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Printed List of Applications

I am going to do some summer computer cleaning and remove some applications from my computer off of my iMac computer. Before doing this, I want to get a hard copy of all the applications that I currently have on the computer.

Apple has a nifty way to print out all information about all your apps that you have, even if it's not in the Application Folder. It's the Application Software section of the System Report. Check it out:

Software Application

Getting the List of Computer Apps

  • Select the Apple Menu and 'About this Mac"
  • Click on 'System Report"
  • In the left side, scroll down until you see Applications under Software and click on Applications.
  • (It may take a minute or so to load)
  • Once completed, Type in Command-P to Print. (You could always save the output to PDF, so you have a good soft copy of the list.)

The output is sorted by the last modified date. This means that best place for me to start is at the last page, as that would contain a lot of older applications that I don't use much.

Once I printed it out, I'll add it to my circa notebook. Now I havea good record of applications that I had on my computer before my summer cleaning.

Too Many Apps

Remember not all applications are in the Application folder, some might be in the Document folder or in the Download folder.

Got Too Many Apps?

One way to tell if you have too many apps installed, is to right-click on an image file on the Dashboard then select "Open With." If you see a long list of applications, you should consider streamlining your computer.

In my example, I can see that I have multiple versions of Acorn application installed. I don't even use the application! Most of the applications that I have are one-time use applications for a particular task/functionality that I needed.

Bonus: Finder Search

When you search for Application (Kind is Application) you can sort the results by 'Date Last Opened.' This is a great way to audit my computer applications. I discovered that I have "FirstClass Client 2.5.1" and "SimCity2000" on my computer - applications that I can't even use on the computer, so why should I keep them?

Try the Application Finder search and see what unused applications you have on your computer.

 

About

A Mac veteran since 1989, I'm here to share my experience with tips and tricks every Friday. Witnessing the evolution of Mac software and hardware firsthand, I've gained a deep understanding of how these machines work and can help you troubleshoot any issues that may come up.

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