14 DAY TRIAL // When moving an application to the Trash, the app folder gets removed, but some files are usually left behind. These are generated while using the app, for various purposes, and stored in a different location. To get rid of them, you can either comb through your storage manually or try a specialized utility.
AppCleaner is one of the most popular app uninstallers for Mac users, and it’s easy to see why. It’s lightweight, extremely easy to use, and completely free. It’s a big step up from just moving apps to the Trash, and it comes at no cost. While there are lots of paid alternatives out there that bring other features to the table, the core functionality of finding and deleting related files is pretty much identical.
Three ways to remove leftover files
Perhaps the most common approach is to drop the application you want to remove in the main window or on the AppCleaner Dock icon. A scan will begin to find additional files related to the program that can also be removed. Multiple applications can be cleaned at the same time using this method.
Alternatively, if you enable SmartDelete from the app’s settings, you can automate the process to a certain extent. With this feature turned on, whenever an app is sent to the Trash, AppCleaner will scan for related files automatically. You will then be able to select any additional items that should be removed.
Finally, you can browse through a list of all applications, widgets, and plugins installed on your system and go through them one by one. You can find specific items more easily using the included search function.
Does a good job of removing unnecessary files
After testing AppCleaner extensively, there were no false positives, and it was able to find most of the files generated by removed applications. However, it wasn’t perfect, as some data was occasionally left behind. This also happened with other uninstallers, with some differences between them as to what was found or ignored.
Short of going through your drive and scrutinizing files one by one, you won’t find a perfect automated solution that doesn’t run the risk of deleting unrelated files as well. There was some variation between the uninstallers we tested, but none was clearly superior when it comes to finding the most leftovers. Essentially, if you want to make sure the maximum number of files are found, AppCleaner is as good as any other uninstaller.
It’s worth noting that files and folders that have lower confidence scores will not be selected automatically. You’ll need to inspect each of them and decide whether they need to be removed. I’ve personally never encountered a file that wasn’t related to the app in question, but it’s always best to be extra sure.
Lightweight, free, and effective
Given that its ability to find and remove leftovers is equal to that of other uninstallers, is there any reason not to use AppCleaner? In short, if all you want is to fully uninstall apps, not really. There are many paid applications that can do the job as well, but they generally offer a lot of additional, often unnecessary features.
This app is tiny, it comes with a minimalistic user interface, and it can even detect leftovers when an application is trashed directly. The only other features worth mentioning are a whitelist, which allows you to prevent certain apps from being removed, and the ability to protect running applications.
The Good
Lightweight, bloat-free, and easy to use. AppCleaner is just an uninstaller, and it doesn’t bundle tons of other unnecessary features simply to justify a price tag.
Offers three methods of removing leftover data and is suitable for quickly deleting multiple apps. Just drop them all on the Dock icon in one go.
The Bad
Lacks a Select All function when processing multiple apps. Files with low confidence scores aren’t selected by default, which means you need to scroll through the list and check each box manually. Even though selecting everything can be risky, giving users the option would be helpful.
