App leftovers
How to remove leftover app files on your Mac
When you drag an app to the Trash, its caches, preferences and support files stay behind in your Library folder. You can remove them, but match each one to the app by its bundle identifier first, because a similar name can belong to another app from the same developer. If the developer offers an uninstaller, use that instead.
Where leftovers live
Most of them are in your user Library. To open it, choose Go in the Finder menu bar, hold the Option key and click Library. The folders to check are Application Support, Caches, Preferences, Containers, Group Containers, Saved Application State, Logs and LaunchAgents.
Many items are named after the app’s bundle identifier, such as com.developer.appname.plist in Preferences. While the app is still installed, you can look up its identifier in Terminal with mdls -name kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier followed by the path to the app.
Removing leftovers by hand
It is easiest right after you remove the app, while you still know its exact name.
- Quit the app and any helper it keeps in the menu bar, and export anything you want to keep.
- Note the app’s name, developer and bundle identifier, then move the app to the Trash.
- Search your Library folders for that identifier and move the matching items to the Trash.
- Restart, check that the developer’s other apps still work, and then empty the Trash.
What to be careful with
Developers with several apps often share one folder in Application Support or Group Containers between them, and deleting it can reset an app you still use. If you plan to reinstall, keep the preferences, since that is where your settings live.
System extensions, drivers and privileged helpers need the developer’s own uninstaller, or your administrator’s instructions on a managed Mac.
What Mint adds
If the app is still installed, drop it onto Mint’s Uninstall tab. Mint matches files by bundle identifier and name and lists them by category and path. Only caches, logs and crash reports start ticked. You tick the app and anything else you want gone, and it all moves to the Trash together.
If you already deleted the app, run a scan in the Disk tab. Under Leftovers, Mint lists caches and logs in your Library that belong to no installed app and haven’t changed in 30 days, marked No installed app found. It leaves saved window state alone, because that can hold unsaved work. Both features are in the Direct and Setapp editions.
Frequently asked questions
Where do app leftovers live on a Mac?
Mostly in your user Library folder, in Application Support, Caches, Preferences, Containers and a few others. Finding a file there doesn’t make it safe to delete, so match it to the app first.
Can the App Store edition of Mint remove app leftovers?
No. The App Store edition runs in Apple’s sandbox and can’t reach other apps’ Library files, so this is part of the Direct and Setapp editions.
Should I delete an app’s preferences when reinstalling it?
Only if you want a clean start. If you keep them, your settings come back when you reinstall.
Find out which files an app left behind
Drop an app onto Mint’s Uninstall tab, or run a Disk scan for apps you already removed.