OS X Lion has a new feature called Launchpad which functions to manage applications on the computer. Unfortunately, the process of removing apps from Launchpad is quite difficult. It's easy to remove apps purchased from the App Store, but there are some apps like Safari or Mail that the operating system doesn't allow to delete. If you want to remove those apps, you need to enter a simple command via Terminal.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Deleting Purchased Apps from the App Store
Step 1. Open Launchpad
Click the gray “Launchpad” icon in the Dock to launch the Launchpad interface.
Step 2. Select the app you want to remove
Click and hold the app icon until it wiggles.
Step 3. Click on the small “X” icon that appears in the corner of the icon
If the button doesn't appear, you may not be logged in as an administrator or the app wasn't purchased from the computer's built-in App Store.
Step 4. Click “Delete” when prompted to confirm the action
The application will automatically be removed from the computer.
Method 2 of 2: Removing Apps from Terminal
Step 1. Open Terminal
You can open it by accessing the Finder, selecting " Go ", and clicking " Utilities ". A new window will appear and you can select the black icon titled " Terminal ". You can also click the magnifying glass icon in the upper-right corner of the screen and type "terminal."
Step 2. Enter the following command:
sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db "DELETE from apps WHERE title='APPLICATION NAME';" && killall Dock
. For example, if you want to delete an application named "LEMON", enter a command like this:
sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db "DELETE from apps WHERE title='LEMON';" && killall Dock
. You can find the name of the application by going to the “Applications” folder and searching for the application in question. After entering the above command, press the "Enter" key.
Step 3. Check if the app has been uninstalled
After entering the uninstall command, Launchpad will automatically reload and the corresponding application will disappear.
Tips
- Switch from one page to another on Launchpad by clicking and holding the cursor while sliding it left or right. You can also use two-finger gestures on the trackpad.
- You can open Launchpad in OS X Lion using specific shortcuts or hot corners by setting them first in System Preferences.
