An app will not move to the Trash: the four reasons, and how to get past each

You drag an app to the Trash and macOS refuses. The message tells you which of four reasons it is.

It is open

The item can't be moved to the Trash because it's open. Quit the app. If it has no window, it may be running in the menu bar or as a background helper. Open Activity Monitor, search for the app's name, select it and click the stop button. Then try again.

# Find running processes by name
pgrep -il "appname"

It is part of macOS

Can't be modified or deleted because it's required by macOS. Built-in apps like Safari and Music live on the sealed system volume. They cannot be removed, and they do not use your space. See deleting preinstalled apps.

You do not have permission

If macOS asks for an administrator password, the app was installed for all users. Enter an admin name and password. If your account is not an administrator, someone who is has to remove it.

It has its own uninstaller

Some apps, including many security, VPN and driver packages, install helpers that keep them running. Look for an uninstaller in the app's folder, its menu, or its website, and use that. Dragging the app alone leaves the helpers behind.

Other ways to delete

• Launchpad: hold an App Store app's icon until it jiggles and click the cross.
• System Settings, General, Storage, Applications: select and delete.

What apps leave behind: uninstalling leaves files behind.