If you have recently bought a Mac and have configured it from scratch, what I am about to tell in this article may not interest you. But if you are one of those who on your new Mac has restored data from the Time Machine copy of an old Mac and has been doing the same thing in several computer renovations, it is very likely that you have macOS full of old applications that it no longer makes sense to keep.
These applications, even if they no longer have a use, are not deleted since Apple always gives you the option to do it yourself even if there is no longer even compatibility. So now that we’re confined, it never hurts do a review of those applications and do some cleaning.
The ‘leftovers’ left over from old versions of macOS
First, open the Applications folder in the Finder (there is usually a shortcut in its sidebar). Take a good look at the applications you have there and review this list:
- No, you no longer need to have iPhoto installed. It has been many years since the application was replaced by the modern Photos, and it is also very likely that you cannot even start it since Apple stopped maintaining it.
- iWeb is an application that lost all its meaning with the explosion of social networks and the ease that we now have to share content, either publicly or privately. You can remove it without worries, even if you want to make a web page with it, the result would not be too compatible with today’s browsers.
- The same can be said about iDVD. With very few exceptions, nobody records their home videos on DVD discs anymore thanks to the fact that we can share them through private links on YouTube, pendrives or external drives and services like WeTransfer and even iCloud Drive folders. In addition, Apple has not supported or updated this application for years.
- And since we are talking about DVD discs, another application that you can remove is the DVD Player now that no Mac includes an optical disc reader. Do not worry, if at any specific moment you want to play a movie in that format through an external reader you can always resort to VLC. The player is free, open source, much better maintained, and more up-to-date.
- If you still have an old version of Office, like 2008 or 2011, it is very likely that you have applications like Microsoft Messenger installed on the Mac. It has been many services that this service was discontinued, so you can remove that application without problems. In fact, we recommend that you update the full Office itself, since macOS Big Sur is not capable of opening those old versions.
- Any application that has a forbidden symbol above its icon It is no longer compatible with your Mac, so you can remove all the programs that are in that state. There is no other remedy, they no longer work. If they are applications that you need, you should look for alternatives or more modern versions.
- Sometimes Apple automatically saves files to folders old versions of iMovie or iWork. If you use the most modern versions of these applications, you can delete the old versions without problem. What’s more, you can even delete the modern versions if you don’t use them to save space. You can always download them again for free in case of specific need.
- DivX and other components like DivX player they have stopped making sense with the universal compatibility of players like VLC. Eliminate them without fear.
- A little wild card: if you installed Acrobat Reader Believing it to be an essential application to open PDF documents, don’t worry. Preview is capable of reading and even editing those PDF documents, so you can remove the official reader so that Adobe doesn’t bother you with its updates. I would only stay with him in case I need to sign those PDF documents using electronic certificates.
We have another little check left. Open System Preferences and look for these two items:
- If you have installed Perian, the same thing that we have said with the case of DivX applies. You can remove everything, because if you install players like VLC you will not have compatibility problems with any video format.
- You still have Flash Player installed? It is time to finish him off, as he has been officially declared dead. Take it off.
Remember that you can uninstall the applications by deleting the program file directly, although a better way is using apps like AppCleaner. In the video above I explain how to do it easily, so that in addition to eliminating the application we also finish with its configuration files.