Your process folder is in the Finder, one level up from your Desktop
Open Finder — the blue and white face icon in your dock at the bottom of the screen. On the left sidebar, you will see "Locations". Click "Macintosh HD" or whatever your hard drive is called. You are now at the root level of your computer. Look for a folder called "Applications" — it is usually near the top of the window, often with a folder icon that looks like a blue and white grid.
Double-click "Applications" and you will see every program installed on your Mac. This is the main Applications folder. Most of what you need is here. But "process folder" can mean two different things depending on context, and knowing the difference saves you hours of searching.
Key Takeaways
- The Applications folder itself sits in Finder under Macintosh HD and holds all your installed programs like Safari, Mail, and Adobe Creative Suite.
- Each program also has its own hidden process folder buried in Library, where it stores your settings, cache files, and saved preferences.
- You can reach the main Applications folder in seconds through Finder, but the hidden per-program folders require you to show hidden files or use the Go menu.
- Knowing which folder someone means — the main one or the program-specific one — determines whether you are looking in the right place.
The main Applications folder and what lives there
When someone says "the Applications folder", they usually mean the one you just opened in Finder. This folder holds the actual program files — Safari, Mail, Photos, Microsoft Word, Slack, whatever you have installed. Each one is a single item that looks like a folder but is actually a package (a special kind of file that Mac treats as one unit).
You can see the size of each program here, move programs to trash to uninstall them, or drag a program to your dock to pin it there. This is the folder you use when you are managing which programs you have on your computer. It is not hidden and it is not hard to find.
The hidden process folders inside Library
Each program also creates its own folder buried deep inside something called Library. This is where the program stores your personal settings, your saved passwords, your cache files, and anything else specific to you. If you delete a program from the main Applications folder but want to completely remove all traces of it, you also need to find and delete its Library folder.
Library folders are hidden by default because Apple assumes most people do not need to go in there. But if you are troubleshooting a program that is not working right, or you want to reset it to factory settings, you need to find this folder. The path is usually something like: Users / [Your Name] / Library / process Support / [Program Name].
How to find a program's hidden Library folder
Open Finder and click on your username in the left sidebar under "Locations". Now click the gear icon at the top of the window and select "Show View Options". Check the box that says "Show Library Folder". The Library folder will now appear in your home directory.
Double-click Library. Inside, look for a folder called "process Support". Open that. Inside process Support you will find folders named after programs — Adobe, Microsoft, Slack, whatever. Find the one for the program you are looking for. This is where all its personal files live.
If you do not see a folder for your program in process Support, it might be stored somewhere else in Library instead — try looking in "Preferences" (where settings are saved) or "Caches" (where temporary files go). Different programs organize their files differently.
The faster way: using the Go menu
Instead of showing Library and hunting through folders, you can jump straight there. Open Finder, click "Go" in the menu bar at the top, and hold down the Option key. A new menu item called "Library" will appear. Click it and you jump directly to your Library folder without having to show hidden files.
From there, navigate to process Support and find your program's folder. This method is faster once you know it exists, and it does not require you to change your view settings.
Why this matters: when you actually need to know
Most of the time you never need to think about either of these folders. You install a program from the App Store or a website, it goes into Applications, and you are done. But three situations send people looking:
First, a program is crashing or behaving strangely, and someone tells you to "delete the preferences file". That file lives in the hidden Library folder, not in Applications. Second, you want to completely uninstall a program and remove every trace of it, including your settings. Dragging it to trash from Applications is not enough — you also need to delete its Library folder. Third, you are trying to move a program to an external drive or share it with someone else, and you need to know what files actually belong to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just drag a program from Applications to trash to uninstall it?
Yes, and for most programs that is enough. But the program's settings, cache, and preferences will remain in your Library folder and take up space. If you want a completely clean uninstall, you also need to delete its folder from Library / process Support.
What is the difference between Applications and process Support?
Applications is the folder of actual program files you can run. process Support is the folder where each program stores your personal settings and data. One is the program itself; the other is your stuff inside the program.
Why is Library hidden in the first place?
Apple hides it because accidentally deleting something in Library can break programs or lose your settings. It is hidden to protect you from yourself, not to keep you out. You can show it anytime.
If I delete a program's Library folder, will it delete my files?
It will delete your settings and preferences for that program, but not files you created in that program. A Word document you wrote stays on your computer; your Word settings and recent files list disappear. Always back up before deleting anything in Library.