How to delete apps on MacBook: The stuff Apple doesn't tell you

You'd think it would be easier. On an iPhone, you just long-press a shaky icon and tap a little "X," and it’s gone. Poof. MacBook life isn't always that kind. Most people assume that dragging an icon to the Trash bin is the end of the story, but honestly, that’s how you end up with a cluttered, sluggish machine three years down the line. If you really want to know how to delete apps on MacBook, you have to look past the surface.

MacOS is a bit of a hoarder. When you "delete" an app by tossing it in the bin, the core executable is gone, sure. But the library files? The cache? Those weird little "Application Support" folders that grow like digital mold? They stay. They hide.

I've spent years digging through macOS file systems, and it's clear that the "Apple way" of deleting things is often just a surface-level polish. If you're trying to reclaim disk space or fix a buggy piece of software, you need to do more than just drag and drop.

The basic drag-and-drop: When it works (and when it doesn't)

For the vast majority of simple apps—think things like Spotify or a basic text editor—the Trash bin is your primary tool. You open your Applications folder, grab the icon, and slide it down to the Dock's right-hand corner. You'll hear that satisfying paper-crunch sound. Done. Or is it?

Actually, it’s not.

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This method leaves behind "residue." These are preference files (.plist) that remember your settings. If you delete an app because it’s glitching and then reinstall it, and the glitch is still there, it’s because those preference files survived the "deletion." They’re tucked away in your user Library, waiting to haunt the next installation.

If the app was installed via the Mac App Store, you have another option. Open your Launchpad (the silver icon with the colorful squares). Hold down the Option key. The icons will start to jiggle, just like on an iPhone. Click the "X." This is actually a cleaner way to handle App Store downloads because macOS is better at tracking the dependencies of its own ecosystem. But for third-party software downloaded from Chrome or Safari? Launchpad won't even show you an "X." It just sits there, mocking you.

Why some apps refuse to die

Ever tried to delete something and got a pop-up saying, "The item can’t be moved to the Trash because it’s open"? It’s incredibly annoying. Even if you don’t see the app window, a "helper" process might be running in the background.

This is where the Activity Monitor becomes your best friend.

Open it up (Command + Space, type "Activity Monitor"). Search for the name of the app you're trying to kill. If you see a process still running, highlight it and click the "X" at the top of the window. Force Quit it. Now, and only now, will the Trash bin accept your sacrifice.

Some apps are even more stubborn. Think Adobe Creative Cloud or certain antivirus software like Norton or McAfee. These guys don’t want to leave. They weave themselves into the kernel of your OS. If you try to drag an Adobe app to the trash, it might actually break your system's ability to run other Adobe apps. For these "sticky" programs, you must use their dedicated uninstaller. Usually, these are found in the Applications folder, inside a sub-folder named after the developer. If you can't find it there, you’ll have to go back to the developer's website and download an uninstaller tool. It’s a chore. It’s tedious. But it’s the only way to avoid a corrupted file system.

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Hunting for the digital ghosts in your Library

If you’re serious about how to delete apps on MacBook, you need to go into the shadows. I’m talking about the Library folder. Apple hides this folder by default because they don't want you accidentally deleting your saved emails or your Safari history.

But we're going in anyway.

Open Finder. Click "Go" in the top menu bar. Hold down the Option key on your keyboard. Watch as the "Library" option magically appears in the list. Click it.

Now, you’re looking for three specific folders:

1. Application Support: This is where apps store the big stuff. If you delete a game but leave the 10GB folder in Application Support, you haven't really saved much space.
2. Caches: Temporary files that were supposed to make the app faster but are now just taking up room.
3. Preferences: The .plist files I mentioned earlier.

Search for the name of the app you just deleted. If you see folders named "com.developer.appname," delete them. Be careful, though. Don't go deleting things randomly. If you delete the wrong thing here, you might break a different app that shares those resources. It’s a surgical process.

Using third-party tools (The "Easy" Button)

I’m generally wary of "cleaning" software. A lot of it is "bloatware" or, worse, "scareware" that tells you your Mac is dying just to get you to pay for a subscription. However, there are a few legitimate tools that experts actually use.

AppCleaner (by Freemacsoft) is a legend in the Mac community. It’s tiny, it’s free, and it’s been around forever. You just open the app and drag the program you want to delete into its window. It automatically scans your Library folders and finds all those hidden files we talked about. You check the boxes, hit delete, and it's actually gone.

Then there’s CleanMyMac X. This one is controversial because it’s pricey and has a lot of marketing behind it. But honestly? Its uninstaller module is incredibly thorough. It finds "orphaned" files—pieces of apps you thought you deleted months ago—and lets you wipe them out in one click. If you’re not comfortable poking around in your Library folder, this is the safest route.

The terminal method for the brave

Sometimes, macOS just glitches out. You have a "ghost" icon in your Applications folder that won't move, won't open, and won't die. This is when you pull out the Terminal.

It’s scary if you’ve never used it, but it’s powerful. You type:
sudo rm -rf
(Make sure there is a space after the 'f').

Then, you drag the stubborn app icon directly into the Terminal window. It will paste the file path for you. Hit Enter. It will ask for your Mac password (you won't see any dots as you type it—that's normal). Hit Enter again.

That app is now deleted with extreme prejudice. The rm -rf command tells the computer to "remove" and "force" the deletion. Use this with caution. If you accidentally point this command at your Documents folder, it won't ask if you're sure. It will just erase it. Forever.

What about the apps Apple won't let you delete?

Try to delete Safari. Try to delete Mail or Chess. You can't. These are "protected" by System Integrity Protection (SIP). Apple considers them part of the core OS.

In older versions of macOS, you could disable SIP and delete them anyway. In 2026, with the latest versions of macOS, it's becoming nearly impossible—and honestly, it's not worth it. Deleting Safari only saves a few hundred megabytes, but it can break links in other apps or prevent system updates from installing correctly. If you hate an Apple app, just remove it from your Dock and forget it exists.

Reclaiming your storage: The final sweep

Once you've deleted the apps, you aren't actually finished. The files are just sitting in the Trash. They still occupy space on your SSD.

Right-click that Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

If you're dealing with a massive amount of data, sometimes the Trash gets stuck. If that happens, hold the Option key while you click "Empty Trash." This forces macOS to bypass any file locks.

Check your Storage Management tool as a final step. Click the Apple logo > System Settings > General > Storage. Look at the "Applications" section. macOS will list your apps by size. Sometimes you'll find a massive app you forgot you installed—maybe a video editor or a high-end game like Baldur's Gate 3—that’s eating up 100GB.

Taking Action: Your MacBook cleanup checklist

Getting your Mac back to peak performance isn't just about one app. It’s about a habit of digital hygiene.

• Audit your Applications folder once a month. If you haven't opened it in 90 days, you probably don't need it.
• Use an uninstaller like AppCleaner instead of the Trash bin for anything not from the App Store. It’s a five-second step that prevents years of junk buildup.
• Check your Login Items. Go to System Settings > General > Login Items. Often, when you install an app, it gives itself permission to start up the second you turn on your Mac. Even if you "delete" the app, sometimes these startup entries linger. Clean them out.
• Restart your Mac. It sounds cliché, but a reboot clears out temporary swap files and "flushes" the system after a major deletion session.

The goal isn't just to have a clean Applications folder. It's to have a Mac that feels as fast as it did the day you unboxed it. By manually hunting down Library residue and using the right tools for stubborn software, you're ensuring your hardware lasts years longer. Stop letting old software hog your RAM and your storage. Clear it out. Properly.