If you're uninstalling at work and don't have administrator privileges, you'll have to consult with your tech people. Log on as your computer's administrator whenever you uninstall.Before you begin any uninstalling process, check to make sure your Trash is empty or contains nothing you might want to save.Make a note if it has its own uninstall utility or instructions.
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These files are likely to reside in Library folders in your hard drive or Home folder. Background files or support files can be larger, especially for multimedia programs like GarageBand.
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Preference files are usually small and you might want to ignore them if you're just trying to free up disk space. You should be aware that removing an unbundled program by moving it into the Trash can leave behind orphan files on your computer. Running an uninstall utility can make removing a program much easier. If you downloaded a disk image to install the software, sometimes you'll find an uninstaller there. If your program has an uninstall utility associated with it, it may have been installed with the program or included on the disk that came with it. The first step in removing them is to check the program's documentation to see if there is an uninstall utility. When installed, these programs create files in several locations, often in the System Folder. įor some other programs, removal is more complicated. You should see an option that says, "show package contents." Uninstalling applications downloaded from the Mac App Store is even easier - just delete the application from the Applications Folder and its accompanying folder in User\Library\Containers. In Mac talk, apps like this are "bundled." To see the files in an application's bundle, click on its icon while holding down the Control key. When files for the application you want to delete are all stored in one location, dragging the icon to the Trash will take care of most of the work. Drag the icon of the program you want to uninstall to the Trash.Open the Applications folder, which you'll find by opening a new window in the Finder (icon with a blue face), or clicking on the hard disk icon.