I’ve got about 160 or so apps on my Mac. Like probably many users, I’ve got a core group that I use frequently (probably in the Dock), some less frequently, some hardly ever, and of course some I don’t use at all. While I’m not worried about the space they take up on the boot drive, I’d like to clean up the list of apps and arrange it more usefully. I never really was a big fan of Launchpad or the Dock App folder either. Scrolling through either of those is often a time waster because I am not familiar with the icon, and often the cute name the creator gave the app is so unrelated to it’s function that it doesn’t help either.
I suppose having groups of related apps would help clean up the list and at least minimize the choices I need to sort through, trying to find that one app that I want to keep but don’t use that often.
What’s your app or method for making app managment more efficient?
I"m going to be that guy you hate however I don’t have ANY methods for this. The number grow - and grow - and I use Alfred to launch them when I need. The closest I get to any kind of management is that I actually turn automatic updates off for them, and then use CleanMyMac as my place for manually approving the updates - but that’s only because for ScreenCastsONLINE, I need to know when an app has any killer new features so I make a note of new features for each app in Notion so I"m covered when I need to do an update video
There are some apps whose names do not ring a bell as to what they do after a while. So I maintain a document with all the apps installed and add a line as to what it does so I can look them up when I need the functionality.
I’ve been using it since it was in Beta, and have never had that happen.
That said, I have less than 100 apps, and I review every item carefully before deleting.
One thing I like about Clean My Mac’s deletion tool for apps is that it cleans up the scattered bits and pieces.
You could always use Clean My Mac to generate a list, which you manage manually.
Alternatively, you could create a folder in Apps called Closet, where you move apps you are thinking about deleting, then check it at some pre-determined interval to actually delete those you haven’t missed.
Back in the day, I used DragThing to group apps. Alas, it is no more. There are similar dock enhancement / replacement apps, allowing one to group apps based on context or domain, but I do not use them so I cannot recommend any particular one.
Today I use Alfred as my app launcher, and don’t worry about such app management, apps are just in the Applications folder. I also use Bunch to launch sets of apps based on what I want to do.
Finally, I use the Comments section of the Get Info window to note what the app does, along with the URL of the developer’s website.
I use AppCleaner, which also “cleans up the scattered bits and pieces”. I also have Hazel, which finds even more of those leftover bits. (PearCleaner is another such tool, but I’ve not used it. Also back in the day, I used AppZapper, I miss the sound effects.)
I’ve used CleanMyMac X (not the newest version, sans “X”), although I don’t use it much now. I believe the issues you’re referring to are not when deleting apps, but when “cleaning out junk”. This has not happened to me, but I’ve seen reports of CleanMyMac X being too aggressive in cleaning out what it thinks is junk, that were actually files needed by other apps. I would not have any qualms about using CleanMyMac X for deleting apps.
My method is when I buy a new Mac, I do a clean install and only install the apps I actually use. Maybe this is a bit extreme, but it only happens once every 3-5 years.
Solutions! Thanks for these ideas. As I said, useful organization is my concern, especially for the apps that might not be used that frequently. As a long-time user of CleanMyMac and a longer-time user of AppCleaner, I’ve had no concerns deleting apps that I know I don’t need anymore. Storage space is not an issue. I’ve got about 1/2 a TB left on my internal SSD since I’ve got most all media stored externally.
The folders full of aliases seems so obvious but one of those ideas I never thought of. I can’t say why but hey, that’s why I’m here. Adding notes to go along with the app is great too - while some apps have names that clearly describe what they do, many others don’t even come close. That’s the point of the attached meme. I’m quite sure I got some apps for the really helpful but rarely needed or esoteric functions they perform.
