Cleaning out the stuff apps leave behind

[kimmer]

Going through my applications folder is an eye opening experience and I've been busy dumping never used, very old, etc. apps. Some of them I can find info on where all their additional files are to be found, but most I can't and I'd like to clear all this dead stuff off my HD. I know this has been shared here before, but I can't quickly find the info and so I'm hoping you'll take pity on me and point me to the best way to clear all the dead, unneeded clutter from these old apps off my drive.

Thank you ever so.

[jchuzi]

I remembered CleanApp but I haven't tried it myself. If you want to clean out clutter manually, look in ~/Library/Preferences for anything that begins with com.nameofdevelepor. Also, look in ~Library/Caches and ~/Library/Application Support. You could try a similar search in /Library.

In addition, look at some of the options here. Having never used any of these, I can't make a recommendation one way or the other.

[FLASH1296]

Cleanmymac  and xslimmer to name just two fine appl's for this purpose.


http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/30017/cleanmymac
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/23200/xslimmer

The latter is not quite as powerful as the former.

[kimmer]

Thanks, Jon and Flash. I'll check into your suggestions.

[Xairbusdriver]

I simply don't trust any app to be able to find things belonging to other apps when those items don't include the name of the original app. That's one reason I love "packages." Keep everything inside those and it's stupid simple to clear them away. Of course, they will probably still have a plist or two, but the smart, helpful developers always put their app or company name in the name of those files, also.

Second reason I don't bother with these 'cleaning' apps is that 99% of their unrecognizable files are probably less than a very few MBs of space. With even a 100GB drive, why bother taking the time to search or risking the loss of some file you didn't know you actually needed that the cleaning app blithely sent to the trash?!

The main space hog will be the app itself. If you don't remember what it was downloaded for, try running it and be ready for a bit of joy. If you do remember why you got it but can't remember the last time it was used, delete it and be ready for another bit of joy!

Finally, by not installing a 'cleaning app' you'll have one less deletion routine! I would suggest an app that shows file sizes. Then you can spend time finding out that none of the biggest ones can be deleted!

[Highmac]

Thanks Kimmer - useful thread!

In my G5 dock I've got CleanApp v1.6.4 (reckon it was a coverdisc freebie), so fired it up. Useful thing is you can search the HD for "unused files" and then choose to arrange them by size or age. Biggest unused files I've got are from Toast. You know when it asks "Do you want to save the  changes?" Well, I've obviously often said Yes and still have many of the original MPEG files as well as the Toast files! Result is GBs of video and audio files - which helps explain why there is only 39GB available on a 250GB drive.  

Main problem is when you try to delete an app you have never used it warns that some of its files "may be used by other programs", though the latest version claims to have dealt with that. However, I'm more inclined to go with Jim's suggestion that it's safer just to delete the program!

In the meantime, there are files to delete here..... see you later!

[kimmer]

Thanks for the help, everyone.

After researching and reading, I opted to simply delete the apps. Reclaimed just over a GB of space on my HD.  

Next I'll tackle my games folder.

Then comes my documents folder.

Followed by music, and finally pictures.

Figure it will take me all of 2011 to do this. LOL!

[Highmac]

Well, I regained 30GB just by clearing out all the duplicate videos and Toast disc images, along with AIFF source versions of audio that's in iTunes. When a one-hour TV show takes up 2+GB it didn't take too long

And when things are labelled "last opened" in 2003, you just KNOW you'll never, ever need it again.

Until, of course, about a week after you've deleted it  

[Xairbusdriver]

You deleted the aiff versions?! You probably through away your vinyl collection, too!!!

QUOTE

Until, of course, about a week after you've deleted it

Been there, have the T-shirt!