Locate the game you want to uninstall in Add or Remove Programs or Apps & features (Windows 10) The second place you can delete the game from is the Steam client itself. Uninstalling the game from Steam is faster than the first option since you basically do the same thing from the client. The Mac apps you want to uninstall that come from installer apps almost all the time include a devoted uninstaller software with the original installer, you should use that, or follow the instructions outlined within the article you simply read to entry the related library folders, cache folders, etc, for every app you need to uninstall from. With the Steam application active, click the Steam menu and Quit Steam to exit Steam. Open Applications and drag Steam to the Trash. Click Go in the menu bar, hold down the option key until you see the Library folder, and open that folder from the drop-down.
Unlike the software developed for Windows system, most of the applications installed in Mac OS X generally can be removed with relative ease. Steam is a third party application that provides additional functionality to OS X system and enjoys a popularity among Mac users. However, instead of installing it by dragging its icon to the Application folder, uninstalling Steam may need you to do more than a simple drag-and-drop to the Trash.
Download Mac App RemoverWhen installed, Steam creates files in several locations. Generally, its additional files, such as preference files and application support files, still remains on the hard drive after you delete Steam from the Application folder, in case that the next time you decide to reinstall it, the settings of this program still be kept. But if you are trying to uninstall Steam in full and free up your disk space, removing all its components is highly necessary. Continue reading this article to learn about the proper methods for uninstalling Steam.
Manually uninstall Steam step by step:
Most applications in Mac OS X are bundles that contain all, or at least most, of the files needed to run the application, that is to say, they are self-contained. Thus, different from the program uninstall method of using the control panel in Windows, Mac users can easily drag any unwanted application to the Trash and then the removal process is started. Despite that, you should also be aware that removing an unbundled application by moving it into the Trash leave behind some of its components on your Mac. To fully get rid of Steam from your Mac, you can manually follow these steps:
1. Terminate Steam process(es) via Activity Monitor
Before uninstalling Steam, you’d better quit this application and end all its processes. If Steam is frozen, you can press Cmd +Opt + Esc, select Steam in the pop-up windows and click Force Quit to quit this program (this shortcut for force quit works for the application that appears but not for its hidden processes).
Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder in Launchpad, and select All Processes on the drop-down menu at the top of the window. Select the process(es) associated with Steam in the list, click Quit Process icon in the left corner of the window, and click Quit in the pop-up dialog box (if that doesn’t work, then try Force Quit).
2. Delete Steam application using the Trash
First of all, make sure to log into your Mac with an administrator account, or you will be asked for a password when you try to delete something.
Open the Applications folder in the Finder (if it doesn’t appear in the sidebar, go to the Menu Bar, open the “Go” menu, and select Applications in the list), search for Steam application by typing its name in the search field, and then drag it to the Trash (in the dock) to begin the uninstall process. Alternatively you can also click on the Steam icon/folder and move it to the Trash by pressing Cmd + Del or choosing the File and Move to Trash commands.
For the applications that are installed from the App Store, you can simply go to the Launchpad, search for the application, click and hold its icon with your mouse button (or hold down the Option key), then the icon will wiggle and show the “X” in its left upper corner. Click the “X” and click Delete in the confirmation dialog.
Download Mac App Remover3. Remove all components related to Steam in Finder
Though Steam has been deleted to the Trash, its lingering files, logs, caches and other miscellaneous contents may stay on the hard disk. For complete removal of Steam, you can manually detect and clean out all components associated with this application. You can search for the relevant names using Spotlight. Those preference files of Steam can be found in the Preferences folder within your user’s library folder (~/Library/Preferences) or the system-wide Library located at the root of the system volume (/Library/Preferences/), while the support files are located in '~/Library/Application Support/' or '/Library/Application Support/'.
Open the Finder, go to the Menu Bar, open the “Go” menu, select the entry:|Go to Folder... and then enter the path of the Application Support folder:~/Library
Search for any files or folders with the program’s name or developer’s name in the ~/Library/Preferences/, ~/Library/Application Support/ and ~/Library/Caches/ folders. Right click on those items and click Move to Trash to delete them.
