confirmation will be asked, click on Yes to delete the app.

When you click yes, the app will delete immediately.

Note: Some apps do not show “X” on their icon. This means that these apps are not downloaded from app store or these are the system apps required by Mac. You cannot delete these apps from the Launchpad. You have to delete them from the Finder.

Note 2: When you delete apps like Netflix, the subscriptions are not cancelled and they will continue.

Delete apps on Mac from Finder

In this section, you will learn how to uninstall apps on Mac using Finder. Follow the steps below.

  • Open Finder.
  • Most of the apps are located in Applications. So, click on Applications located at the left side of the window.
  • List of all the applications will be displayed. You need to find the app which you want to delete. You can also search the app by typing the name of the app in the search bar.
  • Once you have found the app which you want to delete, right click on it.
  • Click on Move to trash.

This app is removed and moved to the trash.

  • Open the trash by clicking on its icon.
  • Click on Empty to permanently delete app from Mac.

Delete an app from Doc on Mac

Doc contains shortcuts of the apps to quickly launch them. You can also remove the apps by drag and drop. Just follow the simple steps described below to remove apps from doc by drag and drop method.

  • Click on the app from the Doc which you want to delete from the Doc.
  • Left Click and hold on it.
  • Drag the app and drop on Trash icon. It will be deleted from the Dox and moved to the Trash.
  • Open the trash and click on Empty to permanently delete the app from your Mac as well as from the Doc.

Note: The app which you want to delete from the Doc can also be deleted from the Finder or the Launchpad. To do so, follow the methods described above in the Launchpad and Finder sections.

Delete app on Mac which is still opened

Sometimes when you try to delete an app from Launchpad, it is not deleted and shows message “The item can’t be moved to trash because it’s open”. This message is due to the reason that this app is not closed properly and running in the background, or it may be used by any other process. In this situation, follow the steps below to delete the app which is still running in the background.

  • Click on Finder.
  • Click on Applications from the left panel of the Window.
  • Scroll down and double click on Utilities.
  • Open Activity Monitor by Double clicking on it. You can also open Activity Monitor directly by typing it in the spotlight.
  • Type the name of the app which you want to delete but it is showing message about still running.
  • Select the app and click on “X” icon located at the top left of the screen.
  • Click Yes upon message “Are you sure you want to quit this process”?

The app is now closed and it is not in running state anymore. Now, you can delete this app from the Finder or from the Launchpad by following their respective guides described above in this article.

Change startup apps at Login on Mac

Startup apps are the applications or software that automatically started on your Mac when you turn it on and login.

Too many startup apps may slow down your Mac and it will take more time to start. So, you can remove unwanted apps from startup list.

For example, if skype is installed in your Mac, it is added to the startup list and every time you login, it will start automatically in the background. In this section, we will guide you to control startup apps.

  • Open Preferences.
  • Click on Users & Groups icon.
  • Click on Login Items tab from the top.
  • Here you will see a list of all the apps which start automatically with the login. Select the app which you want to remove from the startup list.
  • Click on minus icon “–” located at the bottom. After clicking it, the selected app will be removed from the startup list and will not load next time when you login to Mac.

You can also add your desired app which you want to start up automatically on login, by clicking on “+” button located at the bottom.

Why can’t I delete apps on my Mac?

Open Launchpad, hold down an app’s icon until they start to jiggle, click on the delete button x. Some apps don’t show an X button using this way. If you need to remove this kind of software, skip to solution to app won’t delete from Launchpad.

How do I delete an app from my Mac that won’t delete from Launchpad?

How to delete App Store apps from Launchpad
  1. Open Launchpad. Its icon is gray, with a black silhouette of a rocket ship.
  2. Once you’ve found the app you want to delete, click and hold the app until apps start to jiggle.
  3. Click the “X” icon on the app that you want to delete.

How do I delete apps from my Mac to free up space?

The applications you have installed on your Mac are taking up space, of course. You should uninstall them if you don’t need them—just open a Finder window, select Applications in the sidebar, and drag-and-drop the application’s icon to the trash can on your dock.

Should I clear cache on my Mac?

Clearing your Mac’s cached data deletes the temporary media files, such as images and text files, that it gathers from sites you visit. It’s important to clear your cache periodically to help protect your identity and make your computer’s applications run more efficiently.

How do I clean up my Mac?

Clean up files on Mac
  1. Reduce clutter. Devices with macOS Sierra and later versions have a great feature to conveniently manage files that are bogging down your hard drive.
  2. Empty the trash.
  3. Delete files with Smart Folder.
  4. Delete music files.
  5. Delete photos.
  6. Delete conversations from Messages.
  7. Delete iOS files.

How do I empty the cache on a Mac?

How to clean your system cache on Mac
  1. Open Finder. From the Go menu, select Go to Folder
  2. A box will pop up. Type in ~/Library/Caches/ and then click Go.
  3. Your system, or library, caches will appear.
  4. Here you can open up each folder and delete unneeded cache files by dragging them to the Trash and then emptying it.

How do I remove unwanted files from my Mac?

Find and delete files on your Mac
  1. Choose Apple menu > About This Mac, click Storage, then click Manage.
  2. Click a category in the sidebar: Applications, Music, TV, Messages, and Books: These categories list files individually. To delete an item, select the file, then click Delete.

How do I clean up my Mac to make it run faster?

What is slowing down my Mac?

If you find your Mac is running slowly, there are a number of potential causes that you can check. Your computer’s startup disk may not have enough free disk space. To make disk space available, you can move files to another disk or an external storage device, then delete files you no longer need on the startup disk.

Why is my Imac running slow and freezing?

Mac is Running Slow due to Lack of Hard Drive Space. Running out of space may not just ruin your system performance—it can also cause the applications you’re working with to crash. That happens because macOS is constantly swapping memory to disk, especially for setups with low initial RAM.

Does my Mac have a virus?

Here’s how to see if your Mac has a virus: Open Finder and go to the Applications folder. Scroll through the list of apps deleting any you don’t recognize. Empty the Trash.

Does Apple recommend antivirus for Mac?

In short, yes you do. Mac computers are not immune to malware and Mac-targeted attacks are increasingly prevalent. Following best practices for securing your device and using built-in security features can help, but antivirus software can serve to protect your device even further.

Does Mac have built-in antivirus?

Do Macs Have Built-in Antivirus Software? Since 2009, Apple has included XProtect, Apple’s proprietary antivirus software, on all Macs. XProtect scans all applications and files for viruses and malware using a database of threats that Apple updates daily.

Is there a free antivirus for Mac?

Short on time? Here’s the best free Mac antivirus of 2021: If you really need a free Mac antivirus, Avira is the best. Avira provides excellent real-time malware protection, anti-phishing and malicious website filtering, system tune-up tools, a password manager, and even a VPN.

How do I get rid of a virus on my Mac for free?

To remove adware, pop-ups & malware from macOS, follow these steps:
  1. STEP 1: Remove malicious Profiles from your Mac.
  2. STEP 2: Remove malicious apps from Mac.
  3. STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes Free to remove adware and other malware.
  4. STEP 4: Remove browser hijackers from Safari, Chrome, or Firefox.

Which is the best free antivirus for Mac?

Avast Security (for Mac), AVG AntiVirus for Mac, Avira Free Antivirus for Mac, and Sophos Home Free (for Mac) are totally free for personal use, although Sophos technically limits you to three devices, macOS or Windows.