I deleted an app on my Mac. Why are its files still there?

Q: How do I find an app's leftover files?

If the app is still installed, get its bundle ID first: osascript -e 'id of app "Safari"' Then search your Library for that ID, or for the app's name: find ~/Library -maxdepth 3 -iname "*safari*" 2>/dev/null Replace safari with part of the name or ID. Some folders need Full Disk Access for Terminal (System Settings › Privacy & Security).

Q: Is it safe to delete them?

Caches, logs and saved window state: yes. Preferences: yes, if you won't use the app again. If you reinstall it, it starts with default settings. Application Support and Containers: look first. They can hold your projects, chat history, game saves or a library the app manages. Once you empty the Trash, that's gone. A folder another app also uses: leave it. Apps from the same maker often share a folder. Move them to the Trash rather than deleting them in Terminal, so you can put back anything you needed.

Q: Why does a deleted app still run something in the background?

Its helper is a.plist file in a LaunchAgents or LaunchDaemons folder, and removing the app doesn't remove it. Look in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions, or in the folders above. If the program it points to is gone, the file can go to the Trash too.

Updated November 3, 2026

You dragged an app to the Trash and emptied it, but the space didn't come back, or the app's folder still shows up in your Library.

The short answer: the app is only the program. What it saved while you used it (settings, caches, its data, sometimes a background helper) lives in ~/Library and stays when the app goes. Most leftovers are small; apps for chat, video, games, virtual machines and development can leave gigabytes. Look for folders named after the app or its bundle ID, such as com.company.app.

Where do apps leave files on a Mac?

In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G) and open each of these:

~/Library/Application Support: the app's data, often in a folder with its name.
~/Library/Caches: caches, rebuilt by the app if it comes back.
~/Library/Preferences: settings, one .plist file named after the bundle ID.
~/Library/Containers and ~/Library/Group Containers: everything an App Store app saves.
~/Library/Saved Application State, ~/Library/Logs, ~/Library/WebKit and ~/Library/HTTPStorages: window state, logs and web data.
~/Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons: helpers that start on their own.

How do I find an app's leftover files?

If the app is still installed, get its bundle ID first:

osascript -e 'id of app "Safari"'

Then search your Library for that ID, or for the app's name:

find ~/Library -maxdepth 3 -iname "*safari*" 2>/dev/null

Replace safari with part of the name or ID. Some folders need Full Disk Access for Terminal (System Settings › Privacy & Security).

Is it safe to delete them?

Caches, logs and saved window state: yes.
Preferences: yes, if you won't use the app again. If you reinstall it, it starts with default settings.
Application Support and Containers: look first. They can hold your projects, chat history, game saves or a library the app manages. Once you empty the Trash, that's gone.
A folder another app also uses: leave it. Apps from the same maker often share a folder.

Move them to the Trash rather than deleting them in Terminal, so you can put back anything you needed.

Why does a deleted app still run something in the background?

Its helper is a .plist file in a LaunchAgents or LaunchDaemons folder, and removing the app doesn't remove it. Look in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions, or in the folders above. If the program it points to is gone, the file can go to the Trash too.

How do I remove an app with everything it left?

If the app came with its own uninstaller, use it: it knows what the installer put where. Otherwise quit the app, drag it from Applications to the Trash, then clear the folders above. For apps installed from a .pkg, see what the installer added before you start.