how do I delete programs I will never ever use?

[hempomatic]

Is there any way to delete the programs I will never use? Here is a list.
Start with virtually ALL of the utilities.
Color Sync Utility
Audio Midi setup
Digital color meter
Grab
Grapher
Script Editor
Voice Over Utility
Bluetooth file exchange
X11

Then we have the regular programs
Automator
Chess
Font Book
Game Center
Messages
Photo Booth
Reminders
Stickies

It seems that these programs in total take a great deal of space at the very least, and at worst, create compatibility issues within the context of upgrading.
For example, X11 (whatever the heck THAT is) . If I click on it, I get an error message saying it is no longer included with OS X. If I try to delete it, I'm told that OS X requires it to function.

 

[pigoo3]

Personally I wouldn't mess around trying to delete these things.

- They really don't take up that much space (I would say less than 1gig all together).
- By themselves they really don't cause that many issues (they are part of the OS install).
- You never know…in the future you may want/need someone them…and then it may be a pain in the butt to get them back.

Just trying to help you avoid issues in the future.

- Nick

 

[Raz0rEdge]

$ du -sch ColorSync\ Utility.app Audio\ MIDI\ Setup.app Digital\ Color\ Meter.app Grab.app/ Grapher.app/ Script\ Editor.app/ VoiceOver\ Utility.app/ Bluetooth\ File\ Exchange.app/ X11.app/
 11M	ColorSync Utility.app
4.2M	Audio MIDI Setup.app
324K	Digital Color Meter.app
896K	Grab.app/
 22M	Grapher.app/
5.4M	Script Editor.app/
4.1M	VoiceOver Utility.app/
904K	Bluetooth File Exchange.app/
 68K	X11.app/
 48M	total

$ du -sch Automator.app/ Chess.app/ Font\ Book.app/ Game\ Center.app/ Messages.app/ Photo\ Booth.app/ Reminders.app/ Stickies.app/
 10M	Automator.app/
4.8M	Chess.app/
 10M	Font Book.app/
2.3M	Game Center.app/
 16M	Messages.app/
 24M	Photo Booth.app/
4.1M	Reminders.app/
4.5M	Stickies.app/
 76M	total

So that's a total of 124MB for these applications. You might never use them, but at the same time they take up nearly NO space and aren't worth deleting to get any useful space back..

 

[hempomatic]

Personally I wouldn't mess around trying to delete these things.

- They really don't take up that much space (I would say less than 1gig all together).
- By themselves they really don't cause that many issues (they are part of the OS install).
- You never know…in the future you may want/need someone them…and then it may be a pain in the butt to get them back.

Just trying to help you avoid issues in the future.

- Nick

This is just part of the "it's just too complicated" thing that keeps bugging me. I can't just drag them to the garbage, I get the message that they are required by OS X. C'mon, GAME CENTER? Fortunately, Keynote, Numbers and Pages never installed. I have no idea what they are, but given that fact alone, I'm pretty sure I don't need them. LOL The likelihood of ever wanting/needing them is pretty slim, I'd say about %0.00.

If it can't be done, it can't be done. I'm just trying to simplify things, not complicate them

ken

 

[hempomatic]

Somehow Garageband and iMovie ended up on the computer, same thing with those? Can they be deleted?

 

[hempomatic]

So that's a total of 124MB for these applications. You might never use them, but at the same time they take up nearly NO space and aren't worth deleting to get any useful space back..

It's more a function of simplification that space. If I don't need them and I will never use them, why are they there. It would make sense to me if you were able to opt IN if you so desired. I find it pretty unlikely that Game Center is a required program to effectively run OS X

 

[MacInWin]

Pages is a word processor, Numbers is a spreadsheet and Keynote is a presentation software. Rough equivalents to Word, Excel and Powerpoint. All from Apple, none will cause any problems with Yosemite because they are from Apple.

 

[chscag]

@hempomatic:

Considering all you've been through with your last machine - if it isn't broke, don't try to fix it. Leave well enough alone and stop worrying about what's needed. If you start removing things there's a good chance you'll be spending your Thanksgiving holiday in your local Apple Store genius bar! ;D

 

[pigoo3]

I'm just trying to simplify things, not complicate them.

You may end up complicating things…when in the future you may find you needed one or more of them. What you're doing is "micro-managing" things. Don't sweat the small stuff!

I would really hate to see a thread from you in the future…where the question is asked…"Silly me…I deleted a bunch of apps a while ago…now I need them back. How do I get them back?"

- Nick

 

[JimInSD]

Clean out the turd files...

I highly recommend AppCleaner. It is a donation-ware program which sits in the background watching and if you drag an application to the trash, it searches and pops open a dialog box with all the related prefs, files, folders for that application and you can choose to delete or let the files & folders stay. It works great and seems to take next to no processing power in the background. They have versions available for OS X 10.4 through 10.10. Give it a try.

 

[MacInWin]

Hemp, Listen to Nick. If the system says it needs the app, then leave it alone.

 

[chas_m]

Game Center is in fact connected to thousands of games (probably hundreds of thousands) you COULD load on your device, and if Game Center isn't there guess what ... they won't work, because they can't find the system component that is supposed to be there and will just hang.

