As with system caches, they serve a purpose, but they can also accumulate and waste disk space. Log files are pretty much what they sound like: a record of things that have happened on your Mac. Learn more about deleting macOS app leftovers in our dedicated guide. Delete any files that come up in the search Make sure you’ve restricted your search to the Library folderĥ. In the search bar in Finder, type the name of an app you’ve deletedĤ. Hold down Option to make the Library folder appear. How to find and delete app leftovers on a Mac:Ģ. If you don’t intend to install those apps again, you should delete these unnecessary files from your Mac.

The problem with that is some apps leave behind files in other folders on your Mac. To uninstall them, you have to go into the Applications folder and drag their icons to the Trash. Removing leftovers from uninstalled macOS appsĪlthough some macOS apps have uninstallers, most don’t. Delete some or all of the files and folders in the Caches folderĬheck out our full guide to clearing Mac caches, which covers this and browser caches in more detail. Navigate to the Library > Caches folderĥ. Select the Library folder when it appearsĤ. Click on your Mac desktop or a Finder windowģ. The idea is to optimize Mac performance, speeding up loading times, but if caches grow too much, they can be counter-productive.ġ. The idea of system caches is simple: macOS apps will store certain temporary information on your Mac, so it doesn’t need to be created again the next time that app runs. On top of that, Macs and macOS apps often come bundled with unnecessary language files, which waste disk space. Over time, your Mac will also fill up with data it doesn’t need, hidden in obscure places on your system drive. That’s fine if you need those files or if they’re easy to find and remove. The more you use your Mac, the more files it accumulates.

Why do you need to clean junk files from your Mac? Ways to clear your Mac of junk files include: There are several different types of junk file you can remove and a few different ways to do it.

Doing so can free up precious disk space, giving you more room for the files you want and potentially speeding up your Mac in the process. Every now and then, it’s a good idea to clear your Mac of junk files.

Mac junk cleaner