How to find and list all applications that exist in Mac computer storage?

In certain situations, you may need to know the number and type of applications installed on a Mac computer. This could be to check for malicious applications that are sometimes bundled with other software, or to list existing apps that might be occupying excessive storage space. If you have recently acquired a Mac, you may wish to know information about existing applications and this guide can help. Tv app apple mac. Furthermore, if you are a keen or enthusiastic user, you can also manually check versions of installed software.

There are a number of ways to check all existing applications on the Mac as detailed here. The methods work with all versions of the Mac operating system. With the guidance offered, you can easily perform the checks. We start with simple methods, and then move to more advanced ones, which should present no problems if you carefully follow the steps within the guide. For example, we start with those requiring the least knowledge with Finder, and then walk through using Terminal and printing results into a text-based file on the desktop.

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Check installed apps via Finder

This is the easiest method, however, it also displays the least results: app names, date/time last modified, and size occupied on internal storage. Simply launch Finder and select the Applications folder from the left sidebar. Alternatively, press the keyboard shortcut of Shift, Command, and A. This will display all apps that were added through Mac App Store, came together with the operating system, installed through package managers, and manually attached by users via the drag-and-drop method. All user-level applications are included - enabling list view will allow you to freely scroll through existing apps.

Alternatively, Launchpad also serves to list applications and is one of the easiest way to locate apps for novice users. Note, however, that the Application folder is generally more useful for regular users. Furthermore, this method can be used to generate a list of all existing apps within a text-based file simply using a few keyboard shortcuts. In the applications folder, press the combination of Command and A to select all items within the window. Then press Command and C to copy the selection. Launch the TextEdit application using Spotlight - press the combination of Command and Spacebar, and then type TextEdit. In the text-based window, click on Edit in the menu bar at top of the screen, and then select Paste and Match Style.

You can save and rename this file. The applications folder can help you to determine which apps you might force to close, without crashing the operating system. You can also delete software directly from this folder. Detailed information can be found in this article.

Inspect the applications list through System Information

In you need more detailed information about each app stored on the computer, including system software, a more advanced method is available. This is simply a system report, and so you can use this option without fear of damaging the system, corrupting files, and so on. Therefore, you will not be able to delete or disable applications listed within the System Report. To access the information, hold down the Option (Alt) key on the keyboard and click the Apple logo in the menu bar at top of the screen. Then select System Information. In the new window, click on Applications under Software in the left sidebar. In the main area of window, you will see a list of all existing apps and additional information, such as version, source, where the app was obtained, and date/time of last modification. Clicking individual items in the list will display location in storage, information about the developer, and basic information expressed as a 'Get Info' string. User-level apps are displayed and also those necessary for system functions. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not delete or modify applications from this list, unless you are an advanced user (otherwise this could result in an operating system crash or making your computer inaccessible).

Find all application using Terminal

One of the most efficient methods to find app information is via the built-in command line application called Terminal. This, however, does require some advanced knowledge. Using this app, you can access useful functions, ignoring restrictions and even protected folders. To list all existing applications, you can use the find function, sudo command, which will grant access to all user and system folders. Launch Terminal using Spotlight - press the keyboard shortcut of Command and Spacebar, type Terminal, and then press Return. Alternatively, go to the Utilities folder under Applications. Once the application has launched, type the following command and press return to execute it (you will be asked to enter the administrators password, since you are trying to grant super user permissions):

• sudo find / -iname *.app

Since there are many files using the .app extension within the Mac operating system, displaying all them within a Terminal window might force the app and/or your computer to freeze. Therefore, as an alternative, we recommend that you print the results into a text-based file using the following command:

• sudo find / -iname *.app > ~/Desktop/ListAppFiles.txt

Using this syntax, all files that contain the .app extension will be written into the text-based file stored on the Desktop. You will also be able to find the location of those apps. This is probably the best option if you wish to check storage for possible malicious software - within the text file, you can use the Find function by clicking on Edit in the menu bar at top of the screen and selecting Find.

