Best Uninstallers For Mac
Software uninstallers can save you a huge amount of time and hassle, and some of the best are available to download completely free. When you want to remove a program, you probably reach for. Let’s take a look at 5 of the best uninstaller apps for removing those leftover apps and files from your Mac. AppDelete is a simple to use, yet very powerful uninstaller. Not only will it uninstall apps, but it can also handle widgets, preference panes, plugins, and screensavers along with their associated files.
Software uninstallers can save you a huge amount of time and hassle, and some of the best are available to download completely free.
When you want to remove a program, you probably reach for Windows' built-in 'Add or remove programs' option. It's okay for removing the odd program here and there, but all too often you'll be presented with a message telling you that some components couldn't be removed, or the uninstall has failed.
A third-party software uninstaller will quickly scan your system for all installed programs, and let you select several at once for removal. Once they've been purged, the software will then perform another scan to track down and wipe out temporary files and old registry entries, freeing up valuable space and ensuring you don't run into problems when installing a newer version of the same software later on.
Software uninstallers also provide a handy way to manage browser extensions and plugins, and remove any that you don't use. You'll also be able to empty your recycle bin with a single click, and delete your browser history.
1. IObit Uninstaller
Thorough and carefully designed – the best free uninstaller for Windows
IObit Uninstaller gets right down to business, scanning your system for installed software the moment it starts. Its smart, clear interface displays a list of all your installed software, with extra tabs if you're only interested in the newest programs (if you've tried something new and don't like it), and the biggest ones (which will have the greatest impact on system performance).
If you've already uninstalled a program but suspect it's left mucky footprints across your drive, IObit's deep scanner can hunt down junk including broken shortcuts and caches created when installing software updates.
IObit Uninstaller also takes a look at your web browsers to identify any plugins that could be uninstalled to speed up your surfing. It currently supports Firefox and Internet Explorer, but not Chrome or Edge. Each extension is accompanied by a user rating to help you decide whether to keep it.
There's a file shredder thrown in too, which doesn't really fit with the premise of an uninstaller, but all the other tools are relevant and useful.
All in all, IObit is the best uninstaller you can download, and its thorough scanning makes it the equal of many premium programs. Best apps in mac for long sitting reminder meaning.
Review and where to download: IObit Uninstaller
Best Free Mac App Remover
2. Wise Program Uninstaller
Wise Program Uninstaller is light as a feather and super fast
Wise Program Uninstaller is a portable app, so you don't have to worry about it leaving mess of its own, though it offers you a free trial of a product called Spyhunter that you might prefer to decline.
It's a very quick and lean little uninstaller that scans your system for already installed programs and displays ratings to show you how other users feel about them. You probably know what you want to erase, but it's a thoughtful touch.
Your choices for each program are Safe and Forced uninstall (some also have a Repair option, but only if it's part of the software in the first place).
Best format for mac and pc usb drive. Safe uninstall is simply a way to access the program's own uninstaller, whereas Forced performs a deep scan to track down scrap files and broken registry entries. It shows you everything it's identified before deleting them, but this doesn't serve much purpose; you're unlikely to be able to pick out an individual Registry entry and say 'Hang on, I need that!'
The main downside of its small size is that it can't log new programs as you install them, but as a program uninstaller it's well designed and not bulked out with unnecessary system tools.
Download here:Wise Program Uninstaller
3. GeekUninstaller
Portable app GeekUninstaller is ideal for mopping up after messy software
Best Appcleaner For Mac Free
GeekUninstaller is another free portable uninstaller, weighing in at just 2.5MB. Although a 'Pro' version is advertised on developer's site, this is actually a completely different program called Uninstall Tool - GeekUninstaller is completely free,
It performs a speedy system scan and provides the usual options: regular or forced uninstall. If you don't recognize something, GeekUninstaller will Google it for you - a simple but welcome addition that saves you loading up a browser.
That's pretty much it - there's no deep scan for remnants of previously uninstalled programs, and no monitoring for new installations, but if you're simply after something to clean up as you go, uninstallers don't come smaller and simpler than GeekUninstaller. It comes in over 30 languages too, which is undoubtedly a bonus.
Download here:GeekUninstaller
4. Revo Uninstaller Free
An effective uninstaller, but we could live without its optimization tools
Revo Uninstaller Free's icon-strewn interface is colorful but cluttered, and includes tools like a startup program manager, plus links to Windows' own system tools (including defrag and on-screen keyboard). These really aren't necessary, and just distract from an otherwise solid free uninstaller.
