Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.

Deleting programs can be as simple as removing files which won't have much impact on performance. Occasionally, though, it's nowhere near that simple.

by Leo A. Notenboom, © 2010

If I delete certain programs(that I seldom, or don't use) off of my computer, will that help my computer run faster?

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There are hundreds of ways to speed up the Mac using options and preferences in common applications and of course in System Preferences. But there are also several ways to make your computer run more quickly just using Terminal commands alone. The following tips can help you squeeze every last drop of performance out of your Mac.

Maybe.

Strictly speaking the answer is actually 'probably not'; however, when you uninstall a program, you often do much more than just remove it -- and that 'much more' can, sometimes, have some pretty significant performance benefits.

It all depends on the program you're uninstalling.

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Strictly Speaking

In its purest sense, uninstalling a program really just removing all thefiles associated with that program, removing shortcuts from the start menu andthe like, and perhaps updating or removing registry settings associated withthe program.

Aside from freeing up some disk space, none of that will really gain youanything significant in terms of your computer's overall speed.

So in that sense, no, uninstalling programs won't speed up yourcomputer.

On The Other Hand

It's running programs that affect your computer's speed the most.And many programs as part of being installed also install small programs thatrun constantly. If, after installing a program you find that there's a new iconin your task bar's notification area, then it's pretty likely that this is thecase - particularly if that notification icon comes back after you reboot yourmachine.

Now, most of those programs are small, it's true. However, so many programsinstall so many of these little 'applets', that it can not only be simplyannoying as all get-out, but they can add up to have a serious impact on yourmachine's start up time as well as ongoing performance.

If you uninstall those programs, and if as part of that uninstall processthey remove these little auto-start programs as well, then yes, absolutely:uninstalling this software will improve your performance. How much we can'tsay, since it depends on so many other factors on your machine, but thereshould be an improvement. Running less software means the software that doesrun can run faster.

But Wait! There's More!

Another source of system slowdowns has less to do with the quantity ofsoftware running on your machine as much as what that software is trying todo.

A great case in point are some anti-malware and system security packages.Occasionally, they can insert themselves into the system or into the data pathof other programs (such as email or web browsers) in ways that on some systemscan cause a serious performance issue.

As you might imagine, once you determine that they're the cause of a problemuninstalling those programs can help a lot.

However, before you do that we need to make sure thatyou're not left without malware protection. The proper thing to do is to havean alternative ready to install in its place. Since different tools work indifferent ways it's not uncommon at all for one program to cause an issue, butanother to have no problem at all.

Sadly, it's often just trial and error before we determine which of the manyreputable programs works on your system with minimal impact.

And naturally this isn't limited to anti-malware tools. Quite oftenso-called 'system enhancement' or tuning utilities operate in similar ways, andcan cause more problems than they solve - performance impact isn't an uncommonresult.

So while the 'strictly speaking' bottom line is that no, uninstalling aprogram shouldn't improve your performance, the practical reality is thatuninstalling a program that has components constantly running or that insertsitself into your system in impactful ways can certainly improveperformance.

As I said a the beginning: it depends on the program.

Article C4452 - September 17, 2010 «»

You may also be interested in:

• Revo Uninstaller - Uninstall Things That Won't Revo Uninstaller is a useful utility to remove things from your computer that won't otherwise uninstall.

• A program is telling me to uninstall its competitor; should I? On install, some anti-malware programs may warn you if issues might result. Occasionally, one of those issues is the presence of a competing product.

• How do I uninstall software that doesn't provide a way to uninstall? Most software installed on your machine should provide a mechanism for uninstalling. If not, there are ways but they require caution and a good backup.

on the subject of slowdown; is there a way to keep programs that automatically start, and sample the internet for upgrades, without them starting at boot (or ever) without my permission?
I think that would make the computer faster; certainly at start-up....thanks;arthur gladstone

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Does your computer seem sluggish? How long has it been since you cleaned your disk drive? As a best practice, the IT team at CAL Business Solutions recommends you perform a disk cleanup at least once a month. This will delete temporary files, empty the Recycle Bin and remove a variety of files and other items that are no longer needed. By reducing the amount of unnecessary and temporary files on your hard drive your computer will run faster. You will especially notice a difference when searching for files.

Here are easy step-by-step instructions on how to perform a disk cleanup.

Step 1: In “File Explorer”, right-click on your “C” drive, then left-click on “Properties”.

Step 2: Click on “Disk Cleanup”

Step 3: Select all items under, “Files to delete”. Then click on, “OK”.

Step 4: Delete the selected files.

Step 5: Click on, “OK”.

Step 6:Next, “Clean up system files” by once again, right-clicking on your hard drive and click on “Properties”.

Step 7: Click on “Clean up system files”.

Step 8: Select all files under, “Files to delete” and hit, “OK”.

Step 9: Click on, “Delete Files”.

Step 10: Click on, “OK”.

Your hard drive cleanup is complete.

If you can set a reminder to this once a month you could greatly improve the speed of your computer.

Will this help your Dynamics GP system?

Anything done to keep your computer running bug-free is good for Dynamics GP. That includes disk cleaning, defragmentation, and optimization. And of course, being current on your Windows updates and anti-virus protection. These are all important and common IT practices that will ensure all programs, including Dynamics GP, run problem-free.

Does Deleting Apps On Mac Make It Faster Fast

By Randy Reiss, Network Administrator, CAL Business Solutions, www.calszone.com

Does Deleting Apps On Mac Make It Faster Speed

***POST UPDATED AUGUST 10, 2020***