How do I completely delete apps on my Mac without leftovers?

General
1

I’m running out of storage on my Mac and noticed that dragging apps to the Trash doesn’t always remove everything. Some apps still show up in searches or keep leftover files and data. Can someone explain the proper steps or best tools to fully uninstall apps on a Mac and clear all the hidden files too?

2

Short version. Dragging apps to Trash removes the app bundle, not its support data.

Here is how to clean an app out fully on macOS.

  1. Use a proper uninstaller first
    • If the app has its own uninstaller, use that in preference.
    Examples: Adobe, Microsoft Office, antivirus tools.
    • For App Store apps, deleting from Launchpad usually removes most stuff, but not always all prefs or caches.

  2. Use a third party uninstaller app
    These do a better job than manual hunting, and save time.
    Good options:
    • AppCleaner (free, lightweight).
    • AppCleaner and Uninstaller, CleanMyMac, AppDelete, etc.

Workflow with AppCleaner:
• Install AppCleaner.
• Drag the app icon into AppCleaner instead of the Trash.
• It scans for related files in Library.
• Check the list.
• Delete.

This handles:
• /Applications/AppName.app
• ~/Library/Application Support/AppName
• ~/Library/Preferences/com.developer.app.plist
• ~/Library/Caches/com.developer.app
• ~/Library/Containers/… (for sandboxed apps)
• Logs and saved states.

  1. Manual removal (for when you want full control)
    Delete the main app:
    • Open /Applications
    • Drag AppName.app to Trash. Empty Trash.

Then remove leftovers in your user Library:
• In Finder, press Command + Shift + G
• Go to:
~/Library

Check and delete app related stuff from:
• Application Support
Example: ~/Library/Application Support/AppName
• Caches
Example: ~/Library/Caches/com.developer.app
• Preferences
Example: ~/Library/Preferences/com.developer.app.plist
• Containers
• Group Containers
• Logs
~/Library/Logs and ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports
• Saved Application State
~/Library/Saved Application State/com.developer.app.savedState

Tip:
Use Finder search with the app name and the bundle ID prefix if you know it, like “com.adobe” or “AppName”.
Filter to “This Mac” and “Library” only.
Be careful with common words so you do not delete unrelated stuff.

  1. System level leftovers
    For bigger suites:
    • Check /Library (top level) besides ~/Library.
    Paths:
    /Library/Application Support
    /Library/LaunchAgents
    /Library/LaunchDaemons
    /Library/Preferences
    • Look for vendor names, like Adobe, Microsoft, Logitech.
    If you do not recognize a file, leave it.

  2. Clean user data and downloads
    Apps often leave:
    • Files you created
    • Exported data
    • Old installers in Downloads
    Search:
    • Your Documents, Desktop, Downloads for the app name or vendor.
    Delete unneeded stuff.

  3. Free space check
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage > “Storage Settings”.
    • Check “Applications” and “Documents” sections.
    • Sort by size.
    • Remove the top offenders with the process above.

For most people, using AppCleaner for every uninstall is enough.
If you install and remove a lot of software, run through ~/Library/Application Support and ~/Library/Caches every few months and remove folders for apps you no longer have.

One last note. Do not delete random files in /System or anything with “Apple” in the name. That tends to end badly.

3

Dragging to Trash is the “cosmetic uninstall.” Stuff will linger. @cacadordeestrelas already nailed the uninstaller / AppCleaner / Library sweep approach, so I’ll skip rehashing that play-by-play and hit a few extra angles and some “what actually matters” stuff.

1. Decide how “clean” you actually need

There are 3 levels in practice:

  1. Normal clean
    App + obvious support folders gone. You regain almost all the space. For 95% of people, AppCleaner or similar is enough.

  2. Paranoid clean
    Also nuke prefs, caches, logs, container junk, and maybe some system-level bits. This is what you’re aiming at if you’re annoyed seeing anything in Spotlight.

  3. Nuclear reset
    Only for when an app is truly cursed or you’re debugging: remove launch daemons, kexts, hidden helper tools. Easy to break things if you’re not careful.

If you’re just running out of space, I’d honestly focus more on big offenders than “perfect purity.”

2. Use Spotlight and Terminal as a second pass

After you uninstall with AppCleaner or similar, you can hunt leftovers without manually guessing every folder.

  • In Finder search:

    • Search “This Mac” for the app name and the company name.
    • Click “+” and limit Kind to “Other…” then choose “File size” if you only care about big junk.
    • Sort by size. Trash any obvious leftovers.

  • In Terminal for a stricter sweep (more advanced, but very handy):

    mdfind 'kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier == 'com.developer.appname''

    or, for a broad name-based search:

    mdfind 'AppName'

    This uses the Spotlight index to find files related to that app faster than Finder sometimes does. Then you can inspect and delete selectively in Finder.

I slightly disagree with relying only on Library path guessing. Bundle IDs and Spotlight are way more accurate.

3. Watch out for login items and menu bar helpers

Some apps leave running agents even after you delete the main app.

  • Go to System Settings > General > Login Items
    • Remove anything from that app or vendor.
  • Also check the tiny “Allow in background” section under that same pane on newer macOS versions.

If something keeps respawning, that’s usually a leftover LaunchAgent or LaunchDaemon in /Library or ~/Library/LaunchAgents. In those cases, I’d check the vendor’s official removal tool before manually ripping them out.

