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How to Delete Podcasts from Mac

Podcasts is a system app on your Mac, meaning Apple has made it trickier to uninstall than other third-party applications. However, there's a way out:

  1. Launch System Settings from the Apple menu.
  2. Select General ➙ Storage.
  3. Find Podcasts and click the “i” icon.
  4. Choose the podcast episodes you want to remove ➙ click Delete.
  5. Quit System Settings.

The Podcasts app is beneficial for podcast lovers. It helps them save time when searching for a favorite series, as they all are just one click away. However, not all macOS users share the same passions, and you might want to delete Podcasts from Mac.  

 

Why? Well, you simply might not enjoy podcasts or just want to avoid wasting storage on needless programmes and prefer keeping things tidier.  

 

Whatever the reason, our expert team will explain how to remove the Podcasts app efficiently and safely—just stay with us and read on for more.

Before we start:

 

When dealing with Podcasts, a built-in system app, the common pitfall is Apple’s protection that prevents changes to core files and restricts the removal of its progs to maintain system stability. Still, nothing is impossible. First, you need to delete all the cluttered files that hamper your MacBook's performance.  

 

We highly recommend using MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup as it’s an excellent tool to complete this task and prepare your Apple device for any major changes. We advise you to do the following:

  1. Download and launch our MacKeeper app.  
  2. Choose the Cleaning service on the left of the app’s interface.
  3. Find Safe Cleanup from the list.  
  4. Click Start Scan.
  5. When the scan is complete, select all unnecessary files, then click the Clean Junk Files button to remove them.  

What is the Podcasts app

Podcasts is a dedicated Apple app that provides free access to lots of podcasts for listening or downloading. The app picks relevant content according to the user's preferences, a reminder to them to relax and use their time wisely.  

 

Since macOS Catalina, every OS version comes with Podcasts installed. While we could previously enjoy various episodic series on iTunes, that was a multipurpose application. So, if you used it exclusively for this type of content, but not music, don’t hesitate to uninstall iTunes on Mac.

 

We’re convinced that Podcasts are a cool app for audio content lovers, and the number available to enjoy is increasing rapidly. According to recent analytics, in 2024, over 504.9 million people across the world will listen to podcasts. In percentages, it’s 23.5% of the total number of internet users, which is an increase of 8.7% compared to 2023. The number is impressive, isn’t it? But what to do with those 76.5% who aren’t interested in podcasts? Obviously, they have an option to choose which applications are really necessary on their devices.  

 

So, based on demand, we’ve devoted this article’s content to users who want to remove the Podcasts from Mac and not clutter up their system’s storage space. Continue reading if you’re one of those.

How to remove Podcasts app from Mac

The easiest way to remove unwanted apps from Mac is to move them to the Trash, but you have options:

  • Drag an unwanted app to the Trash bin
  • Select the app ➙ move it to the Trash from the menu
  • Select the app ➙ press Command and Delete

Important: We should immediately note that the above methods won’t work for the Podcasts app, as this is protected by macOS System Integrity Protection (SIP). Continue reading to discover how to turn SIP off and uninstall Podcasts on Mac.

1. Turn off SIP in Terminal

If you decide to delete the Podcasts app from your Apple laptop, you have to overcome its solid protection—SIP. It’s a bit of a complicated task, but we’ve prepared some detailed instructions for you to follow.

 

Do the following to disable SIP on your Mac:

  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Restart your Mac in Recovery mode.
  3. Go to Utilities ➙ choose Terminal.
  4. Type the command “csrutil disable” there.
  5. Restart your Mac.
  6. Go to Applications ➙ Utilities ➙ Terminal.
  7. Type the command “cd/Applications/” ➙ press Enter.
  8. Type the command “sudo rm - rf Podcasts.app” ➙ press Enter.
  9. Close Terminal.
  10. Again restart your Mac in Recovery Mode ➙ open Terminal.
  11. Type the “csrutil enable” command.
  12. Restart your Mac normally.
For turning off SIP in Terminal, first you need to restart your Mac in Recovery mode, then go to Terminal and type the csrutil disable command.
Step 1. After restarting your computer in Recovery mode, go to Terminal and type the shown command
After typing the csrutil disable command in Terminal, restart you Mac again.
Step 2. Restart your computer
To continue turning off SIP in Terminal, return to Terminal, enter  cd/Applications/ command and press Enter.
Step 3. Return to Terminal to enter the other command > press Enter
The next step in turning off SIP process is to type the command sudo rm - rf Podcasts.app, and press Enter again.
Step 4. Type one more command to continue
The final command you should enter in Terminal to end the process of turning off SIP on your Mac is csrutil enable, Do it and confirm your action with Enter.
Step 5. Enter the latest command before restarting your Mac

2. Manually uninstall the Podcasts app from Mac

The Podcasts app is quite similar to iTunes functionally but with different content. If you’re an active iTunes user, you should know how to delete iTunes backup from PC and free up a significant amount of space from tons of backups. That’s important as Podcasts considerably clutters up your storage.  

