How to Remove the Final Cut Pro X Trial from Your Mac

In case your trial copy of Final Cut Pro X has expired, you may want to remove it from your system, as it takes up unnecessary space on your hard drive. To do that, there are specific steps for different versions of the Mac operating system.



This week, Apple updated FCP X with quite a few fixes and enhancements.

The 30-day trial is still available for anyone interested in giving the software a go. For those who may have already used it up, here’s how to get rid of it.

Apple explains in a support document recently posted online that “When the Final Cut Pro X Trial expires, you can move the Final Cut Pro X Trial app from the Applications folder to the Trash.”

That’s the simple part, but there will be additional files and folders that have been installed by the Final Cut Pro X Trial, and those won’t follow the app to the trash. You have to erase them manually.

“To do so, follow the steps below for the version of Mac OS X that you are using,” Apple states. For OS X Lion, the steps are:

1. In Finder, hold down the Option key and choose Library from the Go menu.
2. In the Library folder that opens, open the Application Support folder. Move the Final Cut Pro Trial folder and the Apple Qmaster folder to the Trash.
3. Return to the Library folder and open the Caches folder. Move the "com.apple.FinalCutTrial" folder to the Trash.
4. Return to the Library folder and open the Preferences folder. Move the following files to the Trash:

com.apple.FinalCutTrial.LSSharedFileList.plist
com.apple.FinalCutTrial.LSSharedFileList.plist.lockfile
com.apple.FinalCutTrial.plist
com.apple.FinalCutTrial.plist.lockfile
com.apple.motionapp.plist
com.apple.prokit.plist

For Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the procedure is slightly different, Apple says:

1. In Finder, choose Home from the Go menu.
2. In the Home folder that opens, open the Library folder. Open the Application Support folder  and move the Final Cut Pro Trial folder and the Apple Qmaster folder to the Trash.
3. Return to the Library folder and open the Preferences folder. Move the following files to the Trash:

com.apple.FinalCutTrial.LSSharedFileList.plist
com.apple.FinalCutTrial.plist
com.apple.motionapp.plist
com.apple.prokit.plist

Said support document provides additional information, such as “How to purchase Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5 and Compressor 4” and the “Final Cut Pro X Trial FAQ”.