Revo Uninstaller Free offers four uninstall options: built-in, safe (built-in with additional registry scanning), moderate (with extra scanning of common locations for leftover files) and advanced (moderate mode, followed by a thorough scanning of your whole system). There's also a strange 'Hunter Mode', which lets you uninstall programs by dragging their icons onto a crosshair on your desktop. It's much more work than selecting the program from a list - a metaphor gone rogue.
Unlike some uninstallers, Revo begins by creating a system restore point, which is reassuring. It can't log new installations, though - if you want that, you might like to give Revo's Pro version a whirl for 30 days. It's worlds away from the free edition's late-90s styling, and will give your drives a good scrubbing.
Review and where to download: Revo Uninstaller Free
Installing Mac apps is pretty simple, but getting rid of them and all the files they create isn’t always so easy. Fortunately there are plenty of uninstallers to help with the task, and our favorite is AppCleaner thanks to its simple operation, intelligent feature set, and $0 price tag.
AppCleaner
Platform: Mac OS X
Price: Free
Download Page
Features
- Drag-and-drop app deletion
- Very small footprint
- Also uninstalls widgets, plug-ins, and other stragglers
- You can specify apps to be protected from deletion
- SmartDelete feature will notice apps in the trash and offer to delete their other leftover files
- Automatically updates itself
- By default, AppDelete automatically protects apps you have open and were installed alongside Mac OS X (but you can turn that off)
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Where It Excels
AppCleaner is a very simple app, and considering what it does it ought to be. All you have to do is pick and app you don’t want anymore, drag it on to AppCleaner’s window, and it’ll find relevant files you also need to get rid of. With one more click, the app (and its files) are gone. Additionally, it’ll find apps on your hard drive and let you delete those as well by just checking them off a list. Same goes for Dashboard widgets and a few other items, such as browser and audio plugins. All of this is really easy to do and it works very well. It works as well as the competition but is the only uninstaller on the Mac that doesn’t cost anything. It also has a really neat feature called SmartDelete that watches your trash to see if you delete new apps. When you do, it’ll ask you if you also want to delete files belonging to that app.
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Where It Falls Short
As nice as the SmartDelete feature is, it only works when AppCleaner is open and with apps you haven’t thrown away just yet. For example, if you have an app in the trash and then open AppCleaner, it won’t detect that there’s already one in there. Also, while AppCleaner provides you with the means to filter apps and other items by name, that’s it. You can’t filter by size or date or anything else. While filtering options are definitely not necessary features, as you’ll probably know what you want to delete most of the time, you might want to take a look at AppZapper instead.
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The Competition
As far as uninstalling apps goes, they all do a good job. Our pick pretty much came down to price, because if they’re all serviceable options then the free one is sort of the obvious pick. Some of the competition has good, compelling features—which may be important to you—so read on for some other options if you want slightly more than AppCleaner can offer (and are willing to pay for it).
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Some will consider AppZapper to be the better app, and it is if you’re interested in better filtering and a prettier interface. AppCleaner is still a really nice-looking program, but AppZapper just did a little more in that department. AppZapper costs $13, however, and that’s a big price jump when you’re not getting much more than you get with AppCleaner. Additionally, AppZapper doesn’t include a SmartDelete feature so you’re out of luck if you like that one.
AppDelete is very similar to AppCleaner. The interface is almost identical and so is the feature set. The three key differences are 1) you can search for orphaned app files from apps you previously deleted prior to using an uninstaller (which is pretty nice), 2) it can run as a hidden app so you can turn on trash monitoring (its version of SmartDelete) without feeling like you have yet another app open, and 3) you can delete apps via the Mac OS X Services menu. The other obvious difference is that AppDelete costs $8.
Best Free Uninstallers For Mac
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Lastly, there’s CleanApp which has the highest price tag by just a little bit ($15) but offers many more features. Aside from just being an uninstaller, it’ll also clean out tons of other old crap on your hard drive. It featured drag-and-drop app deletion like the others, but there are several more categories available to detect and remove files that have just gone unused for a long time, are duplicates, are unnecessary, and more. If a thorough cleaning is in order and a simple uninstaller won’t cut it, CleanApp is a good alternative.
Lifehacker’s App Directory is a new and growing directory of recommendations for the best applications and tools in a number of given categories.
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