Make sure applications are properly removed

It really annoys me when programs don’t uninstall themselves properly when you move them to the Trash. Unfortunately, many leave behind files or folders that take up valuable space and resources.

Yank is supposed to be a more powerful way to remove applications than dragging them to the Trash. The theory is, Yank works by monitoring the installation process of all the files you install so it knows every modification that’s been made to your hard drive. To remove an application, simply click on the Yank file that it has created and click ‘Uninstall’. Yank instantly removes anything that was originally installed with the program.

In practice however, I found Yank quite frustrating and awkward to use. For a start, you should be able to drag and drop DMG files into the Yank dock icon to make it work. Instead, you have to browse from the Yank interface to create a Yank file which is not only messy but lengthens the installation time. When it comes to removing the Yank file, I clicked on ‘Uninstall’, it found the Yank file I’d saved but just gave me two generic boxes (one labeled with the number 1) which I clicked and yet nothing happened. The ‘Yank’ button simply did not highlight, so I was unable to remove the program.

In addition, Yank gives you a ‘Dirt.dmg’ demo file to test it the first time you use it. However, if you accidentally fail to save the Yank file like I did, there seems to be no way of removing it and no way to make Yank prompt you to save it again. There is an online directory of Yank files to remove major programs where I was hoping I would find the Dirt.dmg Yank file but unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found so I´m stuck with ‘Dirt.dmg’ on my system.

Yank is a nice idea and there needs to be more of these kind of uninstaller programs but I’ll be sticking with AppCleaner for now thanks.

Completely localized for French.Improved upgrade and native-uninstalling features.

Changes

• Completely localized for French.Improved upgrade and native-uninstalling features.