[mindyk307]

I have over 7GB in the mail app and even after disabling the app it still has all this space taken up. I want to delete it all together since I don't use it on my Mac at all. My question is if I turn off SIP can I delete apps I don't want or never have used that came factory, and then turn it back on to keep my Mac protected? Terminal is no longer an option and Mac puts too many apps that don't need to be on here.

[Ken Magel]

I do not think you can delete the Apple apps such as Mail that come preinstalled. YOu may, however, delete the data such as messages associated with any of them. Just go to Settings, General, iPhone storage. Once the app list populates, click on the app you want and you should have a choice to delete its data.

[mindyk307]

Ken,

It's not an iphone it's a Mac computer. There is a way to delete them I just want to know from an expert that if I disable SIP and then enable it back once I delete everything if it will mess anything up. Thanks for replying though!

[Just_Me_D]

Ken,

It's not an iphone it's a Mac computer. There is a way to delete them I just want to know from an expert that if I disable SIP and then enable it back once I delete everything if it will mess anything up. Thanks for replying though!

Warning: iMore or Apple does not recommend anyone removing the SIP (System Integrity Protection).

With that being said, I doubt that deleting certain files and even some programs won’t harm anything, however, not knowing how the native programs are tied to the macOS prevents anyone from being able to answer with a definitive yes or no. Have you tried reaching out to Apple directly?

[mindyk307]

Warning: iMore or Apple does not recommend anyone removing the SIP (System Integrity Protection).

With that being said, I doubt that deleting certain files and even some programs won’t harm anything, however, not knowing how the native programs are tied to the macOS prevents anyone from being able to answer with a definitive yes or no. Have you tried reaching out to Apple directly?

I wouldn't contact Apple because they're going to tell me that the apps cannot and are not supposed to be removed lol. I'm a rebel, just wanted to see if anyone else out there has done it and if everything turned out ok.

[Just_Me_D]

I wouldn't contact Apple because they're going to tell me that the apps cannot and are not supposed to be removed lol. I'm a rebel, just wanted to see if anyone else out there has done it and if everything turned out ok.

I understand, and hopefully, someone who has will step up and share his or her experience. I'm definitely interested in finding out. If I had the kind of time I used to have, I would take the risk with my MacBook Pro and then report back. I have a USB boot disk and it's not a big deal for me to install macOS from scratch. I'm simply too busy at this time.

[mindyk307]

I understand, and hopefully, someone who has will step up and share his or her experience. I'm definitely interested in finding out. If I had the kind of time I used to have, I would take the risk with my MacBook Pro and then report back. I have a USB boot disk and it's not a big deal for me to install macOS from scratch. I'm simply too busy at this time.

I appreciate the consideration! I have too much to lose on my Mac to risk it until I know someone else's experience lol.

[Just_Me_D]

I appreciate the consideration! I have too much to lose on my Mac to risk it until I know someone else's experience lol.

I hear ya....lol

[Not Quite Right]

Doesn't seem as hard as you think ... https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202235

[Just_Me_D]

Doesn't seem as hard as you think ... https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202235

True, but it also states, "Apps that don't show "X" either didn't come from the App Store or are required by your Mac..." With that being said, the OP is trying to delete the Mail app that is possibly "required" by macOS. I really don't have any plans for this weekend and am really thinking about re-installing macOS from scratch, and if I do, I will attempt to remove the Mail app by disabling SIP to see what happens.

[mindyk307]

True, but it also states, "Apps that don't show "X" either didn't come from the App Store or are required by your Mac..." With that being said, the OP is trying to delete the Mail app that is possibly "required" by macOS. I really don't have any plans for this weekend and am really thinking about re-installing macOS from scratch, and if I do, I will attempt to remove the Mail app by disabling SIP to see what happens.

Yes that's what I am saying. I know how to delete the ones with an X, my 7 year old can do that lol. I am getting into the nitty gritty of the inner workings. I don't see how mail would hurt anything if I deleted it. If you do attempt it please let me know that would be great!

[Not Quite Right]

This statement about restoring deleted MacOS apps was more what I was referring to.

[Just_Me_D]

This statement about restoring deleted MacOS apps was more what I was referring to. [IMG=947x2048]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190511/a7c3b7860a6a354897b4012e60c9a0da.jpg[/url]

Nice!....Thank you!

[mindyk307]

Doesn't seem as hard as you think ... https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202235

The link took me to just the Apple support page so I didn't see the screenshot information you just posted on that link lol. That's why I replied with sarcasm my apologies

[Trees]

When I tried the link posted above yesterday, I was also "sent" to the main Apple Support page. To work around that I copied the HT202235 and then searched for "Apple Support HT202235", which then brought up a link that when clicked went directly to the article "How to delete apps on your Mac".

As for deleting apps that are "embedded" in macOS, seems like more trouble than its worth unless one wants to use the reinstalling macOS as a learning experience. The main concern as I understand it is to reduce the storage space that email is consuming. Mail is just pulling down email contents from the mail service provider(s) and storing it locally.

So, if the goal is to reduce storage space used by the Mail app going forward; perhaps configuring Mail to not download email is an option. Alternatively, email could be accessed via a web browser if the email provider supports that option.

Also, make sure you have a backup for all currently downloaded email, or a way to access it online via web browser if you use IMAP and have configured your email to keep a copy on the mail server.

Another option could be to Archive email https://support.apple.com/guide/mail...-mail35918/mac and store externally.
When searching for "archive macos email store on external drive" some articles appear, with one being https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6488557 While for an older OS version, details may be relevant. There are newer articles surfaced from the search above which may help.

[Just_Me_D]

When I tried the link posted above yesterday, I was also "sent" to the main Apple Support page. To work around that I copied the HT202235 and then searched for "Apple Support HT202235", which then brought up a link that when clicked went directly to the article "How to delete apps on your Mac".

As for deleting apps that are "embedded" in macOS, seems like more trouble than its worth unless one wants to use the reinstalling macOS as a learning experience. The main concern as I understand it is to reduce the storage space that email is consuming. Mail is just pulling down email contents from the mail service provider(s) and storing it locally.

So, if the goal is to reduce storage space used by the Mail app going forward; perhaps configuring Mail to not download email is an option. Alternatively, email could be accessed via a web browser if the email provider supports that option.

Also, make sure you have a backup for all currently downloaded email, or a way to access it online via web browser if you use IMAP and have configured your email to keep a copy on the mail server.

Another option could be to Archive email https://support.apple.com/guide/mail...-mail35918/mac and store externally.
When searching for "archive macos email store on external drive" some articles appear, with one being https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6488557 While for an older OS version, details may be relevant. There are newer articles surfaced from the search above which may help.

Outstanding advice...

[Not Quite Right]

The link took me to just the Apple support page so I didn't see the screenshot information you just posted on that link lol. That's why I replied with sarcasm my apologies

Yeah I'm not sure what happened to the link ...
I remember back in the day everyone wanted to know how to remove Internet Explorer from Windows to save space. Your question brought back fond memories of people totally hosing their computers trying to get rid of a browser.

[Annie_8plus]

No,you can't

SIP or System Integrity Protection, is a security feature built into the Mac operating system that’s designed to protect most system locations, system processes, and Kernel extensions from being written to, modified or replaced.

SIP and related security protections in the Mac operating system have undergone changes with each release of the OS, but the basics of how the SIP system works have remained the same, including how SIP can be enabled, disabled, and have its current status checked on.

Hi Julia, I don't have anything to add to your post, but I noticed that this is your first post here on iMore, and I just wanted to welcome you. When you get a chance, please take a minute to introduce yourself here!