# How to uninstall an app on a Mac and remove its leftover files > Use the app's uninstaller if it has one, otherwise move it to the Trash. Then check the Library folder for the cache, settings and data it left behind. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/uninstall-app-and-leftover-files-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. Quit the app, look in its folder for an Uninstall or Uninstaller app and run that if it exists. If not, drag the app to the Trash, or select it in Finder and choose File, then Move to Trash. Then empty the Trash. That removes the app, but not everything it made. ## Steps from Apple 1. Quit the app if it is open. 2. Find it in Finder: search Spotlight, then hold Command while double clicking the result, or open the Applications folder from the sidebar or the Go menu. Some apps live in the Applications folder inside your home folder. 3. Check the app's folder for an Uninstall or Uninstaller app. Apple calls an uninstaller the best option because it can also remove login items, extensions and other data stored elsewhere. 4. Otherwise drag the app to the Trash. 5. If asked, enter an administrator name and password. 6. Choose Finder, then Empty Trash to free the space. ## Apps you cannot delete Apple says apps macOS needs, such as Mail, Music, Books, Notes, Podcasts, Maps, News and Stocks, cannot be deleted in Finder. If macOS says the app is in use, close it, and restart if needed. ## What it leaves behind Apple notes that deleting an app does not remove documents you created with it, and does not cancel a subscription bought through it. Apps also leave files in your Library folder: | Folder | What is in it | |---|---| | `~/Library/Application Support/` | The app's data | | `~/Library/Caches/` | Its cache | | `~/Library/Preferences/.plist` | Its settings | | `~/Library/Containers/` | Data of sandboxed apps | The list comes from the blog post on freeing space and is not an Apple list. ## Should you remove them? Only if you are done with the app for good. Settings and data are what you would want back after a reinstall. A few megabytes of preferences are not worth the risk. A multi gigabyte data folder for an app you have not opened in two years is. Move to the Trash, wait a day, then empty it. ## Find which apps are big Open System Settings, General, Storage and look at Applications, or sort the Applications folder by size. ## In the notch NotchStar's [Disk tool](https://www.notchstar.com/features/disk/) has an Apps section listing apps with the caches, preferences and logs they leave behind, so removing one cleans up fully. Apple apps and NotchStar itself are never offered for removal, and a running app shows Running instead of Remove. ## Keep reading. - [How to empty the Trash on a Mac safely](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/empty-trash-on-mac-safely/): Empty the Trash from the Dock, restore items with Put Back, delete one item, handle locked files, and set the Mac to empty it after 30 days. - [How to clear caches on a Mac safely](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/clear-caches-on-mac-safely/): Which cache folders on a Mac are safe to clear, how to check their size, and the rule that keeps you out of trouble: one app at a time, with the app quit. - [How to find large files on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/find-large-files-on-mac/): Find the biggest files and folders on a Mac with Storage settings, Finder size sorting and two Terminal commands. Tested commands, and what not to delete. - [Disk space, duplicates, apps and cleanup](https://www.notchstar.com/features/disk/): See free space, find big folders, duplicates and app leftovers, compress media and clean caches from your Mac notch. Everything goes to the Trash. - [How to find what is filling your Mac, and free space safely](https://www.notchstar.com/blog/free-up-space-on-your-mac-without-a-cleaner/): Find what fills your Mac with Finder and Terminal, learn which folders are safe to clear, and what to leave alone. Commands tested, with a 20 minute routine. ## More in Storage. - [How to check disk space on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/check-disk-space-on-mac/): See how much storage is used and free on a Mac in System Settings, in Finder, and with one Terminal command. Includes why the numbers can disagree. - [What is System Data on a Mac, and can you delete it?](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/what-is-system-data-on-mac/): System Data is the catch all in Mac Storage for files that fit no other category. What it holds, why it grows and what is safe to look at. - [How to find large files on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/find-large-files-on-mac/): Find the biggest files and folders on a Mac with Storage settings, Finder size sorting and two Terminal commands. Tested commands, and what not to delete. - [How to clear caches on a Mac safely](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/clear-caches-on-mac-safely/): Which cache folders on a Mac are safe to clear, how to check their size, and the rule that keeps you out of trouble: one app at a time, with the app quit. - [How to find duplicate files on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/find-duplicate-files-on-mac/): Two files with the same name may differ, and two with different names may match. How to find true duplicates on a Mac by comparing content. - [How to empty the Trash on a Mac safely](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/empty-trash-on-mac-safely/): Empty the Trash from the Dock, restore items with Put Back, delete one item, handle locked files, and set the Mac to empty it after 30 days.