Cannot Remove Protected Apps Mac

I downloaded McAfee internet security for my Mac as an offer of my internet provider. Once I have installed the program, the MacBook Pro is running incredibly slowly and is constantly freezing, how to completely uninstall McAfee from my Mac safely?

Restart your Mac and delete the problematic files. Important: After you have deleted the files, don’t forget to re-enable the System Integrity Protection in order not to remove other important apps and files by mistake. For this, again restart your Mac → use Command+R shortcut → open Terminal and this time type the command csrutil enable. It’s also a good idea to close all other apps and restart your Mac (.not required but recommended) Open System Preferences Security & Privacy Privacy Tab Select Full Disk Access from the left sidebar If you can’t make changes, unlock your disk by pressing the padlock icon in the lower-left corner and enter your Administrator Password. By default, the security and privacy preferences of your Mac are set to allow apps from the App Store and identified developers. For additional security, you can chose to allow only apps from the App Store. In System Preferences, click Security & Privacy, then click General. Click the lock and enter your password to make changes.

It cannot be denied that McAfee is a powerful product to protect Mac computers from viruses, spyware, Trojan, and more. When you need to uninstall McAfee on Mac completely, you should avoid some incomplete removal issues. Just learn more about 3 efficient methods below.

Uninstall McAfee on Mac

Part 1: How to Uninstall McAfee from Mac in One Click

If it is difficult for you to manually uninstall McAfee Endpoint Protection, the latest security suite of McAfee, or LiveSafe from your Mac computer. The professional McAfee Mac uninstaller should be the program to help you out. Apeaksoft Mac Cleaner is one of the best Mac Cleaner to uninstall any application, optimize the operation system and enhance the speed.

Cannot Remove Protected Apps Mac
  • Uninstall McAfee and associate files in one click.
  • Preview apps files and apps before removing them.
  • Completely remove app files from your hard drive.
  • Offer extensive bonus tools, such as scan and delete junk files.
  • Uninstall other apps from Mac, like Office, Safari, Avast Antivirus, TeamViewer, Malwarebytes, Adobe, etc.
Download for Mac

How to Uninstall McAfee Completely and Safely

Step 1Get the McAfee uninstaller for Mac

Download and install the McAfee uninstaller app for Mac. Then launch the program on your MacBook, go to the “Toolkit” tab from the left sidebar and select the “Uninstall” option to start scanning the installed McAfee as well as the attached files.

Step 2Scan and preview McAfee files

Just scroll down to find the McAfee Endpoint Protection or McAfee LiveSafe app to uninstall on Mac. Of course, you can preview the associated files. In order to remove the McAfee files safely from your Mac, you should check the selected files before removing.

Step 3Uninstall McAfee files from Mac

Check the McAfee app and related files. Click the “Clean” button at the bottom right corner to remove the McAfee app as well as the cache files on your Mac. When it is done, click the “Quit” option. Restart your computer and then go to the Applications folder to check if McAfee app is uninstalled.

For more Mac uninstallers to remove McAfee from Mac, please check it here.

Part 2: How to Uninstall McAfee on Mac via Terminal

Why you cannot find the uninstall option when you launch the McAfee on Mac? Does it mean that you cannot uninstall McAfee from your Mac? If you are an advanced user or tech savvy, you can still remove the program within the Terminal with command lines. Follow the steps to remove the McAfee Endpoint Protection as below.

Step 1Open the McAfee app from your computer. Go to McAfee Endpoint Protection for Mac > Quit McAfee Endpoint Protection. You can also right-click on the McAfee icon in the Dock and select the “Quit” option.

Step 2Open the “Activity Monitor” from the Dock, find and select McAfee, click the “Delete” icon and then click the “Quit” option on the pop-up.

Step 3Open the Finder app from Applications folder, head to the “Go” menu, and choose Utilities from the Menu Bar. Then open Terminal app.

Step 4Input sudo /usr/local/McAfee/uninstall EPM, and press the “Enter” key to execute the command. When prompted, enter your administrator password and press the “Enter” key again.

