Best way to uninstall programs or apps on mac
The
best way is to contact the developers site for uninstall instructions,
especially if the software required you to enter your Admin password to
install.
It
might have placed "hooks" into the OS X kernel called kext files that
load when OS X boots up or in other locations that require a uninstaller
to use root level power to uninstall correctly.
If
one simply only drags the application icon they see in their
Applications or Utilities folder to the Trash, what happens is these
leftover parts in OS X itself don't get updated for compatibility with
later OS X updates and/or might cause a security or stability issue
later on which the machine will boot to a "Gray Screen Issue" and remain
stuck.
Self contained programs/apps
If
the developer then says it's perfectly fine to drag the application
icon located in the Applications or Applications > Utilities folder
to the Trash, then you can do that. These types of programs are what we
call "self contained" meaning everything it pretty much requires is
inside the Application icon which is really a hidden folder called a
"package".
Since
"self contained" programs or apps can be run from just about anywhere
they are placed, like in User Account folders so only that User can run
them, however for global use amongst all User Accounts on the machine
and in most cases of installers, they are stored in the Applications
and/or Applications > Utilities folder.
Keep your Downloads folder clear
It
is not advised to keep downloaded programs in the Downloads folder,
rather to keep this clear at all times except during a known active
download as to be wary of bad websites that will cause a "driveby
download" hoping one will click or run to infect their machine. The
Downloads folder is not a storage place, rather if you wish to keep a
installer, place it someplace else in your User folders, like creating a
folder called "Installers" or "Downloaded PDFs" and keeping them in
your Utilities or Documents folders in your Home directory.
Concerning appdelete/appremoval type software
It
is not advised to use "appdelete" type programs for the fact that there
are hundreds of thousands of programs/apps and developers changing them
all the time, thus it's almost impossible to keep up with all the
changes. So as a result many of these appdelete type programs rely upon
using a search feature and hoping the developer tagged their files with a
name to locate files, which is not always the case. Accidents occur as
users of these type programs delete other files or not get all parts
installed by the developer.
Many
developers use other developers software, like Pace for copy protection
or Soundflower for a audio driver, when they install their software,
thus the appdelete type software misses these files installed in the OS X
kernel which then later get outdated or have security issues that are
not fixed as the parent program is missing that does the updates.
Installing programs or apps
When
you click a link on a website to download, it appears in your Downloads
folder which you open that and then the DMG volume that appears on the
Desktop (if it has one) and doublelclick the installer (if it says it
is) or drag the self contained program to your Applications or
Applications > Utilities folder.
Then
from there you drag it's icon to the Dock to make a "Alias" or shortcut
so you don't have to dig inside the Applications folder to find it.
Click on the Dock Alias to launch the program.
Installers
are not usually kept on the Dock, rather once the program is installed
the Installer is either Trashed or saved someplace else out of the
Downloads folder to keep it clear to watch for malicous downloads.
Rather the program installed is kept a Alias in the Dock as that's what
is going to be used, not the one time installer package.
About Gatekeeper
For
OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" users and above, Apple installed restrictions
on where you can download and install software onto your machine. So if
you go to a website and see something you like to install, Apple will
prevent you from running the program and/or installer. The default
security settings in your System Preferences > Security > General
for downloads is set by default for "AppStore" and "Apple signed
developers" only.
The
intention of Gatekeeper is to prevent less savvy users from installing
untrusted software, it has a side benefit of causing users to
erroneously think AppStore is the only place to install software on
their machine, thus Apple benefits by making a commission on each sale
of AppStore software.
AppStore
software has particular limitations placed on the developers on what
they can do with their software. Some developers have a AppStore
"hobbled" version as well as a fully featured version if downloaded from
their own website. AppStore software also is severely delayed in
getting security and stability updates as Apple takes it upon itself to
review each and every version. So for faster updates, it's likely best
to use the developers version from their website.
If
you trust the source or location where your downloading and installing
software from other than Apple signed developers or AppStore, then your
free to bypass Gatekeepers strict restrictions by holding the Control
key down or Right Clicking on the Program, App or Installer to run it.
Once it's known as a "trusted app" it will not bother you again about
running it, provided it doesn't show up as know malicious program.
Warning!
Contrary to the popular belief saying "If you don't give it your Admin
password it can't do anything" is not entirely true. Simply running a
malicious program in any user account can cause damage, it just can't as
quickly gain root access to do the most damage right away, it certainly
can encrypt your files or delete them, or install a keystroke logger
and communicate that over the Internet, alter other applications and
install a bigger payload of itself later.
The Dock
The
Dock doesn't contain real programs, those are what's called "Aliases"
or Windows users would know as "Shortcuts" which direct to the actual
program, file or folders located elsewhere. To show the location of the
real item in the Dock, right click and select Open > Show in Finder.
The item there is the real thing, that's what is dragged to the Trash to
delete (then Finder > Empty Trash to permanently delete it).
To
delete the icon off the Dock, merely drag it's icon off onto the
Desktop area and release, it does a puffy smoke thing and disappears.
If
you see a question mark icon in the Dock, that means there is a Alias
that doesn't know where the original file is located, likely the
original file was moved or deleted. Thus when clicked changes to a
question mark like it's asking "Where is it?". To remove the question
mark, simply drag it off the Dock onto the Desktop and release.
To
place a mistakenly deleted Alias off the Dock back on or to place a new
Alias on the Dock, locate it by clicking on the Smiley Face in the Dock
to open a new Finder window, then navigate to it's actual location and
drag it's original item into the Dock until it makes room and release.
If you accidentally drop the icon on the Desktop, place it back in it's
original location first, then attempt the Dock again.
Some
items dragged to the Dock like folders and files will only fit on the
Dock down near the Trash Can area, be careful not to place the original
item into the Trash and then Finder > Empty Trash as it will then be
gone!
Rather
double click on the Trash Can to open it and drag the misplaced items
back to their original location before trying the Dock Alias attempt
again.
Apple does not necessarily endorse any suggestions, solutions, or
third-party software products that may be mentioned in this User Tip.
Apple encourages you to first seek a solution at Apple Support.
Any links in this user tip are provided as is, with no guarantee of the
effectiveness or reliability of the information. Apple does not
guarantee that these links will be maintained or functional at any given
time. Use this user tip at your own discretion.