Meanwhile, search for the following locations to delete associated items:
- /Library/Preferences/
- /Library/Application Support/
- /Library/Caches/
Besides, there may be some kernel extensions or hidden files that are not obvious to find. In that case, you can do a Google search about the components for Steam. Usually kernel extensions are located in in /System/Library/Extensions and end with the extension .kext, while hidden files are mostly located in your home folder. You can use Terminal (inside Applications/Utilities) to list the contents of the directory in question and delete the offending item.
4. Empty the Trash to fully remove Steam
If you are determined to delete Steam permanently, the last thing you need to do is emptying the Trash. To completely empty your trash can, you can right click on the Trash in the dock and choose Empty Trash, or simply choose Empty Trash under the Finder menu (Notice: you can not undo this act, so make sure that you haven’t mistakenly deleted anything before doing this act. If you change your mind, before emptying the Trash, you can right click on the items in the Trash and choose Put Back in the list). In case you cannot empty the Trash, reboot your Mac.
Download Mac App RemoverTips for the app with default uninstall utility:
You may not notice that, there are a few of Mac applications that come with dedicated uninstallation programs. Though the method mentioned above can solve the most app uninstall problems, you can still go for its installation disk or the application folder or package to check if the app has its own uninstaller first. If so, just run such an app and follow the prompts to uninstall properly. After that, search for related files to make sure if the app and its additional files are fully deleted from your Mac.
Automatically uninstall Steam with MacRemover (recommended):
No doubt that uninstalling programs in Mac system has been much simpler than in Windows system. But it still may seem a little tedious and time-consuming for those OS X beginners to manually remove Steam and totally clean out all its remnants. Why not try an easier and faster way to thoroughly remove it?
If you intend to save your time and energy in uninstalling Steam, or you encounter some specific problems in deleting it to the Trash, or even you are not sure which files or folders belong to Steam, you can turn to a professional third-party uninstaller to resolve troubles. Here MacRemover is recommended for you to accomplish Steam uninstall within three simple steps. MacRemover is a lite but powerful uninstaller utility that helps you thoroughly remove unwanted, corrupted or incompatible apps from your Mac. Now let’s see how it works to complete Steam removal task.
1. Download MacRemover and install it by dragging its icon to the application folder.
2. Launch MacRemover in the dock or Launchpad, select Steam appearing on the interface, and click Run Analysis button to proceed.
3. Review Steam files or folders, click Complete Uninstall button and then click Yes in the pup-up dialog box to confirm Steam removal.
The whole uninstall process may takes even less than one minute to finish, and then all items associated with Steam has been successfully removed from your Mac!
Benefits of using MacRemover:
MacRemover has a friendly and simply interface and even the first-time users can easily operate any unwanted program uninstallation. With its unique Smart Analytic System, MacRemover is capable of quickly locating every associated components of Steam and safely deleting them within a few clicks. Thoroughly uninstalling Steam from your mac with MacRemover becomes incredibly straightforward and speedy, right? You don’t need to check the Library or manually remove its additional files. Actually, all you need to do is a select-and-delete move. As MacRemover comes in handy to all those who want to get rid of any unwanted programs without any hassle, you’re welcome to download it and enjoy the excellent user experience right now!
This article provides you two methods (both manually and automatically) to properly and quickly uninstall Steam, and either of them works for most of the apps on your Mac. If you confront any difficulty in uninstalling any unwanted application/software, don’t hesitate to apply this automatic tool and resolve your troubles.
Download Mac App RemoverSteam is the most well-known game platform on which you can download thousands of games. However, some people feel that playing games on Steam takes too much time and downloading games takes up too much computer space. So this article tells you how to uninstall Steam on your Windows PC and Mac.
Contents:
What Happens if I Uninstall Steam? Will Uninstalling Steam Remove my Games?
If you delete Steam from your computer, it will delete all files related to your steam such as steam games, game maps, and some game configuration files. In this way, when you reinstall Steam, you need to download the game again, re-personalize the game settings, and do on, which will take a lot of time.
So if you decide to reinstall Steam afterwards, you can back up Steam games before uninstalling it.
Related: How to Fix Steam Content File Locked
3 Ways to Uninstall Steam on Windows Computer
It is very easy to uninstall an application on a Windows computer. You can use the Windows built-in uninstaller to uninstall Steam or use a professional third-party uninstalling software such as IObit Uninstaller to help you uninstall Steam and clean up its residual files.
