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Getting rid of redundant system files left in computer by deleted apps

Hi
Ive been using macbooks for a long time and have installed and then deleted many applications. I saw that folders of deleted applications still existed on my laptop.
Is there a way to delete all this dead weight to free up space on my hard drive and to keep my computer running fast short of formatting my HD and reinstalling all the applications?

— Taimur

Comments: 3 Responses to “Getting rid of redundant system files left in computer by deleted apps”

    14 years ago

    How much space are these files and folders taking up? I often hear users worrying about these files, when in reality they are only a very tiny portion of their hard drive, and not worth worrying about.
    Any automated solutions would come with the risk of them deleting files you need. If you really want to get rid of them, and have lots of spare time, then the right way to do it would be to go through them manually, checking these folders, figuring out what they were for, and deleting them (maybe archiving them just in case).

      Taimur Mumtaz
      14 years ago

      Ive come across CLEAN MY MAC. Is that safe?
      Reviews on the net recommend it.
      I ran a scan and it said about 40GB can be recovered. 36GB was used up in different Caches.

        14 years ago

        I've never used it. It can't possibly know about every application and what every file is for on your Mac.
        If it says that 36GB is used by caches, then it is including your browser cache and others that you still use. So it will clear those out for you, and then they will fill up again as you browse the Web (they are supposed to).
        But 36GB is very high. Do you do any video editing? Perhaps you have some video editing caches or something else.

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