How to uninstall an application on your Mac – here’s how

If you haven't used apps or programs on your Mac for a while, it’s time to remove them and make room on your hard drive. There are two ways to safely delete a Mac application. We’ll explain how both of them work step by step.

Via the Launchpad:

1. Open Launchpad via the icon in the dock (9 colorful squares).
2. Select the app you want to uninstall and click and hold the icon. It will start to wiggle and a “x” will appear at the top-left of the icon. Alternatively, press Alt/Option key ⌥ until the “x” appears.
3. Click on the “x” and a confirmation window appears.
4. Confirm deletion (uninstall) with the “Delete” button on the right.

This option does not work for system-relevant applications or applications that aren’t from the Apple App Store. In this case, proceed as follows.

Via the Finder:

1. Open Finder via the icon in the Dock (the face).
2. Select the item “Applications” in the right menu bar.
3. Click on the app that you want to uninstall, hold it down, and drag it to the trash icon (bottom right in the dock); alternatively, right-click on the app icon and select “Move to Bin” from the menu.
4. Finish uninstalling the application by clicking on “Empty Bin” (in the menu when you right click on the recycle bin icon)

1. Confirm the deletion by clicking on the “Delete” button to the right of the box.