 

If you aren’t interested in Podcasts and prefer to save space for more essential data, or you prefer using Spotify instead, take the following steps to get rid of the Podcasts content on your Mac:

  1. Quit Podcasts on your MacBook.
  2. Open Finder in the Dock ➙ choose Go in the Apple menu.
  3. Choose Go to Folder.
  4. Type “/Library/” ➙ choose Caches delete cache files by moving them to Trash.
  5. Re-enter Go to Folder. Launch Preferences in the Library folder ➙ delete related preferences.
For removing the Podcasts content from your Mac, first go to thia application and click Quit.
Step 1. Quit the Podcasts app
After quitting the Podcasts app, Open Finder in the Dock, then choose Go option in the Apple menu, and click Go to Folder.
Step 2. Finder > Go > Go to Folder
Continue removing the Podcasts from your MacBook by typing /Library/ in the Folder, then choose Caches in the drop-down list.
Step 3. Type Library > choose Caches in the drop-down list
In Caches folder find the Podcasts cache and delete these files by moving them to the Trash to free up some space on your Apple laptop.
Step 4. Find the Podcasts cache and move it to Trash
When the Podcasts cache is removed, enter Go to Folder again, then type Library , and choose Preferences in the Go to Folder.
Step 5. Type Library > Preferences in the Go to Folder
In the Library folder choose all the Podcasts related preferences and move them to Bin.
Step 6. Remove the related preferences

An important note from us:

 

If you’re uninstalling the Podcasts app because you prefer Spotify, remember about the need to clear Spotify cache on Mac to avoid unnecessarily cluttering your device.

3. Get rid of Podcasts app from Mac with software

It’s always a good idea to rely on a specific tool to free up space on Mac and arrange your apps. We suggest you use our MacKeeper app to delete all Podcast related files and caches from your Apple device.  

 

Here’s how to use MacKeeper for removing the Podcasts app cache and associated leftovers:

  1. Launch MacKeeper app.
  2. Select Smart Uninstaller in the left sidebar.
  3. Choose Start Scan ➙ click on Leftovers > Remove Selected.
  4. Then go to the Safe Cleanup feature within our app.
  5. After a scan, tick Caches > Clean Junk Files.
  6. Confirm Empty Trash.
To remove the Podcasts cache and leftovers go to MacKeeper app, launch Smart Uninstaller in the left sidebar, then choose Start Scan option, click on Leftovers, and Remove Selected files.
Step 1. MacKeeper > Smart Uninstaller > Start Scan > Leftovers > Remove Selected
When the leftovers are removed, go to the Safe Cleanup feature within MacKeeper's app, tick Caches , and click Clean Junk Files.
Step 2. MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup after the scan > Caches > Clean Junk Files
Confirm to Empty Trash option to end up removing the Podcasts cache and leftovers from your Mac using MacKeper's tool.
Step 3. Select Empty Trash

How to delete downloaded podcasts

Now, you know that podcast episodes are rather space-consuming. Of course, it’s useful to be able to listen to exciting topics while driving or in other scenarios when you don’t have a stable internet connection. Still, we often forget to remove these files, which take up a lot of storage.  

 

You can find the instructions from our pros on how to delete downloaded podcasts in System Settings above. Here are a couple of additional pieces of advice from us before you go:

  • If you want to regularly delete old downloads, go to Downloaded on the left, and enable the Remove Older Downloads option.
  • To delete any downloaded files for a particular show, select the show, click three dots, and choose Remove Downloads.
To get rid of old downloads, including podcasts, which clutter your Apple device, go to Downloaded on the left, and enable the Remove Older Downloads option.
Option 1. Delete all downloaded files you don’t need anymore
To remove the downloaded files for a particular show, select this show, click three dots, and choose Remove Downloads.
Option 2. Remove Downloads of the chosen show

Conclusion

Removing Podcasts from your Mac can free up storage and optimize your prog’s collection if you prefer other podcast platforms or simply don’t like this type of content. However, as Podcasts is one of the core macOS apps, removing it can be a more complicated issue. Hence, we’ve mentioned some alternative ways to manage the Podcasts app.  

 

Don’t forget to use MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup to clear your Mac from hampering data and help it perform smoothly:

  1. Download and launch the MacKeeper app.
  2. Choose the Safe Cleanup option from the left menu.
  3. Click Start Scan.
  4. When the scan is completed, select unnecessary files, then click the Clean Junk Files button to delete them.
To remove unnecessary apps before implementing any changes on your, open MacKeeper, choose Safe Cleanup, start scan and wait until the scan is completed.
Step 1. MacKeeper > Safe Cleanup > Start Scan  
Click on Clean Junk Files to delete them when the scan is completed.
Step 2. See the scanning results > click Clean Junk Files
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