Avast For Old Mac
Even Macs Need Antivirus Protection
You heard it on the TV—Macs don't get viruses. And like much of what you hear on the TV, this isn't true. Sure, macOS is intrinsically more secure than Windows or Android, but Mac-centered malware totally exists. The time to think about protecting your Mac is now, not after you've lost all your important documents to ransomware. If you're picking a Mac antivirus for the first time, don't worry. Our reviews will help you make an informed choice.
Avast Free Mac Security caught 99.9 percent of all malware, packs in a password manager, barely leaves a smudge on system impact and doesn't charge a dime. If only it caught 100 percent of malware. Mac OS X Viruses and Antiviruses. This page only covers malware for Mac OS X. For information on viruses for the Classic Mac OS. Free Antivirus for Mac is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard through 10.8 Mountain Lion. It supports Intel Macs only. Avast is updated regularly. If the new version does not work well with your old Mac it seems that you need to download another package, older than the one you currently have. Also, make sure that your Mac is updated regularly. Old Versions; Avast Mac Security 13.4. Date released: 24 Jan 2018 (9 months ago) Download. Avast Mac Security 11.16 Build 46730. Date released: 22 Jul 2016 (2 years ago) Download. Avast Mac Security 11.15 Build 46727. Date released: 20 Jul 2016 (2 years ago) Download. Avast Mac Security 11.14 Build 46696.
As with Windows antivirus tools, the most common price is just under $40 per year for a single license. ProtectWorks is unusual in that a single $29.95 payment lets you protect all the Macs in your household, with no subscription needed. McAfee goes beyond that, with a $59.99 per year subscription that protects all your Macs, PCs, Android, and iOS devices. With Sophos Home Premium, $60 per year lets you install and remotely manage protection on 10 Macs or PCs. At the high end, you pay $99.99 per year for a three-license subscription to Intego Mac Internet Security X9.
ClamXAV keeps threats at bay and puts you firmly in charge of your Mac’s security. Scan a specific file or your entire hard drive. Set it to scan automatically or run instant checks on suspicious files. Seems to detect more Mac viruses on the Windows side than on the Mac side! It also detected compressed files as well as uncompressed which is a little different than what I found on the Mac side.
You may have heard that macOS Mojave, the latest macOS, advances the platform's privacy and security. Safari on Mojave automatically blocks ads and social media trackers. The built-in password manager does more than ever. And when AppleScript apps try to access internal macOS features, Mojave makes them wait until you give permission. But nothing we've seen suggests that upgrading to Mojave will obviate the need for an antivirus utility.
Free Mac Antivirus Protection
There's another angle to the variation in Mac antivirus pricing. How about paying nothing at all? Avast Security (for Mac), AVG AntiVirus for Mac, Avira Free Antivirus for Mac, and Sophos Home Free (for Mac) are totally free for personal use, although Sophos technically limits you to three devices, macOS or Windows. AVG also offers free antivirus for Mac, but until its phishing protection improves we can't recommend it. The best commercial products offer more protection but if you can't afford the best, at least install a free antivirus.
What's Not Here
Every macOS antivirus that earned 3.5 stars or better appears in the chart above. Another half-dozen managed a decent three-star rating, but there isn't room for another six products. I chose to favor three products that originated on the Mac platform, ClamXAV and Intego Mac Internet Security. Everything else being equal, there's surely some virtue in loyalty to macOS.
Avast Security Pro (for Mac), ESET Cyber Security (for Mac), and Malwarebytes for Mac Premium also earned three stars, as did the Mac-specific ProtectWorks AntiVirus. However, ProtectWorks, ESET, and Malwarebytes don't have any lab results at present, and with Avast, you might as well use the free edition, because you don't get a lot more by paying. These four didn't quite make it into the chart. The names Avast, ESET, and Malwarebytes are well known in Windows circles. If you're using a Windows security product from one of these companies, it makes sense to do the same on your Macs.
Malware Protection Lab Certifications
When you go to select a new washer, refrigerator, or other appliance, chances are good you research it first. User reviews can be helpful, as long as you discard the very best and very worst of them. But actual test results performed by an independent lab give you more reliable information. Two large labs include macOS antivirus products in their testing, but the slate of products for testing is variable. When we first rounded up Mac antivirus products, all those in the chart below had at least one certification, but at present, many of them don't appear in either lab's test results.