Video Showing how to list all Apps on Mac

What are startup items?

Startup items, or login items, are services and applications that launch every time you start your Mac. These are applications that sneak into startup items without notice, never asking if you need or want them there. This way you may end up with a dozen apps launching as soon as you turn on your Mac, weighing heavily on its processor and memory capacities and slowing it down. Such items can increase your Mac’s startup time and decrease its performance.

Plus, sometimes when you remove an application or a service, it leaves a login item with a broken link. These broken login items are completely useless, cause unwanted messages, and waste your Mac's resources (because they look for non-existent applications). Whether you're running macOS Catalina or El Capitan, or earlier — it's all the same, so just read on.

So, let's go over how to take control of login items, and how to get rid of unwanted, broken or hidden startup items.

How to disable startup programs?

Do you want to stop programs from running at startup? There’s an easy way to remove programs from startup and get your Mac to load faster on launch. The fastest way to turn off startup items on Mac is an app like CleanMyMac X.

1. Download CleanMyMac for free.
2. Launch the app.
3. Open Optimization tab.
4. Click on Login items.
5. From the list of apps, disable the ones you don’t need on startup.
6. Done!

How to change startup programs manually?

Disabling Mac startup programs is possible manually. Therefore, if you have some time and would like to do it yourself, follow the steps below.

Your login items are listed in settings. One of the easiest ways to control startup items is inside System Preferences > Users & Groups.

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Go to Users & Groups.
3. Choose your nickname on the left.
4. Choose Login items tab.
5. Check startup programs you want to remove.
6. Press the “–” sign below.
7. You’re done.
8. If you need to add an item back, press “+” and choose the app you’d like add.
9. Then restart your Mac to see the changes.

How to fix broken startup items?

Broken Mac startup files are left there because some part of apps are left on your Mac long after you’ve moved the app to the Trash. To get rid of these parts and to fix your startup, you’re going to need CleanMyMac again. First, you need to check if they’re among startup items and disable them if so. You can do it following the instructions above. Then you need to remove app leftovers. CleanMyMac works fine on macOS High Sierra and earlier OS.

1. Launch CleanMyMac.
2. Choose Uninstaller tab.
3. Scroll through the list of apps.
4. If you spot any app that you’ve deleted, check them.
5. Delete the app leftovers you’ve chosen.

You can also find and remove broken login items with the help of System Junk module:

1. Choose System Junk tab.
2. Click Scan.
3. Review details and click Clean.

Finally, you need to clean your macOS startup items through launch services:

1. Open Maintenance tab.
2. Choose Rebuild Launch Services.
3. Hit Run.
4. Done.

Once you do it, all broken app data on your Mac will be fixed.

Remove daemons and agents from startup process

If speaking of files, first go to the system folder /Library/StartUpItems. Here you’ll find all the startup files that are being launched with the system. You can delete the login item you think is necessary if you’re totally sure what you are doing.

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Also, the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder contains a bunch of preference files that define how the application that is being launched along with the system should work. You might want to delete some of these files as well if you know you don’t need them and removing them is safe.

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The /Library/LaunchAgents contains preference files responsible for the apps that launch during the login process (not the startup).

The above-mentioned folders contain app-related files. However, you can also check system folders to review whether you need some of the system applications to be running on startup:

1. /System/Library/LaunchDaemons - note that besides preference files this folder contains other important system items that are recommended to keep untouched.
2. /System/Library/LaunchAgents - most probably, you won’t also find anything worth removing in this folder, however, keeping this location in mind might help you find files related to a problematic app that causes troubles on Mac startup. If you have a problematic application that messes about on login, you can try to trace it back from this folder.

But, if you’re looking for simple ways to remove login items, we suggest using a professional Mac utility. Download CleanMyMac X for free and make unwanted and broken login items a thing of the past.

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