Sep 15, 2020 Fast Clean: Find and remove junk files (including system caches, user caches, system logs, user logs, user downloads, Trash, Safari Internet cache, etc.) to free up disk space and keep your Mac in health. Just by one click, the junk files will be removed in seconds. 'You can speed up your Mac computer by performing simple maintenance. Feb 25, 2021 When it comes to cleaning, CCleaner is a great addition in the list of best Mac cleaner software. It identifies and removes all kinds of junk files, bugs and even duplicate photos to help users’ clean space on Mac computers. It is very easy to navigate, serves as a piggyback for malware, and has a simple user interface.
We clean our rooms and clothes so why not our Macs? But who can waste the entire day digging through folders and files? There are so many places like music, videos, apps and email downloads, and countless more locations on your Mac where junk and clutter accumulates. In 2021 cleaning your Mac is easier than ever. Which is why millions of people download free and low-cost Mac cleaning software.
- Cleaning a Mac by yourself is a tiresome and laborious task. So, here's a tip: Try CleanMyMac for free and get temporary files, system and user cache, app leftovers, and much more removed from your Mac. It’s so quick and easy, you’ll be surprised. So you’ve had your Mac for a while, and things don’t feel as fresh and clean as they used to?
- To free up storage space and clean up Mac, MacBook Pro, iMac completely, you will have to empty the bin. Here’s how to clean the Trash Bin on Mac, iMac. Download and launch Disk Clean Pro.
To start off, we've made a quick comparison chart about best Mac cleaners for Mac.
Rating | Name | Features | Info |
---|---|---|---|
1 | CleanMyMac X | Best cleaning and antimalware functionality in one tool | Link |
2 | Disk Doctor | Quick scan and deep cleaning of all kinds of junk | Link |
3 | Gemini 2 | Finds duplicate and similar files everywhere on your Mac, including Photos, iTunes, and external drives. | Link |
A handy cleaner may prove that your Mac is still alive and can actually perform at its best. In this article we’ve brought together some of the best Mac cleaning solutions around to clean, optimize, and maintain Macs that are available in 2020.
Top 10 best cleaners for Mac: Free and premium versions
1. CleanMyMac X
CleanMyMac X takes the first place with good reason — this cleaner combines features of both cleaning software and antimalware tool. Its Smart Scan promises a “nice and thorough scan of your Mac.” It does what it says, detecting junk like user cache files and system logs, checking your Mac for malicious software, and speeding up your MacBook. Looks like, there is a threat in my system, that I need to get rid of:
Frankly speaking, CleanMyMac X is Tesla Roadster among other Mac cleaners. And it does a great job revealing your junk and other clutter, uninstalling unneeded apps and their leftovers, and keeping your Mac’s system clean and optimized. Another pro is that CleanMyMac X is Apple-notarized, which means it’s safe for your Mac. You can download its free version right here.
Price: $39.95
Free version: Available here
Free version: Available here
2. Disk Doctor
Disk Doctor is developed in the UK and was awarded the 'Mac Gem’ award by MacWorld in 2013. CNET and other tech journalists also praise functionality. As of 2020, it still looks like a useful tool for Mac cleaning that removes junk slowing down and reducing the computing power of your Mac.
Price: $2.99
Free version: N/A
Free version: N/A
3. Gemini 2
Gemini 2 is the duplicate finder that allows you to free up gigabytes of storage and organize your files. In just a few minutes.
It quickly scans every corner of your Mac and weeds out useless copies. No matter what type of file it is: a photo, music track, or a doc… Gemini will definitely find it. And once the scan is done, you can remove the duplicates in a click. Or review results to make sure nothing important gets deleted.
If you remove something by accident, it takes just a click to put it back. And to make sure things like that never happen again, you can exclude specific files and folders from scan. Try out the free version right here.
Price: $19.96
Free version: Available here
4. Onyx
OnyX is a french Mac cleaning solution developed by Titanium software. It weighs only 5 MB but that doesn’t mean its capabilities are limited. OnyX is a tool that programmers will have a lot of fun with. With it, you can peek under the hood of your macOS and automate a whole list of jobs, like disk cleanup and cache removal. You can even tweak the color of folders on your Mac, and even make them invisible. Deservedly, it's among the best free Mac cleaners.