The researchers at AV-Test Institute evaluate Mac antivirus products on three criteria: protection, performance, and usability. A product can earn up to six points for each. Protection against malware protection is essential, of course, as is a low impact on performance. A high usability score reflects a small number of false positives, legitimate programs and websites identified as dangerous. Several products achieved a perfect 18 points, all six points for all three criteria.
In the macOS malware test by AV-Comparatives, most charted products scored 100 percent. This lab, too, included a test using malware aimed at Windows. Yes, these samples can't affect a computer running macOS, but they could conceivably escape to Windows machines on the network. Scores in the Windows malware test ranged from zero to 100 percent, which is quite a span.
Results in macOS-specific tests have a much smaller point spread than in tests of Windows antivirus utilities. It's good that many products in the chart received at least one certification for Mac protection, and even better that some received two certifications.
Hands-On Phishing Protection Testing
When we test malware protection on Windows, we use live malware inside an isolated virtual machine. We've coded a number of analysis tools over the years to help with this testing. Little of that testing regimen carries over to the Mac.
Phishing, however, isn't platform-specific, and neither is our antiphishing test. Phishing websites imitate secure sites, everything from banks and finance sites to gaming and dating sites. If you enter your credentials at the fake login page, you've given the phisher access to your account. And it doesn't matter if you are browsing on a PC, a Mac, or an internet-aware sewing machine.
Almost all the products in the chart below include protection against malicious and fraudulent sites. With ClamXAV and Intego, this just isn't an included feature. Malwarebytes and ProtectWorks also lack an antiphishing component.
The wily malefactors who create phishing sites are in the business of deception, and they constantly change and update their techniques, hoping to evade detection. If one fraudulent site gets blacklisted or shut down by the authorities, they simply pop up with a new one. That being the case, we try to use the very newest phishing URLs for testing, scraping them from phishing-focused websites.
We launch each URL simultaneously in four browsers. One is Safari or Chrome on the Mac, protected by the Mac antivirus that's under test. The other three use the protection built into Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Discarding any that don't fit the phishing profile, and any that don't load correctly in all four browsers, we report the product's detection rate as well as the difference between its detection rate and that of the other three test systems.
Most of the products in this roundup beat the combined average of the three browsers. Kaspersky and McAfee top the list with 100 percent detection, while Bitdefender's score of 99 percent comes close behind. All three of these winners scored precisely the same when tested under Windows.
Ransomware Protection
The scourge of ransomware is on the rise. While ransomware attacks are more common on Windows devices, Macs have suffered as well. Of course, any antivirus utility should handle ransomware just as it handles spyware, Trojans, viruses, and other malware types. But since the consequences of missing a ransomware attack are so great, some security products add components with the sole purpose of preventing ransomware attacks.
We've observed a wide variety of ransomware protection techniques on Windows. These include blocking unauthorized access to user documents, detecting ransomware based on its activity, and recovering encrypted files from backup. Of the products listed here, Bitdefender and Trend Micro offer a ransomware component that blocks unauthorized modification of protected documents.
As with Bitdefender's Windows edition, the Safe Files feature prevents all unauthorized access to your documents. On a Mac, it also protects your Time Machine backups. Trend Micro offers multiple layers of Windows ransomware protection. Folder Shield, which, like Safe Files, prevents unauthorized document access, is the only layer that made its way to the macOS edition.
Sophos Home Premium includes the same CryptoGuard behavior-based ransomware protection found in its Windows equivalent. Our Windows test sytsems are virtual machines, so we feel free to release real-world ransomware for testing. We just roll back the virtual machine to a clean snapshot after testing. We don't have the option to do that on the physical Mac testbed, so we just have to figure that since it worked on Windows, it probably works on macOS.
Spyware Protection
Any kind of malware problem is unpleasant, but spyware may be the most unnerving. Imagine some creeper secretly peeking at you through your Mac's webcam! Other types of spying include logging keystrokes to capture your passwords, sending Trojans to steal your personal data, and watching your online activities to build a profile. As with ransomware protection, we've observed more features specifically devoted to spyware protection on Windows-based security products than on the Mac, but a few products in this collection do pay special attention to spyware.
