How to uninstall AppStore apps on macOS Tahoe

How to remove AppStore installed app from macOS 26 w/o touchID/admin password?


Before macOS 26 there were launchpad app on which I could hold option key and all of the apps becomes jittering, and a delete cross appeared on those that were installed from AppStore. This is not the case with Tahoe. Spotlight Apps section provides alike interface yet whatever modification key I've pressed -- icons stands still, context menu has no delete option, drag & drop from there to trash does nothing.


The only way I found to delete those AppStore apps is to delete them from within Finder with admin privileges. But it has two drawbacks: (1) the necessity to use touchID itself for this action, (2) such force removal since the old days breaks something within Mac AppStore and after deletion of an app this way AppStore update of the other apps keeps struggling (i.e. it appears in the very broken state in AppStore update page, like they're offloaded, and the button is active to onload them back rather than update; however whatever you tap update doesn't happen anyway).


So as for now I just at this point, deleting all the appstore apps with the touchid and updating all of the rest with cli tool rather than with AppStore itself).


But I just can believe it that there's no "right" and more straightforward way to do such a basic action in the whole OS on it's second minor update (i'm on 26.2).

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 26.2

Posted on Dec 19, 2025 1:47 PM

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7 replies

Dec 19, 2025 2:17 PM in response to yaroslav280

yaroslav280 wrote:

How to remove AppStore installed app from macOS 26 w/o touchID/admin password?

Before macOS 26 there were launchpad app on which I could hold option key and all of the apps becomes jittering, and a delete cross appeared on those that were installed from AppStore. This is not the case with Tahoe. Spotlight Apps section provides alike interface yet whatever modification key I've pressed -- icons stands still, context menu has no delete option, drag & drop from there to trash does nothing.

The only way I found to delete those AppStore apps is to delete them from within Finder with admin privileges. But it has two drawbacks: (1) the necessity to use touchID itself for this action, (2) such force removal since the old days breaks something within Mac AppStore and after deletion of an app this way AppStore update of the other apps keeps struggling (i.e. it appears in the very broken state in AppStore update page, like they're offloaded, and the button is active to onload them back rather than update; however whatever you tap update doesn't happen anyway).

So as for now I just at this point, deleting all the appstore apps with the touchid and updating all of the rest with cli tool rather than with AppStore itself).

But I just can believe it that there's no "right" and more straightforward way to do such a basic action in the whole OS on it's second minor update (i'm on 26.2).


Quit the App drag it to the trash from the Application folder or use the delete key....

Dec 19, 2025 2:23 PM in response to yaroslav280

In App Store app look for your name in the bottom left hand corner. Click on it and it will take you to your Account page where it shows you what you have installed from the App Store. Hover your cursor over the app you want to delete. You should see a circle with three dots in it which isn't visible with out hovering. Click on it to reveal something like the screenshot.

Dec 19, 2025 2:51 PM in response to neuroanatomist

How many apps that you download other than those from the App Store come with a uninstaller. It's my experience that very few have them and about the only way to get one is to contact the developer and a lot of them with only send you a text email on what they think should be deleted but that leave a lot of files that they neglect and the only way you can find them is either use a app like EtreCheckPro or Find any File.

How to uninstall AppStore apps on macOS Tahoe

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