When you first start an application, it creates a whole bunch of files in different locations. The preferences and options get saved into the Preferences folder in your Library, an Application Support folder gets created that holds data and content the application needs to function properly, cache and temp files get created. All in all that is not a bad thing, as long as you use that application. But what if you want to get rid of it? When you delete simply the Application.app file, all the other stuff gets left behind on your system. You can either delete it manually or you can use an application like AppCleaner that efficiently searches out all those files and folders for you. And it does a pretty decent job. It even finds files most of the competition misses, like cache directories and package receipts (that are installation log files that get created when you run an installer).

Overview

The usage is pretty simple as well, just drag the application you want to get rid of onto the AppCleaner window. You will get a list of everything the program thinks is associated with that application. Review this list carefully, as it might sometimes list stuff that doesn't belong there. You don't want to be deleting files other programs need.

It gets even easier, AppCleaner has a feature they call SmartDelete. Basically, it is a background process, that is always running and monitoring when you trash something. If it is an application, AppCleaner pops up and allows you to cleanly delete the program. Pretty neat.

The AppCleaner window also features a few different tabs, that list your installed Applications, Widgets, Preference Panes, etc. Useful, but the application listing only lists Applications from the main Applications folder, not from Applications installed elsewhere — say the Developer Tools, or the Applications folder in your home directory.

And last but not least, you have a history of all items ever deleted with AppCleaner, for those statistics kind of guys out there.

One major flaw I discovered is that AppCleaner is also not searching for invisible files. That's a pity, because applications sometimes use invisible files to store additional information like registrations or licenses. But those can be easily found by the also free EasyFind — a program I highly recommend independently of this review.

Another big flaw is that there is no undo or undelete. Once the files are in your trash you have to put them back into the right folders manually. Not an easy task, as there is no information where the files came from — not even in the history. So think twice before you hit that delete button.

Summary

Overall, I can highly recommend AppCleaner. It works very well and is free. What more can you expect? Give it a try and if you like it, reward the developer with a donation for this nice piece of helpful software.

Author: Alexander Kucera