4. Handle browser extensions and plug‑ins separately

Even if you delete the app, it might have left:

  • Browser extensions (Safari, Chrome, Firefox)
  • Audio plug‑ins (e.g. VST, AU in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins)
  • Printer or scanner stuff

Those don’t always show up obviously.
For browsers:

  • Safari: Settings > Extensions
  • Chrome: chrome://extensions
  • Firefox: Add-ons and themes

Uninstall those from inside the browser or host app itself.

5. iCloud / “On My Mac” side effects

Some apps stash things in:

  • ~/Documents
  • ~/Downloads
  • ~/Movies / ~/Music / ~/Pictures
  • iCloud Drive “AppName” folders

If your goal is space, these folders are often worse than any config file in Library. Search by the app name or vendor in those locations and sort by size. For example, video editors, music apps, or sync tools can leave gigabytes sitting in Documents.

6. When in doubt, let macOS manage some of it

Even though manual cleanup feels satisfying, macOS is not terrible at cache management:

  • Open Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage > Storage Settings
    • Check “Reduce Clutter” / “Review Files”
    • Sort by “Large Files” or “Downloads”

You’ll often find old installers, disk images, and ancient project files doing more harm than tiny preference files.

Simple practical routine

  1. Delete app via:
    • Its own uninstaller if it has one, otherwise
    • AppCleaner or similar.
  2. Check Login Items and remove any leftover helpers.
  3. Use Finder search for the app / vendor name, sort by size, delete obvious big leftovers in Documents/Downloads/Movies/etc.
  4. Optional: mdfind for paranoid cleanup if you really don’t want it showing in searches.

If you do that every time, you’re very close to a “full uninstall” without spending half your life spelunking in ~/Library trying not to delete the wrong plist.

4

Skip the perfectionism. On macOS, “zero leftovers” is mostly a psychological target, not a practical one.

Here’s the angle I’d add on top of what @cacadordeestrelas already covered.

1. Focus on storage impact, not total erasure

Spotlight stragglers like 5 KB plist files look messy but they do not fix your storage problem. If you are tight on space, the big wins are usually:

  • User data folders
    • ~/Movies, ~/Music, ~/Pictures, ~/Documents
  • App libraries
    • Photos, music apps, DAWs, game launchers
  • Old iOS backups and Xcode data
    • Especially if you ever used Xcode or iOS simulators

I slightly disagree with hunting every Library trace first. Do this instead:

  1. Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage > Storage Settings.
  2. Go to “Review Files” and sort by size.
  3. Nuke old DMGs, installers, and big project folders before stressing about tiny app crumbs.

2. Containers and group containers are the “real” leftovers

Since sandboxing, a lot of app junk is in:

  • ~/Library/Containers
  • ~/Library/Group Containers

After your normal uninstall routine (uninstaller or AppCleaner, as already discussed), sort those folders by size:

  1. Open ~/Library/Containers in Finder.
  2. View > As List, then View > Show View Options, enable Size, and sort by Size.
  3. Look for bundles that clearly belong to removed apps (often contain the bundle ID or vendor).
  4. Check contents before deleting.

Same deal for Group Containers. This is where you often find gigabytes from mail clients, note apps, messengers, etc.

3. Time Machine and local snapshots

A sneaky one: even if you delete apps and their support files, Time Machine local snapshots can keep space looking “taken.”

  • If you use Time Machine, connect the backup drive and let a backup run. That often frees local snapshot growth.

  • For advanced users, in Terminal:

    tmutil listlocalsnapshots /

    and, if you know what you are doing:

    sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots <snapshot-name>

This is not strictly “uninstalling apps,” but it is why you sometimes do a perfect cleanup and your disk does not budge much.

4. What about “all‑in‑one cleaner” apps?

A lot of people reach for a generic Mac cleaner instead of manual cleanup or AppCleaner-style tools.

Pros of using a generic cleaner tool like this:

  • Convenience: scan, see big stuff, one click to delete.
  • Non-technical: no poking around in Library manually.
  • Often include modules for mail attachments, old iOS backups, etc.

Cons:

  • Risk of over-aggressive cleaning (e.g. removing caches that actually help performance).
  • Some keep background daemons running all the time.
  • Can duplicate what macOS already offers in Storage Management.

For comparison, @cacadordeestrelas favors the more transparent route: uninstaller / AppCleaner / Library sweep. That approach gives you more visibility and control, which I personally prefer if you are comfortable in Finder.

5. When you should not chase “complete deletion”

A few times it is better to leave traces alone:

  • Frameworks and shared components
    Some pro apps share frameworks or plug‑ins. Randomly deleting shared stuff from /Library can break other apps.

  • System logs and crash reports
    They look messy, but are tiny and occasionally useful.

  • Stuff you cannot confidently identify
    If a folder in ~/Library/Containers or /Library/Application Support does not clearly map to the removed app, leave it. Saving 10 MB is not worth risking a broken working app.

6. A practical mental rule

When removing an app:

  1. Use its uninstaller if it has one.
  2. Use AppCleaner or a similar targeted remover for support files.
  3. Sort ~/Library/Containers and ~/Library/Group Containers by size and clear obvious matches.
  4. Use macOS Storage Management to find other, unrelated large files that are the real space hogs.

If you do this, the tiny leftovers that still exist are mostly harmless, and you have already fixed the “running out of storage” issue without going into full nuclear mode.