How to Delete Apps on Mac That Won’t Delete - 4 Ways

Cassie
Last updated: Oct 20, 2023
Summary: This post introduces how to delete apps on a Mac that won’t delete. 4 solutions are provided.

If you can’t delete an app from Finder or Launchpad on Mac, you can check the 4 solutions below to delete apps on Mac that won’t delete.

how to delete apps on Mac that won’t delete

How to Delete Apps on Mac That Won’t Delete - 4 Ways

1. Use a Third-party Mac App Uninstaller

If you can’t delete apps on your Mac in a normal way, you can try a third-party app uninstaller program.

BuhoCleaner is not only a Mac cleaner program but also a Mac app uninstaller. You can use it to easily completely uninstall apps on Mac without leftovers.

Besides this, you can also use BuhoCleaner to flash clean your Mac, remove junk data, clear system storage, clear system cache, free up RAM, find and delete large or duplicate files, analyze disk space, etc.

DownloadFor macOS 10.10 and above
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How to force delete apps on Mac that won’t delete with BuhoCleaner:

  • Launch BuhoCleaner after installation.
  • Click App Uninstall in the left panel.
  • In the right window, you can see all installed apps on your Mac.
  • Select the target application that you can’t remove in a normal way. Click the Remove button to uninstall it with one click.
Unisntall Apps on Mac with BuhoCleaner

2. Uninstall the App That Won't Delete on Mac with Terminal

To delete an app that won’t delete on your Mac, you can try Mac Terminal and use commands to force uninstall the app.

  • Launch the Terminal app via Spotlight on Mac.
  • Type the command cd /Applications/ and press Enter.
  • Type the command sudo rm -rf appname.app/. Replace “appname” with the exact name of the application, for instance, sudo rm -rf Safari.app/, sudo rm -rf QuickTime\ Player.app/. Alternatively, you can type the command sudo uninstall file://, and drag the app into Terminal. Press Enter to uninstall the app with Terminal on your Mac.

3. Force Quit the App and Then Uninstall It

If you meet the error saying that you can’t delete the app because it’s still open, you may follow the steps below to force quit the app and then try to uninstall it again.

  • Press the Command + Option + Esc keys to open the Force Quit Applications window.
  • Select the application that you are unable to uninstall on your Mac and click the Force Quit button to force close it.
  • After the app is closed, you can try to uninstall it from your Mac again.
tip
You can also open Mac Activity Monitor to find and force close the app.

4. Run the App’s Built-in Uninstaller to Remove the App

Some applications may include a built-in uninstaller after installation. You can find the app folder and find its uninstaller file. Run the uninstaller file to remove the app from your Mac.

Normal Ways to Uninstall Apps on Mac

Way 1. In general, you can open Finder > Applications to find the target app. Right-click it and select Move to Trash to delete it. Empty the Trash and the app should be gone.

Way 2. Open Launchpad and find the target application you want to uninstall. Hold the Option key and click the “X” icon next to the app to uninstall it from your Mac.

Other Tips to Fix Can’t Uninstall Apps on Mac

Conclusion

If you can’t uninstall an app on your Mac from Finder or Launchpad, this post provides some possible solutions to help you force delete the app that won’t delete on your Mac. To completely remove all related files of the app with one click, using BuhoCleaner should be the easiest way.

For more Mac and iPhone tips, you can visit our official website: https://www.drbuho.com/.

Cassie

Cassie has been writing about technology for her entire career life - over 10 years. She enjoys diving into how Apple products work and then breaking it down in a way that anyone can understand.