How to completely uninstall apps on a Mac, leftovers included
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On a Mac, uninstalling looks easy: drag the app to the Trash. But the app is only part of what it installed. Settings, caches, containers, logs and sometimes background services stay behind in your Library folder. Usually that's harmless; sometimes it's gigabytes, or a helper that keeps running at login.
Step 1: use the developer's uninstaller if there is one
Apps that install system components ship their own uninstaller, and it's the safest way to remove them. Look for an "Uninstall" app in the app's folder or disk image, or an uninstall option in its menu or settings. Typical examples:
- Adobe apps: uninstall from the Creative Cloud app.
- Antivirus, VPN and security tools: almost always have a dedicated uninstaller, because they install system extensions.
- Virtualisation, audio drivers and printer software: often include kernel or system extensions.
Step 2: quit the app and move it to the Trash
- Quit the app. Check the menu bar for an icon, and Activity Monitor for helper processes with the app's name.
- In Finder, open Applications (⇧⌘A), and drag the app to the Trash, or select it and press ⌘⌫.
- For App Store apps you can also go to System Settings › General › Storage › Applications, select the app and click Delete.
Don't empty the Trash yet. If you change your mind, you can drag it back.
Step 3: find the app's bundle ID
Most leftover files are named after the app's bundle identifier, such as com.spotify.client. Before emptying the Trash, get it:
osascript -e 'id of app "Spotify"'Or right‑click the app, choose Show Package Contents, and open Contents/Info.plist; it's the CFBundleIdentifier value.
Step 4: remove the leftovers
In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder… (⇧⌘G) and check each of these folders for items named after the app, its developer or its bundle ID:
~/Library/Application Support: app data. Can be large (and can contain your projects or libraries; look first).~/Library/Caches: safe to delete.~/Library/Preferences:.plistsettings files. Delete to reset the app.~/Library/Containersand~/Library/Group Containers: sandboxed apps keep everything here.~/Library/Logs,~/Library/Saved Application State,~/Library/HTTPStorages,~/Library/WebKit,~/Library/Cookies.~/Library/LaunchAgents: background helpers that start when you log in.
To search everything at once from Terminal (replace the ID and name with your app's):
find ~/Library -maxdepth 3 \( -iname "*com.spotify.client*" -o -iname "*spotify*" \) 2>/dev/nullSome apps also install system‑wide components that need an admin password to remove:
/Library/Application Support/Library/LaunchAgentsand/Library/LaunchDaemons/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools
Be strict about matching names. Only remove items that clearly belong to the app you uninstalled. Never delete the folders above themselves, anything named com.apple.*, or shared folders used by a developer's other apps (for example a Google or Microsoft folder while you still use another of their apps).
If you remove a launch agent or daemon, unload it as well so it stops running before the next restart; see How to remove login items and launch agents.
Step 5: check login items and background permissions
Open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions (called Login Items on macOS 13 and 14). Items from the deleted app usually disappear by themselves; if one remains, remove it there. You can also reset the app's privacy permissions so it doesn't keep entries in Privacy & Security:
tccutil reset All com.spotify.clientStep 6: empty the Trash
Once you're sure, empty the Trash to get the space back.
Installer packages (.pkg)
Apps installed with a .pkg may have put files outside /Applications. macOS keeps receipts that list them:
pkgutil --pkgs | grep -i spotify
pkgutil --files <package-id>Use the file list to find what was installed. sudo pkgutil --forget <package-id> only removes the receipt, not the files.
Doing it with Glint
Glint's Applications page lists your apps with their sizes, and lets you sort by name, size, install date, modified date or when you last opened them, which is a quick way to spot apps you haven't used in a year. Select an app and Glint finds its leftovers in the ~/Library folders above, launch agents included, and shows each one with its size. Items that match the bundle ID are selected; items that only match the app's name are left unticked, because another app might use the same folder name. The app and the selected files go to Quarantine, so an uninstall can be undone for 7 days by default. Glint doesn't run developers' uninstallers or remove system‑wide components in /Library, so use the vendor's uninstaller for those.
FAQ
Is dragging an app to the Trash enough?
For most small apps, yes: the leftovers are a few megabytes and do no harm. For large apps, apps with background services, or when you want to reset an app completely, also remove its files in ~/Library and any launch agents it installed.
Will deleting leftovers remove my documents?
Not documents you saved in Documents, Desktop or iCloud Drive. But some apps keep libraries, projects or databases in ~/Library/Application Support or their container, so look inside before deleting anything you might want later.
How do I uninstall an app that won't move to the Trash?
It is usually still running. Quit it, check the menu bar and Activity Monitor for a helper process, and quit that too. Apps installed by an administrator may also ask for an admin password.
Glint is a free disk cleaner for macOS 14 Sonoma and later, on Apple Silicon and Intel. No limits, no account, and everything stays on your Mac.