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.
My Mac Huge System Storage – Feb 2018. As well known, the Mac operating system usually takes up from 8GB to 13GB.So I don’t think my Mac “System” storage could be that huge, so I searched to find how it defines “System” storage for a Mac, and how to free up that storage. Smart Mac Care is the best Mac cleaner app and optimization software. Smart Mac Cleaner is an Appesteem certified and therefore counts in the reliable mac cleaner tools. It takes complete care of your Mac be it declutter providing security from the malware and privacy issues online.
- Purgeable Storage. Clean Up Other Files On Mac. Purgeable Storage is something you will start seeing after you have enabled Optimize Storage option. What it means is that when your MacBook runs low on free.
- Here is a list of the Best Free MAC Cleaner software.Using these you can choose the option to clean MAC of the unnecessary files.These contain several tools to get rid of unwanted junk, like: app cleaner for MAC to clean MAC apps, memory clean MAC to clean memory of your MAC, clean up MAC hard drive, and Disk clean MAC.
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 |
Free Mac System Storage Cleaner Portable
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Best Mac Storage Cleaner
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:
- '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.
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By Nathan E. Malpass, Last updated: August 27, 2019
Some Macbook users complain that their system occupies so much room on Mac and want to know the methods of how to remove system storage on Mac. If your MacBook or its storage space is relatively small, huge system storage could be quite difficult. Mac has a hard drive that is limited to fast completion, especially if you have plenty of files. Luckily, simple, fast options are available for clearing system storage on mac.
Tips:
Why Should We Clean System Storage
Basically, by removing files or other items you've downloaded, you can space on your Mac freely but usually, it is not sufficient. Most wasteful space on your Mac will be recovered by addressing deeper elements such as duplicate files, language files, attachments, temporary or empty files of your Mac repository.
It is better to know the system storage on Mac before we get to the solution. On Mac and in storage, we can see that Mac storage is divided into several groups, such as photos, apps, iOS files, audio, system, etc. And the storage in the system is confusing and it's difficult to know what is in the system. In general, system files cannot be categorized in the system storage.
If you do not keep the hard drive of your Mac clean, then you eventually get the 'Your drive is nearly full' error so that you can also start up some space now.
How to Clean System Storage Easily
You can use FoneDog PowerMyMac to get rid of temporary files, remove additional language files, uninstall applications; get rid of extra files that are left by the uninstalling of applicants, look for, and get rid of large attachments stored in the e-mail and much else if you are not willing to spend some more time finding and cleaning things manually.
It basically contains all of the cleaning features in one application and naturally, there is a free trial that demonstrates where your free space has gone and can clean some free of charge.
FoneDog PowerMyMac has been developed to clean up your unnecessary caches on your Macbook such as System and Application Cache, System and User Logs to optimize efficiency and free up storage space.
1. Launch the program
Start the program and check the main interface system status.
2. Go to System Junk
On the top side click on Cleaner and then select System Junk
3. Start scanning
Click System Junk and begin scanning System Cache and Application Cache on your Mac. The scanning course can be seen in the left circle.
4. View Results
Look at the items. You can also return to the previous page for re-scan if necessary.
5. Select to begin Deletion
Select and delete desired system files.
6. Deletion process
To remove system junk files on Mac, click the Clean button. All unnecessary files are deleted.
7. Delete confirmation
After you click Clean, please click the Confirm button. Then wait for the cleaning process, be patient.
It will delete system junk files from your device quickly and easily. Note that other tools in the PowerMyMac Cleaner Modul are subject to the same steps.
How to Clean System Storage Manually
Besides the others, using FoneDog PowerMyMac is an efficient way of deleting system storage on mac. You can easily free up space on your device with just a few clicks on your mouse and easy steps.
The MacOS system and its system files were unable to delete, but the rest of the list could be deleted to free system storages. To ensure that the system works successfully on the computer. Most system storage files are difficult to find and the amount of this type of file is huge. We could even mistakenly delete some major files
System Cache and Log Files Deletion
System logs record system applications ' activity and services that take up plenty of space on your Mac. They are useful for debugging the developer but usually are useless to ordinary users. First, you can access/locate system log files on macOS to delete files. It normally involves type in the code on Mac and then delete these files manually in the trash. For users that do not know the macOS system, this could be too complicated.
Mail Attachment Deletion
When you receive them to review offline, every email and its attachment shall be cached on your mac. The build-up of mail attachments will place huge pressure on the storage of the system. You must get rid of attachments you no longer need to reduce system storage on Mac. If you need to remove too numerous attachments as well as the mail cache.
Useless Files from iTunes Deletion
Certain of you can use MacBook to back up iPhone or iPad information via iTunes. Updates of the iOS system may even be done by iTunes, which can make system storage very important for updated files and for iTunes backup. The iPhone backups and iOS updates can deplete stock on Mac to gigabytes without any knowledge. Deleting iTunes is a great way to clean up Mac system storage.
Empty Trash
Dragging the not-needed files in the Trash does not mean that the Mac is completely deleted, but it does. We often forget about the files in Trash and it is very easy to stock and therefore becomes a big part of system storage
Time Machine Backup Deletion
Time Machine operates both with remote and local backup storage devices when backups are done via Wi-Fi. And the local backups will still increase the system storage of your computer. Although macOS purges the Time Machine backup locally automatically if 'not enough storage disk' is available on the Mac, the removal is sometimes behind the storage change. It is thus important to manage the backup of Time Machine. Here we recommend working on how to manually remove backup Time Machine files on Mac. But be aware, although this method can help to delete Mac backup files and to free up more system storage space, you can also wait for the MacOS to delete them in case you are afraid of deleting some important backups alone.
People Also ReadiOS Update Deleted Photos, How to RecoveriPhone Photos Disappeared from Camera Roll.
Conclusion
You have a lot of cleaning on your Mac and FoneDog PowerMyMac does this for you with a simple click. It filters and displays everything in your Mac. Selecting items openly and checking the results by size, time and so on. It selects only documents to be deleted. You only sort the right files, therefore. The PowerMac app has great features so that your Mac gains more space. You can choose to make use of the excellent highlights of PowerMyMac at an affordable cost, like most valuable toolboxes. Here too, the free trial can be seen.