This is like saying "I don't use QuickTime! Let's get rid of it!"

Bottom line: Your Mac is not a PC filled with bloatware. Apple adds a few small sample apps to get you started, and its true you may never use/need them ... but its a bad idea to delete or muck about with the pre-installed stuff. Leave it alone.

 

[hempomatic]

I would really hate to see a thread from you in the future…where the question is asked…"Silly me…I deleted a bunch of apps a while ago…now I need them back. How do I get them back?"

- Nick

No Nick, you'll never see that. If that happened, I'd find another forum, too embarrassed to ask you how to fix it here

ken

 

[TattooedMac]

Pages is a word processor, Numbers is a spreadsheet and Keynote is a presentation software. Rough equivalents to Word, Excel and Powerpoint. All from Apple, none will cause any problems with Yosemite because they are from Apple.

TBH, there is nothing rough about Pages, Numbers and Keynote. They are Apples representation of a Word Processor, Spreadsheet Processor and a Presentation App. They deserve all the 5 stars they get IMHO. . . .

@OP, if you do any of the above, give the Apps a try out, because they do produce beautiful documents, and are far easier to use than the Microsoft equivalents. As well as that, they can also be saved in in the Microsoft Format.

No Nick, you'll never see that. If that happened, I'd find another forum, too embarrassed to ask you how to fix it here

ken

Ken never be embarrassed to ask anything here mate. If that ever happens, we aren't doing our job as members of the community, making you feel at home, and relaxed. Dang, I have asked some silly questions here, when I first started on my Apple journey, but every question, was taken as if it was a question that needed some thought.
Please don't feel that way, and a wise man told me once "There is never a stupid question, there is only stupid answers"

Cheers

PS : Fodd for thought, if there was a App in the OS when installed, (speaking exclusively to Mac OS X) it is best to leave it on, because you would be surprised what they do do. Believe everyone that says leave them, if it says so.

 

[hempomatic]

OK guys, you convinced me. I won't attempt to delete anything that accompanied the OS.

@OP give the Apps a try out, because they do produce beautiful documents, and are far easier to use than the Microsoft equivalents.

I'm sure they're lovely, but I have no idea why I would ever need them. I don't even know what a spreadsheet is. If it doesn't play music, take pictures or help me rebuild an engine .........

If you start removing things there's a good chance you'll be spending your Thanksgiving holiday in your local Apple Store genius bar!

Excellent point, an unacceptable situation to be sure. Given the choice of beer, football and turkey, OR the Genius Bar .........

Thanks again everyone for your help and advice.

ken

 

[pigoo3]

OK guys, you convinced me. I won't attempt to delete anything that accompanied the OS.

Thanks again everyone for your help and advice.

Excellent choice!

- Nick

 

[MacInWin]

TBH, there is nothing rough about Pages, Numbers and Keynote. They are Apples representation of a Word Processor, Spreadsheet Processor and a Presentation App. They deserve all the 5 stars they get IMHO. . . .

The current incantations don't have the functionality of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, hence the rough. They do what they do brilliantly, but the Office stuff just does more.

 

[toMACsh]

I don't even know what a spreadsheet is. I

It's simply the best thing since sliced bread. You can make it do the math for you, use it to sort things every which way, and much, much more. Once you start using them, you wonder how you ever got along without them.

 

[hempomatic]

It's simply the best thing since sliced bread. You can make it do the math for you, use it to sort things every which way, and much, much more. Once you start using them, you wonder how you ever got along without them.

You guys crack me up. You are all DETERMINED to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st century. LOL ;D

Not gonna happen. I turn my computer on, all sorts of interesting stuff magically appears. I have no idea what most of it does, and as long as it doesn't interfere with the few things I have figured out, I reckon I'm content to leave 'em right where they are.

Unless it can help me understand music theory or rebuild a Harley engine, my brain is already full of stuff I don't need or can't use. I have no room in there for more !

And MATH? MATH? That's those number thingies, right?

ken

 

[RadDave]

You guys crack me up. You are all DETERMINED to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st century. LOL ;D

Not gonna happen. I turn my computer on, all sorts of interesting stuff magically appears. I have no idea what most of it does, and as long as it doesn't interfere with the few things I have figured out, I reckon I'm content to leave 'em right where they are.

Unless it can help me understand music theory or rebuild a Harley engine, my brain is already full of stuff I don't need or can't use. I have no room in there for more !

And MATH? MATH? That's those number thingies, right?

Ken - LOL! So, you're a motorcycle driving musician/composer? However, the image below came to mind - ;D

But, I'm sure that you know what a 'spreadsheet' is or are you just kidding? In fact, VisiCalc by Dan Bricklin released in the late 70s on the Apple II was the first spreadsheet, and probably got more people interested in computers at that time (well, games?) than can be imagined - but that's just history.

As to your current dilemma, keep the programs as already suggested - but, why not put the ones you are not using onto another home screen that you never view or make some folders and stick a bunch of unused apps into them - label 'Junk', 'Unused', or something else. Dave P.S. and thanks for the fun thread.
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