Background: last weekend I try to install the Abbyy FineReader, a popular ORC software, on my Mac, which is currently running the latest version of macOS (Mojave 10.14). But when the install wizard pops up, I was notified that the install requires Mac OS X 10.6 or later. After I managed to complete the installation, I tried to open up this app but still failed. Looks like Abbyy FineReader could not work with the macOS on my Mac, though I am pretty sure that I downloaded the recent version of Abbyy FineReader for Mac and of course installed the latest version of macOS. Anyhow, the Abbyy FineReader has showed up in the Launchpad, and I planed to uninstall this version of FineReader before installing the newest one. Considering there might be some users who are struggling to remove some unwanted apps, I decided to write a post about how I manage to uninstall Abbyy FineReader for Mac.

To fully uninstall Abbyy FineReader (or other unneeded Mac apps) requires you to do more than simply deleting the app from the Applications folder. What else should you to do to avoid incomplete uninstall? Read this post if you have the same doubt.

Before the uninstall, quit the active app……

There is a little trick that many Mac beginner may neglect: an app must be shut down before the uninstall. If the app is currently active, you will not be able to trash it smoothly. To deactivate an app, right click on its icon in the Dock, and choose Quit.

If Abbyy FineReader stops responding, you can choose Force Quit. Or alternatively, launch Activity Monitor from the Dock or Spotlight, select Abbyy FineReader process, click the X button in the upper left corner, and then click Quit / Force Quit button.

If Abbyy FineReader remains in Dock, right click on it and choose Options > Remove from Dock. After that, take one of the following methods to perform the uninstall.

Uninstall Way 1: Delete Abbyy FineReader through Finder

Usually, to uninstall a Mac app, you just need to delete it from the Applications folder (temporary uninstall) and also the Trash (permanent uninstall). Here are the details:

• Open up Finder from the Dock, and access to the Applications folder from sidebar (if it does not appear there, click the Go menu on the top bar and choose Applications)
• Right click on Abbyy FineReader, and then choose Move to Trash option
• Click Empty Trash from the Finder menu bar, and then click Empty Trash button

If there are other items in your Trash, you are not recommended to empty the Trash. Instead, you can open up Trash and individually delete the Abbyy FineReader again ( right click the app, choose Delete Immediately, and click the Delete button).

Uninstall Way 2: Run Osx Uninstaller to Finish the Task

Compared with the manual deletion, using a dedicated tool like Osx Uninstaller may be a better option, especially for Mac novices. Not sure how to get the job done? That’s how you can easily uninstall Abbyy FineReader by using Osx Uninstaller:

• Launch Osx Uninstaller after installing it and completing the activation
• Select Abbyy FineReader in the interface and click Run Analysis button

• After the scanning, click Complete Uninstall button to activate the uninstall
• Click Yes button in the confirmation window to perform the final removal

When you are informed that all the files have been removed, click Back to Interface button to re-scan your Mac for currently installed apps, and then quit Osx Uninstaller.

After the uninstall, delete app leftovers……

Which way do you follow to uninstall Abbyy FineReader? If you take the first method (trash-to-delete) to remove unwanted apps, you may need to do some extra steps, to make sure if all the app traces have gone from your system. Here is how to detect Abbyy FineReader-related items in the system directories (~/Library & /Library):

• In a Finder window, click Go from the Menu Bar, and choose Go to Folder
• Type ~/Library in the box and hit Enter key (or click Go button) to open it up
• Type Abbyy (or FineReader) in the search bar, and click the Library below the bar
• Select the files and folders whose names contain the search keyword, then right-click on one of them, and choose Move to Trash to delete those items
• Go ahead to carry out the detection (and deletion) in the /Library folder

After throwing all items associated with Abbyy FineReader, keep them in Trash for a few days to see if your Mac works well as it was before. If nothing wrong occurs, you can consider to delete them in the Trash, or leave them to the automatic deletion.

Are yo able to uninstall Abbyy FineReader completely? Ask for help if you are not.