Step 5Wait for Mac to Uninstall McAfee. When you see the message said product has been uninstalled successfully, close Terminal and restart your computer.

Note: It is method suitable for McAfee LiveSafe. There still remains an important question. Are McAfee Endpoint Protection leftovers still on your Mac? The answer is yes, you can still find some related files left and you have to delete them manually.

Part 3: How to Uninstall McAfee on Mac Manually

Another method to uninstall McAfee LiveSafe is to trash it manually. Similar to McAfee Endpoint Protection, LiveSafe is another security suite from McAfee that helps Mac owners to avoid infiltration incidents or malware. However, it might not be that easy to uninstall it since there is no uninstall option as well.

If you follow the right procedure, you can completely remove the security protection. Otherwise, you will encounter some problems due to incomplete McAfee uninstallation.

Step 1Make sure to quit McAfee and delete it from your Dock. Launch your Finder app and choose Applications to open the program on your Mac.

Step 2Find the McAfee app to uninstall on Mac, right click on it and choose the “Move to Trash” option. Alternatively, drag and drop the icon into the Trash folder directly. It may require your admin username and password if you log in as a user.

Step 3Then click the “Go” menu from the Menu bar of the Finder app, choose the “Go to Folder” option, and enter /Library in the field. Hit the “Go” button to move on.

Step 4Enter mcafee in the search box and click the Library to find the related items. Highlight the files and folders, right click on one of them, and choose the “Move to Trash” option.

Step 5Repeat the step above and make sure to delete all related items in the /Library and ~/Library folders. Finally, reboot your computer.

Note: The last two steps are also available to remove redundant files from Mac after you uninstall McAfee on Mac with Terminal. However, you should be very carefully. If other app components or system files are deleted by mistake, you may encounter serious problems, such as app freezing, system unresponsive and more. Therefore, you’d better use a McAfee uninstaller instead.

Conclusion

The article shares three ways to help you uninstall McAfee from your MacBook. Though it is a professional antivirus app, McAfee can produce many problems, such as slow down your computer. If you cannot find the uninstall option within McAfee, Apeaksoft Mac Cleaner can help you remove the program completely and safely.

Use Launchpad to delete an app

How To Unprotect Apps On Mac

Launchpad offers a convenient way to delete apps that were downloaded from the App Store.

  1. To open Launchpad, click it in the Dock or open it from your Applications folder. You can also pinch closed with your thumb and three fingers on your trackpad.
  2. If you can't see the app in Launchpad, type its name in the search field at the top of the screen. Or swipe right or left with two fingers on your trackpad to show the next or previous page.
  3. Press and hold the Option (⌥) key, or click and hold any app until the apps jiggle.
  4. Click next to the app that you want to delete, then click Delete to confirm. The app will be deleted immediately. Apps that don't show either didn't come from the App Store or are required by your Mac. To delete an app that didn't come from the App Store, use the Finder instead.


Deleting an app doesn't cancel any subscriptions that you may have purchased with that app. Learn how to cancel subscriptions for apps that were downloaded from the App Store.

Use the Finder to delete an app

  1. Locate the app in the Finder. Most apps are in your Applications folder, which you can open by clicking Applications in the sidebar of any Finder window. Or use Spotlight to find the app, then press and hold the Command (⌘) key while double-clicking the app in Spotlight.
  2. Drag the app to the Bin, or select the app and choose File > Move to Bin.
  3. If you're asked for a username and password, enter the name and password of an administrator account on your Mac. This is probably the name and password that you use to log in to your Mac.
  4. To delete the app, choose Finder > Empty Bin.

Learn more

Cannot Remove Protected Apps Macbook

To use an app again after deleting it, either reinstall it or restore it from a backup.

  • To reinstall apps that were installed as part of macOS, reinstall macOS. This applies to apps such as Safari, iTunes, Books, Messages, Mail, Calendar, Photos and FaceTime.
  • You can also redownload apps, music, films, TV shows and books that were installed from the App Store, iTunes Store or Apple Books.

Learn how to delete apps on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Learn what to do if the Dock contains an icon with a question mark.