Un-installing software

[nemac]

I was getting ready to try a bata version of Open Office. Before I down loaded the software, it dawned on me what if the software does not work the way I want it to? How will I un-install or remove the software from the Mac?

TIA

[nixgeek]

With OpenOffice (and the majority of Mac apps), uninstalling is as easy as installing. Just as you copied the application to the Applications folder, just drag it to the Trash and empty it. Simple as that.

If the application came with an installer (like MS Office, for example), then it's best to use the uninstaller that came with it. It will either be a "remove' option in the Installer app used to install the application, or there will be a separate uninstaller for you to run in the same folder as the app you want to get rid of.

[nemac]

Thank you for the reply. Coming from a WIndows environment I would be looking for an "Un-Install" method.

[eric2006]

Assuming you looked for an uninstaller and found none, your best option would be to delete the /Application. Unlike Windows, programs are installed to the Applications folder, and most apps only have kilobytes of "preference" files stored in your /library. If you really want to get rid of everything, you can get an app like AppZapper.

There is no system-wide uninstaller in OS X because users can safely delete the application on their own, or the program has an uninstaller.

[nixgeek]

Originally Posted by nemac

Thank you for the reply. Coming from a WIndows environment I would be looking for an "Un-Install" method.

What eric2006 said is true. It's always been customary in the Mac world that removing an application was as simple as dragging the application to the Trash and emptying it. As a matter of fact, this is the way most Macintosh apps are dealt with today, especially since installing the application is as simple as dragging it from the mounted disk image that it downloaded to the Applications folder on the system hard drive.

As I mentioned, sometimes there is a particular software package that employs the use of Installer.app or their own preferred installer, but most of the time there's either a binary that performs an uninstallation or the installer itself has the option to remove the software package when launched. Again, this is the exception and not the rule. The usual rule is to drag the application from the mounted disk image file on the desktop to the Applications folder when installing, and dragging the application from the Applications folder to the Trash when uninstalling.