How to Uninstall Photoshop on a Mac

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There are several possible reasons to uninstall Photoshop from your Mac. Unlike in Windows, there are competitive alternatives in the Mac that offer similar features for photo post-processing. If you’re looking for how to uninstall Photoshop on a Mac, this article provides simple and detailed steps.

How to Uninstall Photoshop on a Mac

Undoubtedly, Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular and best photo editing software. However, for Mac users with other alternatives, it’s common to want to remove the application to free up some space.

An image of a woman using her Mac

Uninstalling Photoshop from a Mac shouldn’t take more than five minutes if you know what you’re doing and your computer is running optimally. 

Steps to Uninstall Photoshop on a Mac

Before proceeding to remove photoshop, there are certain important things to avoid and note.

  • You need administrative privileges for the Mac user account where Photoshop is installed. You can switch user accounts by clicking on the Apple menu. At the bottom of the menu, locate and click on Log Off. Input the password to the account for which you’re the administrator.
  • Avoid attempting to remove Photoshop by dragging the folders to Trash. As “smart” and quick a move as that might seem, it could cause several problems whenever you try to reinstall Photoshop.
  • To hasten the entire process, deactivate any installed third-party security software or antivirus.

With these out of the way, here’s a quick and easy way to remove Photoshop on a Mac.

Step 1: Locate the Applications Folder

On a Mac, all applications are saved in the Applications folder. Locate this folder from the dock on your Mac, or you can click on the Finder icon. Then, on the opened list of options, navigate to the Applications icon and double-click on it.

Step 2: Select Utilities

With the Applications folder opened, navigate to the Utilities option and double-click on it.

Step 3: Uninstall Photoshop

Clicking on the Utilities option opens up an option to Uninstall Adobe Photoshop. Double-click on the option if you still want to go through the uninstall process.

You’ll be asked if you want to remove preferences as well. Check the box next to the Remove Preferences option. Proceed to click on the Uninstall tab. To ensure you have administrative rights to uninstall applications, a prompt will appear for you to re-enter your admin password.

Step 4: Complete the Uninstall Process

Once the password is confirmed, you need to follow the prompts that appear to continue with the uninstall process. When the process is complete, click on the Close tab. You would have successfully removed Photoshop from your Mac.

An image of a person using Mac

Steps to Uninstall Photoshop on a Mac through Creative Cloud

Another method of removing Photoshop from a Mac is uninstalling it from Adobe Creative Cloud. This software is a subscription package that combines some of the best creative tools. These creative tools include:

  • Photoshop
  • Dreamweaver
  • Prelude
  • InDesign
  • Flash Professional
  • Illustrator
  • Edge Inspect
  • Adobe Muse
  • InCopy
  • Adobe Audition
  • Edge Animate
  • After Effects
  • Adobe Premiere Pro
  • SpeedGrade

It is possible to remove Photoshop and keep all other 13 tools in the Creative Cloud. To remove Photoshop from your Mac through Adobe’s Cloud system, these are the steps to take.

Step 1: Have an Active Subscription

As a paid service, you’ll need an active subscription to log in and uninstall Photoshop. Without this step, you’ll be unable to proceed in uninstalling Photoshop from the Cloud package.

Step 2: Close the Photoshop Application

If you have any unsaved work in Photoshop, quickly save it to a folder outside the application. Close Photoshop to prevent it from running in the background during the uninstall process.

Step 3: Launch the Cloud System

Locate the Creative Cloud icon on the menu bar and click the icon to launch the application. If the Cloud icon is not found in the menu bar, proceed to double-click the application on your Application folder.

Step 4: Select Photoshop

With the Cloud application open, locate the Apps tab and then find Photoshop among the list of apps in the window. You’ll notice that there are three vertical dots besides Photoshop. These are the more options icon. Click on the dots to open the option list.

Step 5: Uninstall

Locate the Uninstall option from the list. Clicking it will automatically open a new window requesting if you want to remove all Photoshop Preferences and files. Proceed to click on the Remove tab.

Steps to Remove Photoshop on a Mac by Uninstalling Adobe Creative Cloud

Since Photoshop is a part of the tools of the Creative Cloud, you can also opt to uninstall the entire Cloud system to free up more space. However, uninstalling Photoshop with this method would inadvertently be uninstalling the other 13 creative tools.

If this is what you want, it is a better way to remove Photoshop since you’ll get more free space to work with.

Step 1: Go to the Application Folder

You can either click on the Finders icon to locate the folder or click on the Application Folder on the dock menu. Either of them will open the options in the folder.

Step 2: Click on Adobe Creative Cloud

On the Application Folder, navigate to Adobe Creative Cloud and click on it. This action would reveal a few clickable options. Double-click on the Uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud option.

Step 3: Enter Administrator Password

To protect from unauthorized uninstalling of system applications, the Mac will request that you enter your administrator password. Input the password and click on OK.

Step 4: Uninstall Adobe the Cloud Package

With the administrator password confirmed, proceed to Uninstall. With the process complete, Adobe’s Cloud system and all its creative tools (including Photoshop) will automatically be removed from the Mac.

However, if you get an error message when trying to uninstall the Creative Cloud, it could mean you don’t have the Cloud Uninstaller or you’re working with an outdated version. To rectify this, download the latest version from Adobe’s website and run the uninstall process again.

An image of a woman typing on her Mac

How to Check for Photoshop Files on a Mac

After uninstalling Photoshop from your Mac, it’s best to check to ensure there are no leftover files on the system. Ultimately, having leftover files on the Mac can sometimes make reinstalling Photoshop difficult.

Since you no longer need the application on your Mac, there’s no reason to want to keep any trace of the file. Here’s an easy way to search for the files and delete them.

  1. Click on the Finder icon and locate the Go menu.
  2. On the Go menu, choose and click on the Go to Folder option. This opens a search field option where you can input the folder and file location.
  3. To ensure proper search, input these locations one at a time.
    1. /Library/Preferences
    2. /Library/Application Support
    3. /Library/LaunchDaemons
    4. /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools
    5. /Library/LaunchAgents
  4. Whenever you find any Photoshop files in any of these system locations, move them to Trash.
  5. Ensure you only drag files to Trash after uninstalling Photoshop and not before.

Can You Uninstall Photoshop and Reinstall It?

Yes, you can. Like many applications, Photoshop has regular version updates with newer features and options. On the Mac, it is easy to uninstall Photoshop and download the latest version.

You can do this by visiting the Creative Cloud website and clicking on the Download tab in the top right area of the screen. Then, with an already active subscription, log into your Creative Cloud account and begin the download process.

Conclusion

Although Photoshop remains one of the best post-processing software in the market today, other alternatives are available to Mac users. As a result, there are possibilities that the Photoshop application will never get used. Uninstalling Photoshop on a Mac is easier than it seems, in that’s your case.