OnyX is one of the best Mac cleaners because it cleans many specific under-the-surface files, like inner databases and logs. If you know what is XPC cache is, you’ll probably like this app. But for us, ordinary Mac users who came here for the design and glossy buttons, OnyX will require some learning time.
Those who use OnyX say it is stable and reliable. There is no dedicated customer service (because OnyX is free software), but you shouldn’t be worried. The only likely damage is you accidentally deleting files by yourself.
Price: Free cleaner
Those who use OnyX say it is stable and reliable. There is no dedicated customer service (because OnyX is free software), but you shouldn’t be worried. The only likely damage is you accidentally deleting files by yourself.
Price: Free cleaner
5. DaisyDisk
DaisyDisk gives you a visual representation of your Mac folders, making it easy to see what is taking up space and delete the folders you don't need. All you need to do is select a drive, DaisyDisk will scan it, then you can delete everything that is wasting valuable space. It comes with a free and premium version.
Price:$9.99
Free version: Trial version available
Free version: Trial version available
6. AppCleaner & Uninstaller
If you only need to uninstall apps on Mac, AppCleaner is a good pick. AppCleaner only removes applications, plugins, and widgets, which are again, small apps. AppCleaner works in a familiar drag & drop mode. Its interface is also clean and easy to understand for a newbie.
After feeding the apps to AppCleaner, you should visit the Leftovers section of the app to erase their remains. Why we place AppCleaner & Uninstaller among free Mac cleaner tools? Because it is 100% free. Whether you will fully clean your Mac using it, is a different question.
AppCleaner & Uninstaller is created by FreeMacSoft, also the makers of LiteIcon, an icon customizer for Mac.
Price: Voluntary donation
AppCleaner & Uninstaller is created by FreeMacSoft, also the makers of LiteIcon, an icon customizer for Mac.
Price: Voluntary donation
7. Smart Mac Care
If you launch Smart Mac Care, it will look hauntingly familiar to other free Mac cleaner apps. Not only features will be called the same, everything up to the fonts, will be identical to some other app you’ve just used. That’s not a minus, though. You can still free up a lot of space with Smart Mac Care.
Smart Mac Care operates by a logic of “scans.” There is a Junk Scan, Malware Scan, Privacy Scan, etc. Just like Mac Booster, Smart Mac Care removes duplicates scattered in various locations on your Mac. There’s also a Memory Optimizer feature that promises to free up RAM on your Mac. In a word, Smart Mac Care resembles every other generic product whose only difference is in packaging. This is supported by the fact that we couldn’t find any credible third-party reviews for this app.
On another skeptical note: to uninstall Smart Mac Care you have to enter your admin password. This is not the case with other Mac cleaners we’ve used.
Price: $56.62 per year
Free version: Demo available
Price: $56.62 per year
Free version: Demo available
8. Drive Genius
Drive Genius is labeled a “Mac monitoring software.” It’s a whole suite of tools that provide powerful disk diagnostics. It’s hard to list a thing that this software doesn’t do. You can scan for malware, secure-erase files, customize icons — it’s dozens of apps in one body. What makes Drive Genius unique is, probably, its search for corrupted files and inconsistencies on your drive. If your Mac is an old one, keeping it in good health will be easier with Drive Genius.
In a free version, you can use just a fraction of tools, notably a DiskPulse utility. This is an automatic Mac health checker that notifies you before your hard drive fails. Unlike Mac cleaners that merely scan, it is able to repair damage on your disks, which makes it a real deal. Be prepared that hard drive scan may take some time, but the results are worth it. Also note that Drive Genius is not available for macOS Catalina (as of the beginning of 2020).
Price: $299 for Professional edition
Free version: Limited Lite edition is available
Free version: Limited Lite edition is available
9. CCleaner
Originally created in 2004 by Piriform, CCleaner comes with a free and professional version, focusing on businesses and business customers. CCleaner is a cross-platform tool, for PCs, Macs, Android, and it has a Cloud, Network and Technician tool, depending on what you need and the platform/software you use.
The premium version comes with a lot more features, including real-time alerts, free updates, and dedicated support. Although created for PCs in the early days, CCleaner does well to identify unwanted files on a Mac, so that users can select and delete the files and folders they don't need to free up space. As a cleaner for Mac, customers are pretty happy with the results of CCleaner.
