Mac 101: Remove unwanted System Preference panes

Sometimes applications can install extras in the form of System Preference panes. However, when you remove the app from your Mac, you might be left with extraneous System Preference panes.

To uninstall System Preference panes, just right-click (or control + click if you have a one button mouse) on the preference pane icon and select "remove x preference pane."

When you click "remove," the preference pane will be instantly moved to the OS X Trash can where you can completely remove it from your system by emptying the trash. Please note that this will only work on System Preference panes located in the "Other" section of System Preferences.

Want to see more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 section today!

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Sometimes applications can install extras in the form of System Preference panes. However, when you remove the app from your Mac, you...

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mutz

Check out diablotin a preference pane where you can do a lot more. And it's free. http://s.sudre.free.fr/Software/Diablotin.html

July 17 2008 at 2:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

RandaL_Hicks

supplemental::
/Library/PreferencePanes stores add-ons -- of course System/Library/PreferencePanes for system and each user has their own USERNAME/Library/PreferencePanes which adds panes privy to them.

July 17 2008 at 2:00 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Dan H

Right-click to remove only? Is this designed by an engineer who's a new Windows convert?

What happened to the Mac way, drag-and-trash?

July 17 2008 at 1:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kizor

Don't remove Flip4Mac! It's teh awesome.

July 17 2008 at 9:52 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

2 replies to Kizor's comment

Yos

Why no? I have this on my computer and all it does is when I click on a movie file it downloads something annoying and I have to wait.. It was not like this at the beginning and until now I didnt really know how to get read of it. Now I know, but you said one shouldnt move it. Could you please explain why?

Thx :)
Yosi, Germany

July 17 2008 at 10:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kizor

Well, my only use of it is to playback WMV stuff, as it's been a bitch on my machine :(

July 18 2008 at 1:40 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Christian

And actually, only Ctrl-clicking removes it. A right-click does not give you the remove context menu; OS X treat right-clicking on a pref pane the same as left-clicking on it.

July 17 2008 at 9:39 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Christian's comment

milkmage

works just fine on mine. but then my (3rd party) mouse is configured to send a right click when you... well, click on the botton on the right.

July 17 2008 at 10:33 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Christian

Cory, I'm not sure why you'd take a screenshot suggesting you're removing a useful program like Flip4Mac, buggy though it is, and leave in place Application "Enhancer," also known as the closest thing on Mac OS X to a virus.

July 17 2008 at 9:37 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Sean R

This is amazing! I am so glad you covered this. I have some crap on my mac that I had been wanting to get rid of for some time. THANKS! :)

July 17 2008 at 9:31 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Chris

AppCleaner is a great FREE program that will search and remove preference panes. It will also remove the associated files.

July 17 2008 at 9:21 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply