How to Delete Downloads on Mac

You can delete a file or folder on Mac. One is by using the Move to bin option, and the other is by dragging and dropping the files or folder over to the trash bin.

You can delete downloads on Mac using some direct methods. Simply choose the drag-and-drop method, where you can take up the download file, drag it and then drop it into the trash on your desktop. You can also select multiple files using the command key and click right on it. Choose the option Move to Trash, and all the files will be deleted.

This article details how you can delete downloads on your Mac and a few more helpful things. Keep reading to find out more. 

How to Delete Downloads on Mac

The first method is to use the Move to bin option on your Mac. Refer to the instructions provided below to see how it is done.

• Power on your Mac and sign in to it.
• Open a Finder window and click on the Downloads tab from the menu on the left-hand side. 
• Now select the file that you want to delete. If you’re going to select multiple files at once, hold down the Command key while selecting the files. 
• Now, all you need to do is use the two-finger gesture to display the contextual menu and select Move to Trash from the list.

• The selected files will be moved to the trash bin. 
• Alternatively, you can also use the drag-and-drop method to do the same. 
• To do this, select the files you want to delete and drag them over to the trash bin on the dock to delete them.

After moving the files to the bin, you need to open the trash bin by clicking on its shortcut on the dock and selecting Empty from the top right corner of the window to delete the files permanently.

Read How to Make a Scroll Bar Appear on Mac

How to Mass Delete Download Files on Mac?

Deleting download files in bulk is similar to the method mentioned above. Refer to the steps given below to learn how to do it.

• Power on your Mac and sign in to it.
• Open a Finder window and click on the Downloads tab from the menu on the left-hand side. 
• If you want to delete everything within the folder, use the Command-A shortcut to select all the items within the folder. 
• After that, use the two-finger gesture to display the contextual menu and select move to bin from the list. 

Read How to Move a Folder on Mac

How to Delete a Downloaded App on Mac?

Deleting or uninstalling an application on your Mac is similar to deleting files and other things. Refer to the instructions provided below to see how it is done.

1. Using Finder

• Power on your Mac and sign in to it.
• Open a Finder window from the dock and open the Applications folder from the menu on the left-hand side. 
• Select the application you want to remove and use the Command-Delete shortcut to delete it, or you can also use right-click and choose Move to Trash.

Now open the trash bin and empty it to delete the application permanently. 

Unlike Windows, uninstalling applications on Mac simply means deleting them, which removes them from the system. However, some applications do come with uninstalling applications too.

2. Using Launchpad

Alternatively, another way to remove the application from your Mac is using Launchpad. 

• First, click on the Launchpad icon from the dock. 
• Search for the application that you want to remove from your system. 
• Now, you need to click and hold the application till it starts shaking, just like how applications begin to shake when clicked on and had on iPhones and iPads. 
• Click on the small x icon in the top left corner of the icon and click on Delete to remove the application.

However, several residual files remain on your system

Deleting Applications Entirely

To completely remove all application traces from your system, you must go to each folder and manually delete them.  Use the list below to access these folders and delete the application items.

• Binary and dock icons are located in: /Applications/
• Application support files are located in ~/Library/Application Support
• Support Caches can be found in: /Library/Caches/ and
• ~/Library/Caches
• Plugins are located in ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/
• The library can be found in ~/Library/
• App preferences are located in ~/Library/Preferences/
• Crashes are found in ~/Library/Application Support/CrashReporter/
• App saved states are located in ~/Library/Saved Application State/

To access these folders, you can manually follow the path or use a Finder window to access them. Open a Finder window and click on Go from the menu bar, select Go to Folder, and type in the paths mentioned above. Delete the files that carry the application name you want to remove. 

Read How to Turn on Skype Camera on Mac

Deleting Applications Using Third-Party Software

You can also use third-party applications like CleanMyMac X to remove applications from your Mac. This application can remove multiple applications at once. Refer to the steps provided below to know more. 

• Power on your Mac and sign in to it. 
• Open your preferred browser, head to the CleanMyMac X website, and download its free version. 
• Once the application has been installed, launch it. 
• Now, from the Menu on the left-hand side, click on Uninstaller. 
• Click on All applications and select the applications that you want to remove from your system from the right-hand side section. 
• Once you’ve selected the apps you want to delete, click on Uninstall and wait until they’re removed. 

How to Delete System Files on Mac?

You cannot delete system files on your Mac, as none of the Mac cleaners allow you to do so. However, CleanMyMac X does allow you to remove data related to the system application like Safari and reset them completely.  

Conclusion

That’s it for this article, folks; now you know how to delete downloads on your Mac. We recommend using the first method to simply move them to the bin, as some third-party software might be behind a paywall. Moreover, if you want to remove system applications like Safari from your system, you’ll need to use specific commands within the Terminal to do so.

You may like the following mac tutorials:

• How to Transfer Videos From iPhone to Mac
• iCloud Drive Take Up Space on Mac
• How to See Recent Activity on Mac
• Do Not Disturb on Mac
• How to Stop Discord From Launching on Startup Mac