How to Delete Leftover Files from Uninstalled Apps on a Mac

How do you normally remove an unwanted app from your Mac? Do you just find its icon in the Applications folder, move it to Trash, then empty the Trash folder? If so, you’re like many people. But there’s a big problem with such an approach—you don't delete all application files on Mac.

If that's how you normally uninstall apps on your Mac, chances are it's slowly filling up with software leftovers — things like caches, logs, and register files, which stick around long after apps have been deleted. 

The problem is that most apps create additional files and folders outside of the Applications folder. These program files remain on your Mac even after the app itself is deleted. Such files and folders are called leftovers, and while they may not seem like a big deal in small amounts, they can build up over time. So, if you don't delete all traces of an app, it can eventually slow down your Mac.  

Knowing how to locate and remove application leftover files on Mac can give your device a speed bump and clear out some disk space. Check storage on Mac before and after, to see the difference.

A note from our experts: 

 

Deleting leftover files from your Mac can be difficult, especially as most are hidden away and difficult to find, and accidentally deleting the wrong app files can cause software issues. The best and safest way to remove leftovers on Mac is with MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller. 

 

To use MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller:

1. Download MacKeeper and install it.
2. Open the Smart Uninstaller tool on the left panel.
3. Click on Start Scan and wait until it’s finished.
4. Select Leftovers, select any files you no longer need, then click Remove Selected.

Try it yourself, and, trust us, you’ll use it on a constant basis.

What are app leftovers on Mac?

App leftovers are files that are left behind after a program has been removed from your Mac. They typically include things like:

• Cache files
• Support data files
• Documents that contain your user preferences

We usually find app leftovers when software isn’t correctly uninstalled, and they tend to be hidden away where they’re not easy to find. Fortunately, there are several easy ways to remove leftover files after an uninstall on Mac.

How to find software leftovers on your Mac

To delete app leftovers on your Mac, you first need to find them. Normally, leftovers are located in the Library folder.

Unless you’re still on OS X 10.7 or older, you won't be able to see the Library. But as with other hidden files in macOS, there's a simple trick you can use to access it.

To locate leftover files:

1. Open Finder and find the Go section in the upper menu
2. Find Go to Folder in the drop-down menu, click on it
3. Type ~/Library in the pop-up window and press Go
4. If you follow the instructions carefully, the Library folder will show up.

Good job! You're already halfway through.

Now you need to find and clean the leftovers of the apps you want to be completely deleted.  

Here's how you can do this:

1. Type the name of the app you want to find leftovers for in the Search field, and you'll see all the files and folders containing the name of the app
2. Make sure you're searching within the Library folder (if you search within This Mac, you won't see all the hidden files you need)
3. The files you see are exactly what you've been searching for — the leftovers.

How to delete all application files on Mac

We’ve found that one of the most effective ways to delete application support files on Mac is to manually remove them. You can delete the application support folder on Mac, and then remove other remaining data from hidden Library folders, like so:

1. First, back up the data on your Mac so that you can restore any important files if they’re accidentally deleted during this process.
2. Open Finder, then select Go > Go to Folder from the menu bar.
3. Enter ~/Library then press enter to open the Library folder.
4. Navigate to the following folders and delete any leftover files associated with programs you have removed from your Mac:
   • /Application Support/
   • /Caches/
   • /Containers/
   • /Cookies/
   • /LaunchAgents/
   • /LaunchDaemons/
   • /Logs/
   • /Preferences/
   • /Receipts/
   • /StartupItems/
5. If you find any leftover files related to uninstalled apps (they will typically contain the name of the app or its developer), right-click them and select Move to Trash.
6. Right-click the Trash can in the Dock, then choose Empty Trash to delete the leftover files.

Important hints from us: 

 

We suggest not to delete the Application Support folder on Mac or any others—only the files within them that pertain to apps you have already removed from your computer. These folders contain essential data for other apps, and removing them could break software you still use.

 

We highly recommend creating a new backup of your Mac’s data before removing any leftover files in case you inadvertently delete something important. However, you can minimize this risk by double-checking all file names before you move anything to the Trash.

How to delete all files of an app on Mac automatically

If manually removing leftover files seems daunting or too complicated, you can get rid of them automatically with MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller. That’s much better than the frankly tiresome process of deleting app leftovers manually.

Here’s how to delete app files on Mac the easy way:

1. Open MacKeeper and select Smart Uninstaller > Start Scan to identify all apps on your Mac.
2. Select Leftovers, then choose all the files you want to delete.
3. Click Remove Selected to completely remove all the files from your Mac.

The great thing about using MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller to remove leftover files is that you don’t have to go hunting for them yourself. More importantly, it knows the difference between unnecessary junk and app files that you still need, so there’s no need to worry about it deleting anything important.

We’re confident that using Smart Uninstaller is the fastest, most effective, and safest way to get rid of leftover files after removing unwanted apps from your Mac.

Takeaways on macOS app leftovers

To make the most out of your Mac, you have to take good care of it. Letting it get cluttered with app leftovers is likely to see it slowing down and running out of disk space. But by clearing out those leftovers, manually or automatically, you can rid yourself of those unwanted files and give your Mac a boost at the same time.

Read more:

• How to Clean Junk Files on Mac
• How to Free Up Space on a Mac Hard Drive
• How to Clear Your Mac's System Storage
• How to Safely Remove Language Files on a Mac