How to Delete Apps on Mac That Won’t Delete

Why can't you delete some apps on Mac?

If you can’t delete certain apps on your Mac, there are a few common reasons for it:

• The app is running. It may even be running in the background.
• It’s a built-in macOS app. These come with your Mac and can’t be removed.
• You don’t have the required permissions to delete apps.
• The app was installed using a Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile, so it can only be removed by an admin.
• The app is some form of malware, including adware or even a virus.

A hint from our experts: 

 

Now, when you’re aware of possible reasons under the app deletion failure, you’ll be happy to get the solution. MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller feature offers a great way to delete apps on Mac that won’t delete normally.

 

Here’s how it works:

1. Download, install, and run MacKeeper.
2. Select Smart Uninstaller, and click Start Scan.
3. When the scan is done, click Applications, and select the app you want to delete.
4. Click Remove Selected, then Remove.

How to uninstall apps on Mac that won't delete

There are a few ways to remove stubborn apps from your Mac:

1. Force quit using Activity Monitor or the Force Quit Applications tool.
2. Uninstall apps using written commands in Terminal.
3. Get rid of apps via the Launchpad function of macOS.
4. Delete apps with third-party solutions, like MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller.
5. Trying removing apps in Safe Mode.

1. Delete apps from Finder

Using Finder is one of the standard ways of deleting programs from your Apple computer. This is what you need to do:

1. Open your Applications folder.
2. Drag and drop the app into your Trash. Or right-click it and select Move to Trash.
3. Enter your username and password, if prompted to.
4. Right-click your Trash and select Empty Trash.

A warning from our team: 

 

We should warn you that this method won’t work with software that came installed with macOS. For example, you can’t uninstall Apple Calendar or Terminal.

2. Uninstalling from Terminal

If you’re comfortable with command-line interfaces, you could also try Terminal to uninstall apps on Mac that won’t delete. Be very careful with this, though—if you type in the wrong file path, you could accidentally remove important system files.

Follow our method here to delete apps with Terminal:

1. Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
2. Type sudo rm -rf, and leave a space at the end.
3. Now go to your Applications folder, and drag and drop the app into the Terminal window. The file path will appear in Terminal.
4. Press Return, and enter your macOS password.
5. Press Return again, and the app will be deleted.

Make sure to double-check the file paths before you use this command. Any files it deletes will be removed completely, skipping your Trash folder.

3. Get rid of apps via Launchpad

You can also erase apps from your Mac using Launchpad, but only if those apps were installed via the Mac App Store.

Here’s how you erase apps with Launchpad:

1. Click the Launchpad icon in your Dock.
2. Click and hold any app, until all the apps start shaking.
3. If the app has an X in the corner, click it to uninstall the app.

For more on this, check our guide on how to remove apps from Launchpad.

4. Delete apps with third-party tools

There are also many third-party apps that will get rid of stubborn apps on your Mac or MacBook. We can’t speak to the benefits of all these different programs, but there are a few key features to look out for:

• Safe removal of apps, protecting important data and system files.
• Removal of leftover files, often hidden away in hidden folders.
• The ability to remove extensions and plugins.

All of these features are available in MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller. To learn more, read our article on how to delete app files on Mac.

5. Remove apps in Safe Mode

If third-party apps and drivers are preventing you from deleting an app, starting your Mac in Safe Mode may help.

To start an Apple Silicon Mac in Safe Mode:

1. Turn off your Mac, then press and hold the Power button until you see Loading Startup Options.
2. Select your main disk.
3. Hold down Shift, and click Continue in Safe mode.

To run an Intel-based Mac in Safe Mode:

1. Turn off or restart your Mac.
2. When your Mac restarts, immediately press and hold Shift.
3. On the login screen, stop holding down the Shift key.

What to do if an app keeps coming back after deletion

In some cases, you may find that an app you’ve deleted comes back by itself. There are a couple of likely causes for this:

• Leftover launch agents: When you delete an app, it may leave some data behind. That can include login items and launch agents, which run as soon as macOS starts up. These are usually stored in a hidden system folder.
• Reinstallation from an MDM profile: If your Mac is administered by a third party (for example, if it belongs to your employer or school), then your admin can reinstall apps that you’ve deleted.
• The app is malware: Run a virus scan with MacKeeper’s Antivirus to remove viruses and adware that could be reinstalling itself on your Mac.

If your Mac is controlled with an MDM policy, we suggest speaking to your admin if you want to remove an app.

To deal with leftover launch agents, use MacKeeper or remove them manually, like this:

1. Press Cmd+Spacebar to open Spotlight and search for ~/Library/LaunchAgents. Open the folder from the search results.
2. Delete any login items that are associated with the app you’re trying to delete.
3. Do the same with the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders.

There’s also an easier way to remove unneeded launch agents—MacKeeper’s Login Items tool. It’ll discover and delete all kinds of launch agents and launch daemons, without you having to manually find them.

Take back control of your Mac

Deleting unwanted apps is a key part of how to organize your Mac. When the normal removal function doesn’t work as it’s supposed to, it can be extremely frustrating. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of closing the app before deleting it, but other times you may have to deal with stubborn leftover files, old launch agents, or strict workplace device management policies. Worst-case scenario, your Mac is affected by malware.

As you’ve seen, there are numerous ways we recommend trying to remove software from your computer, but the safest and most convenient method is MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller. Not only will it safely remove apps, it will delete shortcuts on Mac as well as other leftover data.