How to delete apps on a MacBook in 3 steps
Out with the old, in with the new. If you recently decided to free up some extra storage, or you finally went through your credit card statement and canceled the subscriptions you forgot, you may be wondering how to delete those apps from your MacBook.
The truth is that deleting apps in macOS is as easy as 1, 2, 3, literally. Only three steps separate you from more storage space on your computer. Here is how you can delete these unwanted apps from your MacBook.
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How to delete apps on a MacBook
Go to the Dock and click the Launchpad icon or access Launchpad from the Applications folder.
Find the app you want to delete and click and hold on it, similar to how you would press and hold on your phone to wiggle the apps.
Sorry GarageBand, it was fun. Image: Maria Diaz/ZDNET
You can also press Option (the ⌥ key) to wiggle the apps. In doing so, you need to hold down the key while clicking on the “Delete” button. The apps only jiggle while the Option key is pressed.
The apps that can be deleted have a Delete (X) button in the upper-left corner of the app icon. Click the Delete button.
When the apps jiggle, the apps you can delete have an X at the top. Image: Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Once you click the X or Delete button in the top left corner, a message will pop up asking you to confirm if you want to delete it. Click Delete to confirm.
FAQ
Why can’t I delete apps from my MacBook?
If you can’t delete an app from Launchpad, you can try removing it using Finder. Only the apps downloaded from the App Store can be deleted from Launchpad. Here’s what you can try:
- Go to finder.
- open that applications folder.
- Open the app garbage.
- Enter the username and password you use to log into your MacBook.
- Empty garbage.
Likewise: How to delete apps on an iPhone
How do I find an app on my Mac?
If you can’t find the application you’re looking for in Launchpad, go to the Applications folder in Finder. Alternatively, you can use Spotlight to search for an app by pressing the command key (the ⌘ key) and the spacebar. Once you’ve found the app via Spotlight, you can hold down the Command key again and then double-click the app; This will show the app in the Applications folder.
Does deleting an app cancel the subscription?
Simply deleting an app will not cancel any memberships or subscriptions you may have on it. If you received a subscription when you received an app through the App Store, you can cancel it by following these steps:
- Open app store.
- Go to your account by clicking on your name.
- Choose Account settings.
- Find subscriptions.
- Click on Administer to open your subscription information.
- click To edit.
- Choose cancel subscription.