Uninstalling Pages, Numbers, & Keynote in High Sierra

[lclev]

Okay I may have just committed heresy but I really don't want or need them. I use Office and have all the bells and whistles down pat from many years of usage.

And biggest reason for deletion? The updates are rather large and on my slow DSL internet, it takes the better part of all night. I just don't need them.

I googled how to - in case it was more than drag-n-drop in the trash, and all I found was how to re-install and how the apps have been improved.

If it is just a drag-n-drop - perfect, but if not I need to know the "how to's"

Lisa

 

[MacInWin]

Why not leave them in place and just disable automatic downloads? That would seem to solve the problem without having to delete them.

 

[ferrarr]

Drag and drop should work. I also know, Launchpad, click and hold until jiggle, then X to delete, like iOS.

 

[IWT]

And: just open Applications, Right Click on the app and choose Send To Trash.

Should you change your mind in the future, all are available for re-download, free of charge.

Ian

 

[chscag]

Pages, Keynote, and Numbers are not Apple system protected apps and can be easily deleted. Just follow what Ian said above. After that, you won't be prompted for updates, however, they will show up in your "Purchased" items. If you need them for any reason in the future they can easily be re-downloaded.

The same applies for the iOS versions of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers.

 

[lclev]

Thanks! I was planning to do the drag to trash method but did not know if other trash would be left. (My Windows background is peeking out!) .

I just get tired of the updates. I already have automatic updates disabled because my home internet is too slow. I usually take my mac to work and do updates there. But my OCD kicks in when I see the little red ball indicating pending updates waiting. Even if I know I should just ignore it - it drives me nuts.

What set me off today was I started up my mac and there they were - updates for the terrible trio!

Thanks again - now off to drag them - kicking and screaming to the trash!!!!

Lisa

 

[chscag]

What set me off today was I started up my mac and there they were - updates for the terrible trio!

Actually, the "terrible trio" as you call them have been vastly improved. Of course I understand if you need to exchange documents with others, then Office may be the best choice. However, Office 2016 in my opinion is one of the worse Office suites to come out of MS in years. I still use Office 2011 and will continue to do so until it no longer works with macOS. MS has hinted at an Office 2018 or 2019 version that is in the works. But for now it's still "vaporware".

 

[lclev]

chscag -

I do have to use Office a lot at work where we have Office 2013. I have Office 2011 on my Mac Pro and MB Air. I recently purchased Office 2016 when I broke down and bought a 13" 2017 MB Pro. So far I have not had any complaints with the 2016 version. I figured it was time since Apple apparently is going to force the 64-bit issue with apps.

I just got tired of the large updates these three apps seemed to need frequently - and I never used them. I have deleted them and if I ever change my mind I will just reinstall them.

Lisa

 

[MacInWin]

Lisa, I understand about the large updates, but I'm tired of the HUGE updates MS keeps issuing every two weeks for the Office 2016 suite. Each of the apps in the suite get a 500-600 Mbyte update, which in my case adds up to 2.4GB for each device (3 x MBP, 2 x iPhone, 2 x iPad). So I end up with almost 20GB of download every two weeks, just to keep Office for the few uses I have for it. I don't understand why MS cannot seem to make small update files instead of having to reinstall the entire app every time. That's just lazy on their part. The day I can ditch MS Office will be a great day for me!

 

[chscag]

I don't understand why MS cannot seem to make small update files instead of having to reinstall the entire app every time. That's just lazy on their part. The day I can ditch MS Office will be a great day for me!

You're not the only one who has observed that. Many complaints in MacRumors about the same thing and the unnecessary bloat of the entire 2016 Office suite. Most of what I do now no longer requires me to exchange documents with others. Instead of using Office I have switched to Pages. Now, if I still had to prepare papers and summaries for lessons, I would be forced to use Office as Pages does not lend itself well to those kinds of documents.

At one time MS Office was put together so that each individual application could be updated or removed by itself. In other words, you did not have to remove the entire suite just to reinstall Word or Excel, etc. Office 2011 uses one speciall font file for all its apps whereas Office 2016 needs three font files. Why the redundancy? It all boils down to poor programming on the part of MS. OK, complaint mode off. As bad as it is, it's still the de facto standard for education, business, and law.