Your security software can do a lot, but it isn’t psychic. It doesn’t always know if you meant to install something, or if it piggybacked along with some freeware you picked up. Every now and then, it’s a good idea to just browse your uninstaller and see if there’s anything in there you don’t recognize.
For Windows
For most versions of Windows, the quickest way to get rid of your bloat ware is to go to the search bar from the Start button and type in “uninstall.” You’ll find a program called “uninstall a program.” You can list the programs by date of install, so you can look for things that were installed recently and make sure that it’s all stuff that’s supposed to be there.
For Mac
There are a lot of different easy to use Mac OS X uninstallers. We recommend AppCleaner, a simple, to the point uninstaller for unwanted apps.
Deleting apps from your iPhone is pretty easy: Press and hold any icon for a few seconds and all the icons will start to jiggle. Tap the X in the upper left corner of the app you’d like to get rid of and select “delete.” You can delete anything this way except for official apps that came with your phone.
When in Doubt…
If you uninstall something you needed by accident, it’s usually no big deal to reinstall it, but when you’re not sure of whether or not you need something, you can always Google it. Viruses and bots and malware are often installed under deceptive names like “Google Installer,” so do your research, and remember that, short of removing your whole operating system and every web browser on your drive, it’s usually safer to uninstall and find out than it is to just assume that something is safe.
Cleaning Out Your Web Browser
Your web browser might get hit with installations for search bars you don’t need and useless plugins and tools. You can remove most of them by just going to your settings and returning everything to how you like it. Worst-case-scenario, you can completely uninstall your browser and redownload it with Internet Explorer.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to just go down the uninstall list and get rid of software you don’t use anymore in order to clear up some RAM and hard drive space. In any event, security software and an occasional run-down of your uninstall list should be enough to keep all but the worst viruses and malware at bay.
