How to Free Up Space on Mac: Removing Unused Applications

Introduction / Why This Is Needed

Over time, dozens of gigabytes of unused applications accumulate on your Mac's disk. Even after removing them from the Applications folder, settings files, caches, and data in the ~/Library folder often remain, which can take up significant space. This guide will help you completely remove unwanted software, freeing up space and potentially speeding up your system by reducing disk fragmentation and background process load.

What you'll get: A clean list of installed applications, dozens of gigabytes of free space, and an understanding of how to maintain order in the future.

Requirements / Preparation

1. Operating System: macOS Monterey (12) or newer. The "Storage" interface and removal methods may differ in older versions.
2. Access Permissions: An administrator account. Removing some applications (especially those installed for all users) may require a password.
3. Backup (Recommended): Before mass deletion, ensure important data from applications you're removing (documents, projects) is saved elsewhere or in iCloud.
4. Internet: Not required, but may be useful for checking system updates and downloading alternative utilities (if you choose to use them).

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Preparation: Identify Applications to Remove

First, you need to understand which programs take up the most space and which ones you can realistically do without.

1. Open System Settings (the gear icon in the Dock or via the Apple menu).
2. Navigate to General → Storage.
3. Wait 1-2 minutes for macOS to analyze disk contents.
4. In the categories list, find Applications. Click the Manage button on the right.
5. macOS will show a list of installed applications, sorted by size. Pay attention to:
   • Applications whose size is measured in gigabytes.
   • Applications you've launched "Never" or "A Long Time Ago" (the system marks these itself).
   • Old versions of programs (e.g., Adobe Photoshop 2022 and Adobe Photoshop 2023).

Write down or remember 3-5 of the largest and most unnecessary applications. Do not remove anything you are not 100% sure about.

Step 2: Configure Automatic Removal (Prevention)

macOS has a built-in feature that can help in the future.

1. While still in the Manage Storage window (from Step 1), find the option Automatically remove apps you don't use.
2. Toggle it ON. The system will analyze your activity and once a month will suggest removing applications you haven't used in over a year.
3. When macOS suggests removal, you'll receive a notification. You can either agree or postpone.

💡 Tip: This feature works carefully and will not remove anything important without your explicit consent. Turn it on.

Step 3: Manual Removal via Finder (Primary Method)

This is the standard and safe way to remove most applications installed from the App Store or official websites as .dmg disk images.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the sidebar, select the Applications folder (or press Cmd+Shift+A).
3. Find the application you decided to remove in the list.
4. Drag the application icon to the Trash (on the Dock).
5. For some applications (especially suites from Adobe, Microsoft Office), an uninstaller may appear. Run it if present and follow the instructions.
6. After dragging, empty the Trash (right-click on Trash → "Empty Trash" or Cmd+Shift+Delete). macOS will ask for confirmation.

What this removes: The main application executable (.app bundle) and its internal resources.

Step 4: Removing Support Files (For a Complete Cleanup)

After Step 3, settings files, caches, and user data will remain on the disk. Removing them can free up an additional 100 MB to several gigabytes per application.

Caution! Do not remove files from applications you plan to reinstall. Settings and licenses may be lost.

1. Preferences Files:
   • In Finder, select the menu Go → Go to Folder... (or Cmd+Shift+G).
   • Enter the path: ~/Library/Preferences/ and click "Go".
   • Find files named like com.developer.applicationname.plist. Delete them if you are sure the application is no longer needed.
2. Application Support Files:
   • Via the same "Go to Folder" menu, open: ~/Library/Application Support/.
   • Look for folders named after the removed application or its developer. Delete them.
3. Caches:
   • Navigate to: ~/Library/Caches/.
   • Find the folder named after the application and delete it. Caches are safe to delete, but the application may launch slightly slower the first time after (as it regenerates some data).
4. Application Data (Containers - for App Store apps):
   • Navigate to: ~/Library/Containers/.
   • Find folders with the application's bundle identifier (e.g., com.apple.TextEdit). Delete them if you are sure.

Step 5: Cleaning Up Remnants via Terminal (Optional, for Advanced Users)

If you know the exact bundle identifier of the application (e.g., com.spotify.client), you can find and remove all its traces with one command.

1. Open Terminal (via Spotlight Cmd+Space → type Terminal).
2. Run the command, replacing identifier with the real one:

   find ~/Library -iname "*identifier*" -exec rm -rf {} \;
   

   Example for Spotify:

   find ~/Library -iname "*spotify*" -exec rm -rf {} \;
   

⚠️ Important: The rm -rf command is irreversible and will delete all found folders and files containing the specified substring. Ensure the substring is unique to the target application to avoid deleting system files.

Step 6: Verify the Result

1. Go back to System Settings → General → Storage.
2. Wait 1-2 minutes for the system to recalculate.
3. Check how much the Applications section has decreased. The overall free space indicator at the top should also increase.
4. Open Finder and go to the Applications folder. Ensure the icons of the removed programs are gone.
5. (Optional) Check the ~/Library/Application Support/ and ~/Library/Caches/ folders — the removed application's folder should no longer be there.

Potential Issues

Issue: "Operation not permitted" when trying to delete a file from ~/Library

Cause: The file is protected by SIP (System Integrity Protection) or belongs to another user/system. Solution: Do not delete such files manually. SIP protects system data. If the file is in ~/Library, check its owner via "Get Info" (Cmd+I). If the owner is not you, it might be a file from an application installed for all users. In that case, remove the application itself from /Applications with administrator privileges.

Issue: Application "stuck" in the "Storage" list after deletion

Cause: macOS caches storage information. Sometimes updates take longer. Solution: Restart your Mac. After reboot, the information in "Storage" should update. If not — wait a few hours; the system periodically recalculates data in the background.

Issue: After removing an application, its settings "resurrected" after reinstallation

Cause: You did not delete files from ~/Library/Preferences/ and ~/Library/Application Support/. Solution: If you plan to reinstall the application and want a clean slate, preemptively delete its folders in ~/Library. If, however, you want to keep old settings — do nothing; they will automatically be picked up.

Issue: Not enough space freed up

Cause: The main volume is occupied not by applications, but by other file types (videos, photos, browser caches, local iOS backups). Solution: After removing applications, go to "Storage" and analyze other categories: "Documents", "Other", "Caches". Often, the biggest gains come from clearing browser caches (Safari, Chrome) and deleting old .dmg installation files from the Downloads folder.

Issue: Icons disappeared or other programs stopped working

Cause: Accidental deletion of files from system folders ~/Library or /Library that were used by multiple applications. Solution: Restore the deleted files from a backup (Time Machine). In the future, only delete files whose purpose you know for certain. If unsure — skip Step 4.

Final Verification (Summary)

1. Quantitative: Free disk space in System Settings → General → Storage has increased by the expected amount (sum of sizes of removed applications + support files).
2. Qualitative: The Applications folder contains no unnecessary programs. In Finder, when opening the ~/Library folder, there are no obvious folders with names of removed applications (if you performed Step 4).
3. Functional: The system runs stably, all remaining applications launch correctly. No errors occur when starting programs that used shared libraries.

Regular Maintenance: Perform such a cleanup once per quarter. Use the built-in automatic removal feature. Keep an eye on the size of the Downloads folder and browser caches — they often accumulate gigabytes faster than installed applications.