Written by
Connie Yang
How to Delete Apps on Mac That Won't Delete/Still Show Up
Summary: This post tells what to do if the deleted app still showing up on your Mac or in Launchpad. Also, explain the reasons why this problem happens. To completely uninstall apps from your Mac quickly and easily, you can right-click to use iBoysoft MagicMenu's uninstaller functionality.
You've uninstalled an app on your Mac by directly dragging and dropping it to Trash, right-clicking it and selecting Move to Trash, or holding the Option key in Launchpad and clicking the delete icon (x). But later, you find the deleted app still showing up on your Mac.
So ridiculous, the icons of the deleted apps are still in Finder or Launchpad. Just as the user says in the Apple discussion forum:
After I removed certain apps from the Application folder in Finder, their icons still show up in Launchpad. I failed to uninstalling the apps by dragging them to Trash and putting them in jiggle mode by holding Option key either. The icons are still on my Mac and seems can't be deleted.
Don't worry. This article will explain why the deleted apps still show up on Mac and offer you workarounds to completely delete apps on Mac that won't delete.
What to do if the deleted app still showing in Launchpad:
| Ways to delete an app that won't delete on Mac | Specific steps |
| Quit the app and delete it again | 1. Click the close icon on the app or force quit it in Activity Monitor. 2. Open Finder, right-click on the app and then choose Move to Trash. |
| Use the app's built-in uninstaller | 1. Open the app. 2. Check and find the "Uninstall" functionality in its menu or from the top menu bar. |
| Use iBoysoft MagicMenu | 1. Free download and install this tool. 2. Right-click on the unwanted app. 3. Select Uninstall. 4. Choose all the relevant files of the app. 5. Click Uninstall. |
| Use Terminal | 1. Open Terminal. 2. Enter cd /Applications/ and hit Return. 3. Type sudo rm -rf with a space, and drag the target app to the Terminal window. 4. Press Return. |
Tips: Can't delete apps on your Mac? Are you looking for ways to delete apps that won't delete on your Mac?
Simply download and use iBoysoft MagicMenu to right-click the unwanted app to completely delete it and all its leftovers from your Mac. Then, you won't be tracked by the annoying app, and all the space it takes will be released out.
If these ways are helpful, share them with others.
Why are deleted apps still show up on your Mac?
The move-to-trash operation actually can't completely delete some third-party applications from your Mac. Those apps carry diverse scripts, app support files, self-design drivers, separate helpers, or app extensions that are scattered on your Mac. A simple uninstalling operation usually just moves the application to Trash but leaves its related files and incidental programs on your Mac.
So, after moving the apps to Trash, you find the deleted apps still showing up in Launchpad or Finder or overlaying a trans-lucid question mark.
Moreover, there are other common reasons for the deleted app still shows up on your Mac:
- The app you want to delete is preinstalled on Mac and can't be uninstalled.
- System errors cause an invalid deletion.
- The app that you prepare to uninstall is still open and in use.
- Software conflicts.
Tell more people the reasons why the deleted apps still showing up on Mac or in Launchpad.
Deleted apps still showing up on Mac/in Launchpad, what to do?
If you move apps from the Dock to Trash, you just remove them from the Dock rather than from your Mac. The deleted apps are still installed on your Mac. So, you can find the deleted apps still showing in Launchpad.
If you can't delete apps from Launchpad, in detail, no delete button jiggles after holding down the Option key, or the icons of deleted apps still show up in Launchpad, you can try the workarounds below to delete apps on Mac that won't delete.
How to delete apps on Mac that won't delete:
- Quit the App and delete it again
- Try the built-in uninstaller of the app
- Use iBoysoft MagicMenu
- Use Terminal to delete apps on Mac that won't delete
Quit the app and delete it again
Perhaps, you cannot delete the app because it's open on Mac. To fix that, simply close the app. If the app is frozen and can't be closed, force quit it. Here's how to force quit the app in Mac Activity Monitor:
- Open Launchpad > Other > Activity Monitor > CPU.
- Type the name of the app that you can't delete in the search box.
- Select the program.
- Click the top close icon > Force Quit.
After that, open Finder, right-click on the app and select Move to Trash. Then, check if it still shows up on your Mac.
Restart your Mac
Sometimes, the system glitches make the deleted app still show up on Mac. To verify that, you can restart your Mac and then check if the removed app keeps showing up or disappears.
Try the built-in uninstaller of the app
If you can't delete the app either from Launchpad or from Finder, try to use its built-in uninstaller. Some apps are designed to allow users to delete themselves only through the built-in "Uninstall" functionality.
Use iBoysoft MagicMenu
If the deleted app still shows in Mac Launchpad, you can try to use a professional third-party app to help you do the deleting work.
iBoysoft MagicMenu is a right-click enhancer that supports you right-click to completely uninstall unwanted software from your Mac. It can help you delete the app's scripts, support files, self-design driver, separate helper, or anything related to the app at a time.
Then, you don't need to delete the app and then search for and remove its scattered leftovers on your Mac.
Here's how:
- Free download and install iBoysoft MagicMenu on your Mac.
- Right-click the app that can't be removed on your Mac and choose Uninstall.
- Wait for the tool to search for all the related files of the target app.
- Click Uninstall.
Use Terminal to delete apps on Mac that won't delete
Also, you can use Terminal to delete apps on your Mac that seems won't delete. Then, the deleted app won't appear on your Mac again.
- Press Command + Space keys to launch Spotlight Search and then enter Terminal into the search box to open it.
- Copy and paste the following command into the Terminal window. Then, press Return. cd /Applications/
- Go on entering the command below. Then, type a space and drag the app you want to delete to the Terminal window. sudo rm -rf
- Press Return.
- Enter your admin password and hit Return for confirmation.
Abnormally, you find the app doesn't appear in Launchpad, there are several effective methods provided by iBoysoft to help you fix the Mac app not showing in Launchpad.
If this post helps you out of the trouble - deleted apps still showing up on Mac, share it to help others.
