Features
Everything CleanMyMacOS offers — from smart scanning to macOS tweaks.
Smart Scan & Cleanup
Smart Scan examines 11 cleanup categories and presents results grouped by risk level. Files modified in the last 24 hours are automatically skipped. You review everything before a single byte is removed.
| Category | Description | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| User Caches | Application cache files from ~/Library/Caches | Safe |
| Logs | Application and system logs from ~/Library/Logs | Safe |
| Downloads | Old installers, disk images, and archives (.dmg, .pkg, .zip, .rar, .7z, .iso) | Review |
| Trash | Files already in your Trash | Safe |
| Browser Caches | Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Edge, and Arc cache data | Safe |
| Xcode | DerivedData, Archives, iOS/watchOS DeviceSupport, Simulators | Safe |
| Homebrew | Homebrew package cache from ~/Library/Caches/Homebrew and /opt/homebrew | Safe |
| Developer | 38+ package manager caches (npm, pip, Cargo, Gradle, and more) | Safe |
| App Leftovers | Orphaned files from previously uninstalled apps | Review |
| Large Files | Files above your configurable threshold (default 100 MB) | Review |
| Duplicates | Duplicate files detected via progressive SHA-256 hashing | Review |
App Uninstaller
Discovers installed applications and detects leftover files across 11 locations: Application Support, Caches, Preferences, Logs, Saved Application State, Containers, Group Containers, LaunchAgents, WebKit, HTTPStorages, and CrashReporter.
Each leftover gets a confidence score:
23 system apps are protected from uninstall, including Safari, Finder, App Store, Terminal, and Xcode.
Developer Tools Cleanup
Comprehensive cleanup for developers with Xcode cleanup (6 categories: DerivedData, Archives, iOS/watchOS DeviceSupport, Simulators, app caches), Homebrew cache, and 38+ package manager caches.
| Ecosystem | Package Managers |
|---|---|
| JavaScript | npm, Yarn, pnpm, Bun |
| Python | pip, uv, Ruff, Poetry, pyenv |
| Ruby | gem |
| Go | Go build cache, Go modules |
| Rust | Cargo registry, Rustup downloads |
| Java/Kotlin | Gradle, Maven |
| iOS/Mobile | CocoaPods, Carthage |
| PHP | Composer |
| Docker | Docker buildx cache |
| Cloud | kubectl, AWS CLI, gcloud |
| Frontend | TypeScript, Electron, node-gyp, Turbo, ESLint, Prettier, Parcel |
| ML | Hugging Face, PyTorch |
Plus: project folder scanning detects 15+ cleanable directory types including node_modules, venv, .next, Pods, and DerivedData.
Large File Scanner
Find large files consuming disk space, organized into 7 type categories with a configurable size threshold (default 100 MB). Scans up to 100K files per folder.
| Type | Extensions |
|---|---|
| Videos | .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mkv, .wmv, .flv, .m4v, .webm |
| Archives | .zip, .rar, .7z, .tar, .gz, .bz2, .xz, .tgz |
| Installers | .pkg, .app |
| Disk Images | .dmg, .iso, .img, .sparseimage, .sparsebundle |
| Virtual Machines | .vmdk, .vdi, .qcow2, .vmem, .nvram, .vmss |
| Documents | .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .pages, .numbers, .keynote |
Duplicate Finder
Finds duplicate files using a progressive hashing algorithm that works efficiently even on large drives with up to 200K files.
How it works
- 1. Size grouping — Files with unique sizes are immediately skipped
- 2. Quick hash — First 4 KB + last 4 KB of each file
- 3. Full SHA-256 — Only for confirmed candidate groups
Smart suggestions help you decide what to keep: newest file, oldest file, or shortest path. The app never auto-selects all copies for deletion.
Storage Map
Interactive disk space analyzer with radial and tree visualizations. See exactly what's consuming your storage and select items for cleanup directly from the visualization. Includes a detail inspector and review tray for selected items.
macOS Tweaks
21 toggleable macOS preferences organized in 5 categories. All tweaks show live state, can be toggled instantly, and support one-click revert to defaults.
Finder (10 tweaks)
- Show hidden files
- Show all file extensions
- Show path bar
- Show status bar
- Show POSIX path in title bar
- Sort folders before files
- Disable extension change warning
- Default search scope to current folder
- Disable .DS_Store on network volumes
- Disable .DS_Store on USB volumes
Dock (4 tweaks)
- Remove auto-hide delay
- Speed up animation
- Show active apps only
- Dim hidden apps
Screenshots (2 tweaks)
- Change format (PNG/JPG/TIFF/GIF/PDF)
- Disable window shadow
Keyboard (3 tweaks)
- Key repeat speed
- Initial key repeat delay
- Disable accent character picker
Privacy & Developer (2 tweaks)
- Touch ID for sudo
- Developer settings
Maintenance Tasks
9 built-in maintenance tasks. Operations requiring admin privileges use a guided command pattern — the command is displayed for you to copy and run in Terminal, keeping the app fully sandboxed.
| Task | Risk | Mode | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebuild Spotlight Index | Review | Guided | Fixes broken search and indexing |
| Flush DNS Cache | Safe | Guided | Clears stale DNS entries for connectivity issues |
| Restart Finder | Safe | Direct | Auto-relaunches Finder to fix display issues |
| Restart Dock | Safe | Guided | Resets Dock process and animations |
| Restart Menu Bar | Safe | Guided | Restarts SystemUIServer for menu bar icons |
| Clear Quick Look Cache | Safe | Guided | Fixes broken file thumbnails and previews |
| Reset Launch Services | Review | Guided | Rebuilds the "Open With" context menu |
| View Time Machine Snapshots | Advanced | Guided | Lists local Time Machine snapshots consuming space |
| Touch ID for sudo | Advanced | Guided | Use fingerprint instead of password in Terminal |
Browser Cache Cleanup
Detects installed browsers automatically and scans their cache sizes. Supports selective per-browser cleanup.
Startup Items Manager
Inspect and manage Login Items and LaunchAgents from three locations: User LaunchAgents (~/Library/LaunchAgents), System LaunchAgents (/Library/LaunchAgents), and System LaunchDaemons (/Library/LaunchDaemons). Items are labeled as Apple, User, or System agents for easy identification.
Safety & Privacy
CleanMyMacOS runs fully sandboxed with a multi-layered safety engine:
- SafetyPolicyEngine — Allowlists and blocklists prevent touching critical data (Keychains, Mail, Photos, iCloud, SSH keys, shell configs)
- Recent file protection — Files modified in the last 24 hours are skipped by default
- Symlink validation — Resolves and validates real paths to prevent symlink attacks
- Rate limiting — 50K file limit per category prevents scanning storms
- Audit trail — Every action is logged with success/failed/skipped status
- Trash by default — Permanent deletion requires explicit advanced confirmation
- No telemetry — No data ever leaves your Mac
Try CleanMyMacOS for free
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