Mac App Cleaner

Free macOS app uninstaller in pure bash. Finds leftovers, moves to Trash (not rm), zero dependencies. Safe. Open-source. Interactive.

Apple still ships no real uninstaller. Drag-to-Trash leaves caches, prefs, containers, launch agents, login items — gigabytes of forgotten state. This fixes that.

Install in 5 seconds

git clone https://github.com/rblyz/mac-app-cleaner.git && cd mac-app-cleaner && chmod +x cleaner.sh && ./cleaner.sh

Or in 30 seconds

git clone https://github.com/rblyz/mac-app-cleaner.git
cd mac-app-cleaner
chmod +x cleaner.sh
./cleaner.sh

The first run offers to add a cleaner shell alias so you can launch it from anywhere.

No build, no Homebrew, no dependencies — works on stock macOS.

How to use

1. Run ./cleaner.sh — pick scan for apps from the menu
2. Browse the list — installed apps, leftover bundles, junk folders. Arrow keys, Enter to inspect
3. Review — see exactly what will be moved to Trash, with sizes and a total
4. Confirm with Y — everything moves to ~/.Trash via Finder. No rm, no rm -rf, nothing destroyed. Restore from Trash if you change your mind

Quit anytime with q or Esc. Nothing is touched without explicit confirmation.

What it finds

app	Bundles in /Applications and ~/Applications
leftover	Caches, prefs, containers, logs, launch agents — matched by bundle ID and app name
junk	Orphaned folders with no installed app (under 50 KB or empty) — group-trashable

Search covers ~/Library/{Application Support, Caches, Preferences, Containers, Group Containers, LaunchAgents, Logs, Cookies, WebKit, HTTPStorages, Application Scripts, PreferencePanes, Internet Plug-Ins, Saved Application State}, /Library/{LaunchAgents, LaunchDaemons, Application Support, Preferences, Caches, PrivilegedHelperTools}, and /private/var/db/receipts.

Safe by default

• Move to Trash, never rm — every action is recoverable from ~/.Trash
• Confirmation required — y/N prompt before any deletion, with full file list and total size
• Refuses to trash a running app — quits cleanly with a warning
• Skips system bundles — Apple binaries, frameworks, helper extensions stay untouched
• Precise matching — finds files by exact bundle ID and app name, never by vendor guess, so apps from the same developer aren't mistaken for each other

Limitations

• Homebrew Cask apps — uninstall through brew uninstall first; we'll find any leftovers it misses
• Kernel & system extensions — out of scope (require kextunload / system permissions)
• Apps in iCloud Drive — paths under ~/Library/Mobile Documents are intentionally skipped
• Sandbox containers for currently-running apps may be locked — quit the app first

Compatibility

• macOS 10.15 Catalina (2019) and newer
• Intel and Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)
• bash 3.2 — Apple's stock shell, present on every Mac since 2007
• No Rosetta, no special permissions, no admin rights
• No Homebrew, no installs, no network calls

Why bash

• Zero dependencies — runs on any Mac, today, tomorrow, in 2030
• bash 3.2 compatible — works with Apple's stock shell, no installs
• Single file, ~1000 lines — read the source, audit it, fork it
• No network, no telemetry — does what it says, nothing else

License

MIT