I find the uninstall apps process frustrating. Even after moving an app to the trash and emptying it, leftover “service files” often remain scattered across various folders, taking up disk space indefinitely.
Is there a limited number of locations where these files can be installed, making manual cleanup manageable? And what about files that don’t clearly link to an app by name? Is there any system data that tracks these connections, and is it human-readable?
I’ve noticed uninstaller/cleanup apps are popular, but I’m not sure they’re safe or thorough. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Yep, moving the apps to Trash only deletes the apps, the associated files are still on Mac.
These files can be found in the directories:
~/Library/Application Support ~/Library/Preferences ~/Library/Caches ~/Library/Containers ~/Library/Saved Application State
System-wide files might be in /Library/Application Support or similar locations.
After uninstalling the app, you can manually search these files one by one.
The Library folders are too many, and sometimes you can’t find them all.
Is there any apps be safe to uninstall apps and leftovers together? CleanMyApp is good at this, which is an Apple-trusted app and takes a little space on Mac.