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I want to uninstall some recently installed software which I installed using the Mac App Store. Is is possible to uninstall those programs from inside the App Store?

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2 Answers

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No.

You cannot uninstall apps from within the App Store.

How can I delete an application?

  1. You can delete them like in iOS:

    • Open Launchpad.
    • Click and hold the app you want to delete (or hold ⌥)
    • Delete by clicking on the X.

    Note: The X appears only for apps which have been installed using the Mac App Store.

  2. Locate the Applications folder where the app is located:

    • /Applications or /Users/my_name/Applications
    • Drag the application to the Trash.

    Note: This will only remove the application - this will not remove some other files which may be related to the app (e.g. preferences). If you want to remove such files as well, you can use tools like AppCleaner which @james.garriss has mentioned.

Besides this, applications which have not been installed via the Mac App Store sometimes provide their own uninstaller in the installer .dmg image. I usually keep them in a folder Applications/Uninstaller which I created.

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In the case of Applications installed via the App Store the related files are of no consequence. Unless you're fanatical, or so low on disk space that you're already cutting it too fine, you can leave the .plist files in place without concern. – jaberg Feb 29 '12 at 13:22
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While App Store applications aren't allowed to install shared components like kernel extensions, the support files might contain private information or in the case of GarageBand take up a lot of disk space. Note that removing an application from Launchpad removes some support files (like folders in ~/Library/Caches/) but not others, like the property lists for preferences. – Lauri Ranta Jul 19 '12 at 16:21
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I recommend using AppCleaner from FreeMacSoft. You simply drag-and-drop the application you want to uninstall from your Application folder onto AppCleaner. It does the rest, including finding and deleting other related files on your system.

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