Under Windows, Kaspersky's Safe Money feature opens sensitive sites in a secure browser that's hardened against outside interference. The Safe Money feature on the Mac doesn't do that, but it does check URLs to make sure you're on a legitimate secure site. Kaspersky offers an onscreen keyboard, so you can enter passwords with no chance of capture by a keylogger. Its webcam protection isn't as configurable as it is on Windows, but you can use it to disable your Mac's webcam whenever you're not using it. It even includes the ability to block advertisers and others from tracking your online activities. If spyware is your bugaboo, you'll like Kaspersky.
Sophos Home Premium offers protection for the webcam and microphone that's more substantial than Kaspersky's. You get a notification any time an untrusted program attempts to access either; you can allow access or stop the program. There's also an option to whitelist a program, so you don't get a popup every time you use your off-brand video chat tool.
Bonus Features
Many antivirus tools on Windows pack in a ton of bonus features, packing in everything from tune-up utilities to VPNs. That behavior seems less common on the macOS side, though Norton now includes a VPN with no bandwidth limits. Even so, some vendors don't have a standalone Mac antivirus, opting instead to offer a full security suite as the baseline level of protection, and a few others include suite-like bonus features in the basic antivirus.
A typical personal firewall component blocks attacks coming in from the internet and also manages network permissions for programs installed on your Mac. Intego, McAfee, and Norton each include a firewall component, while Kaspersky's Network Protection comes close.
Parental control is another common suite component. With Sophos (free or premium) and Trend Micro Antivirus for Mac, a content filter can block access to websites matching unwanted categories. Kaspersky goes beyond that, with content filtering, screen time limits, and control over apps used. An additional $14.99 per year unlocks all the features of the powerful Kaspersky Safe Kids.
Protect Your Mac
Most of the products covered in this roundup earned certification from at least one independent testing lab; some managed two certifications. There really are no bad choices here, as far as basic antivirus protection goes. Even so, a few products stood out. Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac not only achieved certification from both labs, it earned the maximum score in every test, and took the top antiphishing score. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac also earned high scores. It offers a full suite of Mac security tools, at the same price competitors charge for basic antivirus protection. Symantec Norton 360 Deluxe (for Mac) is also a suite, and its features include a no-limits VPN. These three are our Editors' Choice winners for Mac antivirus protection.
Look over the reviews, pick the product that suits you best, and get your Mac protected. Once you've done that, you should also consider installing a Mac VPN. While an antivirus protects you, your devices, and your data locally, a VPN extends that protection to your online activities, protecting both your security and your privacy.
Editors' Note: We are aware of the allegations of Kaspersky's inappropriate ties to the Russian government. Until we see some actual proof of these allegations, we will treat them as unproven, and continue to recommend Kaspersky's security products as long as their performance continues to merit our endorsement.
Best Mac Antivirus Protection Featured in This Roundup:
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Protects files and backups from ransomware. Top ratings from two independent testing labs. Excellent score in our antiphishing test. No-hassle Autopilot mode. Blocks ad trackers in browsers. Includes VPN.
Cons: Full access to VPN features requires separate subscription.
Bottom Line: Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac gets top marks from the independent labs and in our own hands-on testing. With its handy Autopilot mode, you can set it, forget it, and have confidence that your Mac is protected against malware.
Read ReviewKaspersky Internet Security for Mac Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Excellent scores from two independent testing labs. Kaspersky Safe Kids for parental control. Network protection. Perfect score in our antiphishing test. Privacy protection. Useful bonus tools.
Cons: Safe Money and webcam protection features are limited compared to their Windows counterparts. Safe Kids and VPN require additional subscription for full functionality.
Bottom Line: Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac excels in independent lab tests, and it goes far beyond mere antivirus, offering protection against network attacks, parental control, privacy protection, and many other useful features.
Read ReviewSymantec Norton 360 Deluxe (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $99.99
Pros: Includes no-limits VPN. Certified by one independent testing lab. Fast scan. Firewall blocks exploit attacks. Cleans up unneeded files.
Cons: Relatively expensive. Limited detection of Windows malware.
Bottom Line: Symantec's Norton 360 Deluxe delivers lab-certified Mac antivirus protection along with a two-way firewall, a password manager, and a full-powered VPN.
Read ReviewWebroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Very fast full scan. Certified by one antivirus lab. Excellent phishing protection. Excellent detection of Windows malware. Marks dangerous links in search results.
Cons: Lowest passing score in independent lab test.
Bottom Line: Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is by far the fastest Mac antivirus scanner we've seen, and it provides especially good phishing protection in our testing, too.
Read ReviewF-Secure Safe (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $69.99
Pros: Very good scores from two testing labs. Simple cross-platform parental control. Quick full scan.
Cons: Expensive at high numbers of licenses. So-so phishing protection.
Bottom Line: F-Secure Safe for Mac gets high marks from two independent antivirus testing labs. It offers simple multi-device parental control, but it can't match the rich feature collections of the best Mac antivirus tools.
Read ReviewMcAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $59.99
Pros: Subscription covers unlimited macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS devices. Perfect score in antiphishing test. Includes simple personal firewall.
Cons: No current test results from independent labs. Firewall no longer includes application control.
Bottom Line: One subscription gives you unlimited licenses to protect all your Macs with McAfee AntiVirus Plus, and your Windows, Android, and iOS devices, too, and it aces our phishing protection test.
Read ReviewSophos Home Premium (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $60.00
Pros: Remote management. Webcam protection. Decent phishing protection. Ransomware protection. Simple parental control. Inexpensive.
Cons: No independent lab test results. Parental content filter foiled by secure anonymizing proxy. Lacks exploit protection, download reputation check, keylogger protection, and other advanced features found in the Windows edition.
Bottom Line: Sophos Home Premium offers Mac antivirus protection at a low price, but it lacks many advanced features found in the Windows edition and doesn't have verification from independent testing labs.
Read ReviewTrend Micro Antivirus for Mac Review
MSRP: $39.95
Pros: Certified by two antivirus testing labs. Speedy full scan. Social network privacy scan. Includes ransomware protection, webcam privacy, and parental control.
Cons: Parental control foiled by secure anonymizing proxy. Very poor phishing protection score. Webcam privacy needs work. Social network privacy not fully functional. Licensing model not practical for all-Mac households.
Bottom Line: Two major independent testing labs certify Trend Micro's ability to fight malware on your Mac. It comes with a boatload of bonus features, but some of those need work.
Read ReviewAvast Security Pro (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $59.99
Pros: Certified by one independent testing lab. Speedy full scan. Excellent phishing protection for Chrome and Firefox. Useful bonus features. Ransomware protection. Wi-Fi intruder detection.
Cons: Doesn't add much to free edition's features. Expensive. Poor phishing protection for Safari. Password manager includes only basic features.
Bottom Line: Avast Security Pro (for Mac) adds ransomware protection and Wi-Fi intruder detection to the features found in Avast's free antivirus, but these additions don't merit its high price.
Read ReviewClamXav (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $29.95
Pros: Lab-certified for Mac malware protection. Scans for malware on demand, on access, and on schedule. Straightforward user interface.
Cons: No filtering of malicious or fraudulent websites.
Bottom Line: ClamXAV wraps the venerable, open source ClamAntiVirus engine in a straightforward user interface. It's lab-certified to protect your Mac, but doesn't go beyond the basics.
Read ReviewESET Cyber Security (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Elaborate scan scheduling options. Good detection of Windows malware. Simple device control. Includes online cybersecurity training.
Cons: Poor results in our hands-on antiphishing test. Slow scans in testing. No longer certified by independent labs.
Bottom Line: Though it doesn't have current certification from independent testing labs, ESET Cyber Security offers comprehensive protection for your macOS devices plus cybersecurity training.
Read ReviewIntego Mac Internet Security X9 Review
MSRP: $49.99
Pros: Certified by two labs for Mac malware protection. Includes full-featured firewall. Detects Mac, Windows, and Linux malware.
Cons: Poor detection of Windows malware. No protection against malicious or fraudulent websites.
Bottom Line: Intego Mac Internet Security X9 scores well in lab tests using Mac malware, and it offers firewall protection. But it fails against Windows malware and lacks protection against dangerous URLs.
Read ReviewMalwarebytes for Mac Premium Review
MSRP: $39.99
Pros: Extremely fast malware scan. Very good reputation among tech experts.
Cons: No protection against malicious or fraudulent websites. No detection of Windows malware.
Bottom Line: The premium edition of Malwarebytes for Mac scans for active malware and uses real-time detection to prevent infestation. It has a very good reputation, but hard data showing its effectiveness is scarce.
Read ReviewProtectWorks AntiVirus (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $44.99
Pros: Certified for Mac protection by an independent testing lab. Scans on demand, on access, and on schedule.
Cons: No web-based protection against malicious or fraudulent sites. Mediocre detection of Windows malware.
Bottom Line: An independent lab verifies that ProtectWorks AntiVirus can keep your Mac safe from malware, but it lacks some useful features found in competing products.
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Best Mac Antivirus Protection Featured in This Roundup:
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Protects files and backups from ransomware. Top ratings from two independent testing labs. Excellent score in our antiphishing test. No-hassle Autopilot mode. Blocks ad trackers in browsers. Includes VPN.
Cons: Full access to VPN features requires separate subscription.
Bottom Line: Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac gets top marks from the independent labs and in our own hands-on testing. With its handy Autopilot mode, you can set it, forget it, and have confidence that your Mac is protected against malware.
Read ReviewKaspersky Internet Security for Mac Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Excellent scores from two independent testing labs. Kaspersky Safe Kids for parental control. Network protection. Perfect score in our antiphishing test. Privacy protection. Useful bonus tools.
Cons: Safe Money and webcam protection features are limited compared to their Windows counterparts. Safe Kids and VPN require additional subscription for full functionality.
Bottom Line: Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac excels in independent lab tests, and it goes far beyond mere antivirus, offering protection against network attacks, parental control, privacy protection, and many other useful features.
Read ReviewSymantec Norton 360 Deluxe (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $99.99Pros: Includes no-limits VPN. Certified by one independent testing lab. Fast scan. Firewall blocks exploit attacks. Cleans up unneeded files.
Cons: Relatively expensive. Limited detection of Windows malware.
Bottom Line: Symantec's Norton 360 Deluxe delivers lab-certified Mac antivirus protection along with a two-way firewall, a password manager, and a full-powered VPN.
Read ReviewWebroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Very fast full scan. Certified by one antivirus lab. Excellent phishing protection. Excellent detection of Windows malware. Marks dangerous links in search results.
Cons: Lowest passing score in independent lab test.
Bottom Line: Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus is by far the fastest Mac antivirus scanner we've seen, and it provides especially good phishing protection in our testing, too.
Read ReviewF-Secure Safe (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $69.99Pros: Very good scores from two testing labs. Simple cross-platform parental control. Quick full scan.
Cons: Expensive at high numbers of licenses. So-so phishing protection.
Bottom Line: F-Secure Safe for Mac gets high marks from two independent antivirus testing labs. It offers simple multi-device parental control, but it can't match the rich feature collections of the best Mac antivirus tools.
Read ReviewMcAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $59.99Pros: Subscription covers unlimited macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS devices. Perfect score in antiphishing test. Includes simple personal firewall.
Cons: No current test results from independent labs. Firewall no longer includes application control.
Bottom Line: One subscription gives you unlimited licenses to protect all your Macs with McAfee AntiVirus Plus, and your Windows, Android, and iOS devices, too, and it aces our phishing protection test.
Read ReviewSophos Home Premium (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $60.00Pros: Remote management. Webcam protection. Decent phishing protection. Ransomware protection. Simple parental control. Inexpensive.
Cons: No independent lab test results. Parental content filter foiled by secure anonymizing proxy. Lacks exploit protection, download reputation check, keylogger protection, and other advanced features found in the Windows edition.
Bottom Line: Sophos Home Premium offers Mac antivirus protection at a low price, but it lacks many advanced features found in the Windows edition and doesn't have verification from independent testing labs.
Read ReviewTrend Micro Antivirus for Mac Review
MSRP: $39.95Pros: Certified by two antivirus testing labs. Speedy full scan. Social network privacy scan. Includes ransomware protection, webcam privacy, and parental control.
Cons: Parental control foiled by secure anonymizing proxy. Very poor phishing protection score. Webcam privacy needs work. Social network privacy not fully functional. Licensing model not practical for all-Mac households.
Bottom Line: Two major independent testing labs certify Trend Micro's ability to fight malware on your Mac. It comes with a boatload of bonus features, but some of those need work.
Read ReviewAvast Security Pro (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $59.99Pros: Certified by one independent testing lab. Speedy full scan. Excellent phishing protection for Chrome and Firefox. Useful bonus features. Ransomware protection. Wi-Fi intruder detection.
Cons: Doesn't add much to free edition's features. Expensive. Poor phishing protection for Safari. Password manager includes only basic features.
Bottom Line: Avast Security Pro (for Mac) adds ransomware protection and Wi-Fi intruder detection to the features found in Avast's free antivirus, but these additions don't merit its high price.
Read ReviewClamXav (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $29.95Pros: Lab-certified for Mac malware protection. Scans for malware on demand, on access, and on schedule. Straightforward user interface.
Cons: No filtering of malicious or fraudulent websites.
Bottom Line: ClamXAV wraps the venerable, open source ClamAntiVirus engine in a straightforward user interface. It's lab-certified to protect your Mac, but doesn't go beyond the basics.
Read ReviewESET Cyber Security (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Elaborate scan scheduling options. Good detection of Windows malware. Simple device control. Includes online cybersecurity training.
Cons: Poor results in our hands-on antiphishing test. Slow scans in testing. No longer certified by independent labs.
Bottom Line: Though it doesn't have current certification from independent testing labs, ESET Cyber Security offers comprehensive protection for your macOS devices plus cybersecurity training.
Read ReviewIntego Mac Internet Security X9 Review
MSRP: $49.99Pros: Certified by two labs for Mac malware protection. Includes full-featured firewall. Detects Mac, Windows, and Linux malware.
Cons: Poor detection of Windows malware. No protection against malicious or fraudulent websites.
Bottom Line: Intego Mac Internet Security X9 scores well in lab tests using Mac malware, and it offers firewall protection. But it fails against Windows malware and lacks protection against dangerous URLs.
Read ReviewMalwarebytes for Mac Premium Review
MSRP: $39.99Pros: Extremely fast malware scan. Very good reputation among tech experts.
Cons: No protection against malicious or fraudulent websites. No detection of Windows malware.
Bottom Line: The premium edition of Malwarebytes for Mac scans for active malware and uses real-time detection to prevent infestation. It has a very good reputation, but hard data showing its effectiveness is scarce.
Read ReviewProtectWorks AntiVirus (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $44.99Pros: Certified for Mac protection by an independent testing lab. Scans on demand, on access, and on schedule.
Cons: No web-based protection against malicious or fraudulent sites. Mediocre detection of Windows malware.
Bottom Line: An independent lab verifies that ProtectWorks AntiVirus can keep your Mac safe from malware, but it lacks some useful features found in competing products.
Read Review
Uninstalling an app on a Mac is so easy, you might not even realize how to do it: just drag the app’s icon from the Applications folder into the trash. But what about applications that don’t have shortcuts, built-in system apps, and other corner cases?
This will cover most situations, but not all of them. This method leaves some junk behind, for example, but it’s mostly okay to leave it there. Some other apps may have different uninstall processes, too. So let’s look at all the different things you need to know when it comes to uninstalling applications.
How to Uninstall Most Mac Applications
RELATED:How to Install Applications On a Mac: Everything You Need to Know
Most Mac applications are self-contained items that don’t mess with the rest of your system. Uninstalling an application is as simple as opening a Finder window, clicking “Applications” in the sidebar, Control-clicking or right-clicking the application’s icon, and selecting “Move to Trash.”
You can also drag-and-drop an application’s icon to the trash can icon on your dock. Or, open the Launchpad interface and drag-and-drop an application’s icon to the trash can from there.
Most applications will go straight to your trash, and you can then Control-click or right-click the trash can icon on your dock and select “Empty Trash” to get rid of that application and all the other files you’ve deleted.
However, some applications will prompt you for a password when you try to move them to the trash. These applications were installed using the Mac package installer. Uninstalling them will remove whatever system-wide changes they made.
Note that you can’t remove built-in applications by doing this. Avast deep scanning apps for threats unable to scan for mac. For example, try to move the Chess app to the trash and you’ll see a message saying, “Chess can’t be modified or deleted because it’s required by OS X.”
How to Remove Left Behind Files
The above method doesn’t actually erase an application’s preferences. Erase an application and it will leave preference files left over in your Library folders. Most of the time, these files will use very little space and won’t cause a problem. The preferences will still be available on your Mac, too — this is convenient if you’re uninstalling an app only to replace it with a newer version of the same app, or if you reinstall the app later down the line. It’ll keep all your preferences from when you had it installed before.
RELATED:How to Reset Any Mac App to Its Default Settings
If you absolutely must remove those files (say, if you want to reset an app to its default settings), you can use a handy app called AppCleaner to fully uninstall an app, along with all its extra files. Just launch AppCleaner, search for an application in its main window, and click on it, then click the “Remove” button in the popup window that appears.
How to Uninstall Apps That Don’t Appear in Your Applications Folder
But what about applications that don’t appear here? For example, install the Flash plug-in for Mac OS X, or the Java runtime and browser plug-in for Mac, and neither will appear in your Applications folder.
On Windows, that’s no problem — the Control Panel shows a list of all your installed programs, even ones without shortcuts. On a Mac, there’s no interface that lists all your installed software so it’s tough to even notice if you have this stuff installed.
Some applications must be removed in other ways, and you’ll generally find instructions by simply performing a web search for “uninstall [program name] mac”. For example, Adobe offers a separate uninstaller app you need to download and run to uninstall Flash on a Mac.
RELATED:How to Uninstall Java on Mac OS X
Oracle is even worse and doesn’t provide an easy app that will uninstall Java from Mac OS X for you. Instead, Oracle instructs you to run several terminal commands to uninstall Java after installing it. Here’s how to uninstall the Java runtime and development kit.
Come on, Oracle — at least provide a downloadable uninstaller like Adobe does.
Other software applications may provide their own downloadable uninstallers or uninstallation instructions, so perform a web search if you’re not sure how to uninstall something and you’ll find instructions.
How to Uninstall Adware and Other Crapware
Old Mac Laptops
RELATED:How to Remove Malware and Adware From Your Mac
Macs are now falling prey to the same epidemic of crapware Windows PCs have to deal with. The same free application download websites that serve this junk up to Windows users are serving similar junk to Mac users.
On a Windows PC, most “reputable” adware provides an uninstaller that sits in the Programs and Features list, allowing users to easily uninstall it for legal reasons. On a Mac, adware programs don’t have a similar place to list themselves in. They may want you to download and run an uninstaller app to remove them, if you can even figure out which ones you have installed.
We recommend the completely free Malwarebytes for Mac if you need to purge your Mac of crapware and even Mac malware. It’ll scan your Mac for junk applications and remove them for you.
How to Remove Built-in System Apps
Macs also have no way to uninstall or install operating system features, so there’s no way to easily remove the many applications Apple included with your Mac.
On OS X 10.10 Yosemite and earlier, it was possible to open a terminal window and issue commands to delete these system apps, which are located in the /Applications folder. For example, running the following command in a terminal window would delete the built-in Chess app. Be very careful when typing the following command:
sudo rm -rf /Applications/Chess.app
Avast For Old Macdonald
As of Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan, System Integrity Protection protects these applications and other system files from being modified. This prevents you from deleting them, and it also ensures malware can’t modify these applications and infect them.
RELATED:How to Disable System Integrity Protection on a Mac (and Why You Shouldn’t)
If you actually did want to remove any of these built-in apps from your Mac, you’d have to disable System Integrity Protection first. We don’t recommend that. However, you can re-enable SIP after and your Mac won’t mind that you’ve deleted Chess.app and other built-in system apps.
Really, we recommend you don’t do this. Mac OS X may automatically reinstall these applications in the future when you update the system, anyway. They don’t take up much space, and Apple provides no way to get them back beyond reinstalling OS X on your Mac.
Image Credit: Daniel Dudek-Corrigan on Flickr
Avast password for chrome on mac. Avast Passwords is currently available for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, and is included in Avast Secure Browser by default. Extensions are currently not supported in the Microsoft Edge browser. Avast Passwords is currently available for Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. Click the drop-down menu next to Password import and select Enabled, then click Relaunch now to confirm changes. Once Google Chrome relaunches, enter chrome://settings/passwords in the address bar. Click the ⋮ menu icon (three dots) next to Saved Passwords and select Import. Avast Passwords for Windows. All your passwords. All your credit card numbers. Always with you. Always with you. Simplify your online life with our free password manager. Avast Passwords for Mac. All your passwords. All your credit card numbers. Always with you. Quickly import your autofill info from Chrome and Firefox, which are unsafe.
Old Macintosh
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