Dragging an app to the Trash only removes the app itself. Most apps also write files into your Library while you use them, and those files stay behind after the app is gone. LaunchingPad finds them for you, shows you what it found, and removes only what you choose, right from the app grid.
How to uninstall an app
- Open LaunchingPad and right-click the app, or select it and press ⌘ Delete.
- Review the list. LaunchingPad shows the app and every related file it found, with the size of each.
- Untick anything you want to keep, then confirm. Nothing is touched before you do.
Where it looks for leftover files
LaunchingPad checks the places where macOS apps keep their data:
| Location | Folders checked |
|---|---|
| Your Library (~/Library) | Application Support, Caches, Logs, Preferences, Containers, Group Containers, Saved Application State, HTTPStorages, WebKit, LaunchAgents |
| Mac-wide Library (/Library) | Application Support, Preferences, LaunchAgents, LaunchDaemons, PrivilegedHelperTools. Removing these needs an administrator’s approval. |
Built to be careful
An uninstaller that guesses can delete something another app still needs. LaunchingPad matches files conservatively:
- Bundle identifier first. Files named after the app’s bundle identifier are the trusted matches.
- Folder names only where apps use them. A folder matched by the app’s name is accepted only in Application Support, Caches and Logs.
- Loose matches are never pre-selected. Anything matched only by a similar name is listed separately and left unticked.
- Shared folders are off-limits. Umbrella folders used by many apps from one vendor, such as Google or Microsoft, are never matched.
- System files are protected. Apps that came with macOS can’t be removed, and nothing under /System is touched.
- Recoverable when in doubt. When macOS won’t let a file be deleted outright, it goes to the Trash, where you can still get it back.
Check an app before you remove it
Not sure what an app is? Open App Info first to see where it came from, who signed it, which permissions it declares and where it’s installed. You can also hide an app from the grid instead of uninstalling it, and bring it back later from Settings.
Questions
Does dragging an app to the Trash uninstall it completely?
No. It removes the app bundle, but the files the app created in your Library stay behind: preferences, caches, logs, containers, saved state and sometimes helpers or launch agents. They keep taking space and can carry old settings over if you reinstall.
Do I need Full Disk Access to uninstall apps?
No. LaunchingPad uninstalls apps without it. With Full Disk Access turned on, it can permanently delete protected support files; without it, those files go to the Trash instead.
Can I uninstall Mac App Store apps and iPhone or iPad apps?
Yes. LaunchingPad recognizes Mac App Store apps and iPhone and iPad apps running on Apple silicon, and uses the removal path macOS expects for each.
Can LaunchingPad remove apps that came with macOS?
No. System apps are protected, and nothing under /System is ever matched or removed.