Price: $19.95
Free version: Available
Price: $19.95
Free version: Available
10. Sensei
The Sensei app is a relatively new app on the market, but it can be another useful tool for your Mac. The Sensei software developers call the app “Pro Mac Cleaner” on their website. I would call it a performance controlling tool.
Sensei presents a detailed picture of how your Mac performs. In the Dashboard, you can find out information about your MacBook, check your CPU’s current temperature, and see how much of your RAM is used. Cooling gives you exact information on your Mac’s fans' speed.
Its Clean option helps to get rid of user cache, logs, large files, etc. The Uninstaller feature allows you to delete apps from your Mac and remove their traces. It doesn’t list pre-installed apps from Apple, such as Safari or Calendar, but it shows every app you have installed on your Mac.
Surely, you can clean up your Mac manually, but using dedicated software will save you tons of time.
Price: $29 per year
Free version: Available
Free version: Available
Frequently Asked Questions
Can’t my Mac clean itself?
Your macOS also has a built-in Mac cleaner, which Apple called Optimized Storage. Though its capabilities are limited, it gives you basic directions on where to start the cleanup. But for a thorough system cleanup and removing malware, you’ll need a dedicated Mac cleaner app.
Can Mac cleaner apps delete my important files?
Typically, best Mac cleaner apps have a protection built-in. They will usually select only those files that are safe for deletion.
Will Mac cleaners slow down my Mac?
Some cleaners try to get into your Login items, thus creating an extra burden on processor. On a flip side, the reliable Mac cleaner apps might even speed up your Mac. They remove all the outdated junk files giving your Mac an extra boost.
Mac cleaning apps you should avoid
Above we've touched the trusted Mac cleanup solutions but there are many that work on the dark side. Malwarebytes lists Advanced Mac Cleaner Pro and similar tools as unwanted applications. Here are some signs that should warn you against using scam Mac cleaners.
Signs of Mac cleaner scam:
Signs of Mac cleaner scam:
- 'Your Mac is infected' intrusive message
- An app is installed as part of different app
- An app finds 2323 (the number is an example) threats on your Mac
- Mac cleaner redirects your search page
Be safe and happy cleaning.
These might also interest you:
Macbook Clean Up Free
Junk files, system cache, user cache, duplicates, trash bin, etc. can occupy massive amounts of storage space on the hard disk. Cleaning these files manually from Mac can be cumbersome and time-consuming.
So, here’s a tip: Try Disk Clean Pro and get rid of junk files, system cache, old downloads, large & unused files, duplicates, and much more from your Mac. This quick, easy, simple, yet effective cleaning tool will declutter your Mac in no time, thus helping recover a huge amount of storage space.
Do you miss using that faster and optimized Mac? Well, with time, as Mac gets cluttered, the performance decreases. Hence, to get as much benefit as possible out of your Apple system, Mac’s regular cleaning is required.
Without any further delay in this article, we will learn how to clean up iMac, enhancing its speed and response time.
Short on Time?
Here are the quickest and automatic ways to cleanup Mac
If you don’t like spending time cleaning your Mac manually, use the best Mac cleanup tool Disk Clean Pro. This cleanup utility helps find and remove all clutter from your Mac. It knows how to find junk files on Mac. Disk Clean Pro finishes the tedious and time-consuming task of cleaning Mac in under 5-10 minutes (depending on the disk). It even helps clean duplicates that are hard to detect and gives you enough free storage space to save important data.
How to Clean Out Mac and Free Up Storage Using Disk Clean Pro
1. Download, install and launch Disk Clean Pro
2. Click Start System System Scan
3. Wait for the scan to finish.
4. Once done, click Clean Now to get rid of all unwanted data, including junk files, system cache, user cache, etc.
Now try using your Mac; you will indeed feel a difference in performance
Manual Ways to Clean up MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac
The foremost way to clean a Mac is to clean it from the inside. Indeed, this will be time-consuming, but it’s worth it!
1. Update macOS and other installed Software
To optimize and cleanup Mac you first need to update your software. For this, install any security patches, application updates, and other released bug fixes. Also, we recommend accepting updates from Apple. This helps keep security vulnerabilities in check and receive new features. Nonetheless, software updates help streamline applications and make them more efficient.