Before uninstalling Steam, you should consider backing up Steam games and other Steam files in case you wanted to return to Steam.
Uninstall Steam in Windows Control Panel
1. Close Steam on your desktop.
2. Go to Control Panel >Programs and Features. Here you should set the control panel View Category as Small Icons.
3. Find Steam, and double click to uninstall it. You can also right click it and select Uninstall. Then follow the uninstallation wizard to uninstall this application.
Uninstall Steam Games Mac
If there are other programs related to Steam, uninstall them one by one.
In Windows 10, you can also use the Apps & Features option to uninstall Steam.
How Do I Uninstall Apps On Mac
Locate Start >Settings >Apps >Apps & features >Steam >Uninstall.
Tips:
If uninstalling Steam failed in this way, it may be due to file conflicts or other reasons, but your Steam file has been damaged. In this case, if you want to continue uninstalling Steam, you may first be required to download and install Steam to repair the installation. The new files will overwrite the old files before you can uninstall them.
Uninstalling Steam with IObit Uninstaller
Except Control Panel, there are a lot of third-party software that can be used to uninstall Steam. Here use IObit Uninstaller as an example.
IObit Uninstaller is a very powerful Windows uninstall software. It can help you automatically uninstall Windows Apps, third-party programs, and clean leftovers automatically. With this software, you can also uninstall Toolbars and Plugins which are installed on your Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, etc.
1. Download, install and run IObit Uninstaller on your computer.
2. In the Programs list, select Steam and then click Delete icon.
3. Click Uninstall. Here IObit Uninstaller starts automatically to remove residual files. And if you want to create a restores point, you can check the first checkbox.
Follow the uninstallation guide to uninstall Steam step by step.
How to Uninstall Steam on Registry Editor
If you are proficient in fixing computer problems, you can use the Registry Editor to delete Steam. But when you operate in the Registry Editor, you need to be very careful to avoid deleting or modifying other files accidentally, thus causing system problems.
1. Exit Steam.
2. Go to the Steam directory on your computer, which is normally located in C:Program FilesSteamor C:Program FilesValveSteam.
3. Delete all of the contents of your Steam directory.
4. Type Regedit in the search box to open the Registry Editor.
5. For the 64-bit operating system, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWow6432NodeValve.
For operating systems on 32-bit , you should go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREValve.
Here if you do not know if your system is 32bit or 64bit, you can view this tutorial: how to check computer specs on Windows 10, 8, 7.
6. Right click Valve and select Delete to uninstall Steam.
7. Close your Registry Editor.
Related: How to Fix Steam Missing File Privileges
How to Uninstall Steam on Mac
It is slightly different in uninstalling Steam on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or other Mac products than that on Windows systems or other programs on Mac products. The following part will tell you how to uninstall Steam on a Mac computer.
1. Close Steam.
2. Go to Finder >Applications >Steam App.
3. Right click Steam.app and select Move to Trash or directly drag it to the Trash. Remember that it will not fully uninstall Steam on Mac, so you should follow next steps to continue uninstalling it.
4. On the Mac desktop, click Go >Go to Folder.
5. Then type~/Library in the search box and click the Go
6. In the Application Support, find the Steam folder.
7. If you want to remove all the Steam files including Steam games, you can delete the whole Steam folder.
And if you want to keep the Steam games, you can delete all folders except the SteamApps folder.
8. Empty the Trash by selecting Finder ->Empty Trash.
How to Reinstall Steam on Windows and Mac
For someone want to reinstall the Steam again after uninstall it on Windows and Mac.
1. Goes to here: https://store.steampowered.com/about/
2. Click Install Steam. Here you can download Steam on Windows and Mac platform.
3. Once the Steam downloaded, open the Steam and follow the installation instructions to install Steam to your Windows and Mac computer.
Conclusion:
As a popular game platform, Steam is very user-friendly, which is why so many users choose to use it. If you don’t want to use it anymore, you can uninstall it easily. And Steam also provides a backup function to help you save time during reinstallation. After you reinstall it, just import the original game backup file to enjoy games with PC again.