To view and install available OS updates, click the Apple icon > About This Mac > Overview tab > hit Software Update.
2. Cleanup Desktop
This might sound too easy and an obvious step, but you will be surprised to see how messed up it is when you look at your desktop. Fortunately, it can be fixed. To fix this problem, you’ll need to manually remove all unnecessary items from the desktop and sort things. This will help get a clear desktop and optimizer Finder, thereby boost the search time.
Note: Finder treats a folder or file on desktop as a window; due to this, it slows down. So, sorting the desktop is a good idea to optimize Finder.
3. Follow 15% Rule
Wondering why your Mac is slow? Hear this, the less the free hard disk space, the slower the performance. This means your hard drive becomes full; it slows down Mac and even freezes it. Due to this, you see frequent beach ball, experience Mac running slow, Mac overheating, Mac booting up slow, and other problems. Therefore, to enhance performance and keep it that way, try to keep at least 15% of free space on your system hard drive. The more free space, the better and faster the performance is.
4. Clean up Cache
When the browser slows down, to boost its speed, cleaning up the cache is recommended. Since cache files store information about the files & apps accessed, they reduce the time to get original information from the source. But over time, these files take unnecessary space and slow the Mac. Therefore, give your system a boost and clean up Mac from cache files. We recommend using Disk Clean Pro. However, if you want to do it yourself, you can check our comprehensive guide on How to Clear Cache on Mac.
This will help clean Cache and smooth things up.
5. Find and Remove Duplicates
Everyone knows Duplicates consume unnecessary space but finding and removing them from Mac isn’t easy. In such a case using the best duplicate finder helps, as using it, can quickly detect and clean duplicates. The fastest way is to use the Duplicate Finder offered by Disk Clean Pro.
1. Download and launch Disk Clean Pro
2. Click Duplicate Finder from the left pane and run the scan
3. Once done, review all items by clicking the arrow and unhiding files.
4. To remove duplicates, select them and click Clean Now.
That’s it; you will now have a duplicate free Mac.
Note: Duplicate Finder detects all types of duplicates; this means be it music, audio, video, documents, or archives, it will detect and show all.
6. Uninstall Unwanted Apps
Of course, applications installed on Mac take up space, and over time, when your Mac is full of different apps, it slows down. Therefore, it’s necessary to clean up the iMac. To do so, head to the Applications folder, look for the apps you don’t use, right-click > Move to Bin; this will remove all unwanted apps from Mac.
Remember, doing so will not uninstall the app entirely because app leftovers could still be found sitting on your Mac. If you want to do proper cleaning of your Mac, you need to uninstall apps completely. To learn how to do that, you can check our guide on uninstalling apps on Mac. In addition to this, you can also check the post on the best Mac Uninstaller software.
Decrease the number of login items as more the number; more is memory consumption.
To do so, follow the steps below:
- Open System Preferences
- Head to Users & Groups > select the user name from the left pane
- Click Login Items tab > check the box next to the startup item you want to disable > click the – sign.
This will remove unwanted login items from booting at startup.
7. Empty Trash
Even though several apps are deleted, but still, no space is recovered? It’s because deleted apps reside in your Trash bin. To free up storage space and clean up Mac, MacBook Pro, iMac completely, you will have to empty the bin. Here’s how to clean the Trash Bin on Mac, iMac.
1. Download and launch Disk Clean Pro
2. Click Misc Cleaning present in the left pane
3. Now click Trash Cleaner > Start Scan
4. Wait for the scan to finish
5. Once done, it will show all deleted items present in Bin, select, and delete them.
That’s all. Disk Clean Pro has emptied the trash and helped clean up Mac.
8. Decrease Clutter
Apple knows overtime Mac gets cluttered; hence it has already provided a solution. Here’s how to declutter Mac:
- Click the Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage.
- Here you will be able to see used and free space.
- Click Manage and follow the recommendations.
This will help clean up Mac and reclaim storage space. In addition to this, we suggest reading our article on how to clean purgeable data on Mac.
9. Delete old and unused files
More the free space, the faster is your Mac. If you are a video editor, photographer, or do some designing work, you need more space than usual. The manual way to clear storage space is to look for large files one by one and delete them. However, if you want to do this work without wasting time and accuracy, use Disk Clean Pro for this job.
How to Clean Up Mac with Disk Clean Pro
1. Download and install Disk Clean Pro
2. Open the program
3. Click Old & Unused Files > click the Scan button
Clean Mac Free
4. Wait for the scan to finish > review the results and click Clean Now.
That’s it. Your Mac will now be free from old and unused files.
10. Delete old iTunes Backup
Keeping data backup is very good, but when this backup gets outdated, it overloads your Mac unnecessarily. That’s why removing old iTunes backups that you no longer need is recommended. This will help free up gigabytes of space and clean up Mac, iMac, and MacBook.
The easiest way to delete old backups is to use Disk Clean Pro. Using this one-click optimization tool in simple 2-3 clicks, you can do a thorough cleaning of Mac. To use it, follow the steps below:
1. Download and install Disk Clean Pro.
2. Open the application
3. Click Misc Cleaning from the left pane > iTunes Device Backup > Start Scan
4. Select the old backup you no longer need and click Clean Now; confirm the action, and you are all done.
That’s all old backups that you decided you no longer need are gone forever from Mac.
Free App Clean Macbook
11. Clean Unwanted Language Files
Mac applications can be used in almost every language; therefore, they come with different language files. Cool, isn’t it? But do you use all languages? When was the last time you used an application in Bengali or Hindi? Since you don’t speak all languages, having these language files is a waste of storage space. Therefore, to clean up Mac and declutter it, removing unused files is recommended. To delete these files, head to Finder > Applications > select the app for which you want to remove unwanted language file > Show Package Content.
Free Mac Cleaner Apple
Open Resources folder > look for folders ending with.Iproj. Look for the language file you wish to remove, select it > right-click > Move to Bin. This way, you can get rid of language files. However, if you are looking for an easy way to remove a language file, read our post on removing unused language files.
12. Delete old Disk Images
To clean up unwanted or old disk images that take unnecessary space, follow the steps below:
- Open Finder and type disk image in the search bar
- Select the files with .dmg extension > Right click > Move to Bin
- After this, empty trash.
- This will clean all DMG files from Mac.
13. Clean old downloads folder
If you don’t clean the Download folder from time to time, it can take a toll on your Mac. Hence, it’s necessary to clean up old downloads. The best way to do that is to use the Old Downloads module offered by Disk Clean Pro. To use it, follow the steps below:
Clean Up My Mac Free
1. Install and launch Disk Clean Pro
2. Click Old Downloads > Start Scan
3. Once the scan is finished, you can review detected items and see the space they occupy.
4. Select and click Clean Now.
That’s it; you have done an excellent cleaning job for your Mac and have recovered storage space.
14. Get rid of resource-hungry apps.
Some programs use more processor and memory resources than required.
To find which are those apps follow the steps below:
- Click Finder menu > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor > Memory tab
- Here you will see resource hogging apps.
- Select and click the X button at the top left
- Now click the CPU tab, select the ones that take up memory, and quit.
15. Clear Mail Downloads
If you use the Mail application in macOS, there are chances that email attachments are taking up tons of space on the hard drive. So, it’s time to get rid of mail downloads and free up space on Mac. To do so, follow the steps below:
1. Install and launch Disk Clean Pro
2. Click Misc Cleaning > Mail Downloads > Start Scan
3. Free professional cad software. Wait for the scan to finish and clean all the old downloads.
That’s it. This helps clean Mac, iMac, Macbook and free up space on the hard disk.
Note: Cleaning downloaded mail attachments does not remove them from the mail. Whenever you need them can re-download them from the mail.
This is all using these simple steps you can easily clean up and optimize Mac. Alongside you can also recover storage space and can organize data. We hope you find the article informative and useful. If you are the DIY types can use the manual methods. However, if you like to save time and don’t want to get into the complexities of cleaning Mac, use Disk Clean Pro.
This best Mac optimizer can be downloaded from AppStore and used on all macOS. Not only this, it is the #1 rated disk cleaning tool and comes for $10.99, which is nothing for the features it offers. So, give it a try today and share your thoughts about the article and Disk Clean Pro in the comments section.
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