Apple's Mac computers are known for being fast and user-friendly, which makes it easy to stock your Mac hard drive full of photos, music, videos, documents and random files. While Macs don't have a reputation for crashing, they do have a reputation for getting sluggish when overloaded. To clean the Apple Mac hard drive is indeed necessary. There are some tips to clean up your Mac.

• Free Mac Cleanup Program
• Free Mac Cleaner Programs
• Best Free Mac Cleaner 2020
• Mac Cleaner
• Free Mac Cleaner Program

A Mac that gets a lot of use can easily stack up programs and files that take up space. Problems start if your hard disk doesn't actually have enough free storage space to let your operating system run at its best. Keeping 20% of your hard drive free is a good way to prevent a Mac from running slow. So it's worth checking if your own Mac's. Best Free Mac Cleaner in 2021 - FoneDog Mac Cleaner. The best Mac cleaner should have the analysis, cleanup, and optimization features to really get through the whole idea of removing unnecessary files and speed up the system. FoneDog Mac Cleaner has the complete, comprehensive, and most effective solution, so far. It does not only boost.

Magoshare AweUninser for Mac is the safe and efficient free Mac uninstaller to completely uninstall applications and software on your Mac. It not only can quickly uninstall unwanted applications, but it also can remove all related files including logs, junk files, register files, and other leftovers. EaseUS CleanGenius for Mac is the best optimizing software that helps you clean up Mac and run it faster. In only one click, this Mac cleaner speeds up the slow Mac and boosts Mac performance. Clean up memory, junk files or large useless files in a safe way and free up disk space for your data. Find the best cleaning software for Mac. Some Mac cleaners offer a free, no-frills cleanup tool. Others, like Avast Cleanup, provide bloatware and junk file removal, registry cleanup, early warning signs for problematic storage usage, and a duplicate photo finder — for a full disk cleanup.

Tips to clean up your Mac

Empty your Trash

The most basic thing is to empty your Trash regularly. Unless you're unsure of whether you may need a deleted file later, there's no reason to have a Trash brimming with files. But this is not the only trash you need to empty. Empty the trash in iPhoto, iMovie, and Mail too.

Remove applications you don't use

Your Apple Mac comes with a lot of commercial applications on a trial basis (like Microsoft Office, FileMaker etc.). If you know that you're not going to use those applications, clean up them! Open your Applications folder (with command-shift-A in Finder), drag unused applications to the Trash and then empty the Trash.

Remove disk images from downloaded files

Whenever you download applications to install, delete the disk image (.dmg) files.

Clean web browser caches

To improve performance, all web browsers store downloaded pages and files in a cache so that they can reuse those files (instead of re-downloading them) if you visit those same pages again. Cleaning the cache could provide some free space. Although cleaning the cache for security reasons is a good thing, it reflects very poorly on your disk space management skills if you have to do it to save space! Cleaning the browser cache can be done in your web browser's Preferences window (command-,).

Remove disk space hogs

Delete data that you don't need, or move them to an external hard disk, CDs or DVDs.

Run maintenance utilities

Free system maintenance utilities like EaseUS CleanGenius can help clean up Mac temporary files, system caches and logs. This should also be considered more as a maintenance task than a disk space saving the task. EaseUS CleanGenius is a powerful and easy-to-use cleanup software for Apple Mac users, making your Apple Mac system run faster and free up hard drive space by cleaning up the System Caches, User Caches, System Logs, User Logs, User Downloads, Trash, and Safari Internet Cache, etc. CleanGenius allows enjoying smooth & better system performance with such vital features as Clean up System junk, Clean Caches, Free Space Monitor, Quick Browse Device Files, and so on. All the operations are done within minutes and with less system resource being occupied during the whole process. With EaseUS CleanGenius, you can manage routine tasks and keep your Mac clean, efficient in the simplest way.

Highlighted features of EaseUS CleanGenius

Clean up Mac fast: You can free more space on your Mac disk keeping your Mac healthy at all times. With a simple click from the utility, all junk files (System Caches, User Caches, System Logs, User Logs, User Downloads, Trash, Safari Internet Cache and more) will be removed in just a matter of seconds.

Monitor disk space: It will show you the disk space available and will alert you in advance if the disk space is already running low. You can clean or move files to free up disk space to ensure that your Mac is running smoothly.

Disk Ejector: Using this one will allow you to eject the mounted drives, such as external storage disks, CD and DVD disks, SuperDrive, network storage and disk images.

Browser Plug-ins Cleanup: Support to clean up and remove browsers such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox plugins, cache, and cookies. Your browsing histories, bookmarks and downloaded files won't be cleaned.

Mac Uninstaller: 'Uninstall Applications' safely and completely remove applications and their components, preferences, log files, etc. Select an application, just one click, the application and its additional components will be removed.

Duplicates Finder: Duplicate files have the identical contents and waste the precious disk space. CleanGenius can easily find and remove duplicate files to reclaim the wasted disk space.

Disk Usage: Visualize the size of your files & folders and remove the unwanted large files to free up more disk space.

Free Memory: When the free memory of your Mac is insufficient, you can easily use CleanGenius to free memory and speed up your Mac for better performance.

Set Login Items: Unneeded applications may auto run every time when you start Mac. This will reduce your Mac performance. If you don't want an application to start every time you launch your Mac, just open CleanGenius and disable the startup items you find annoying.

28 February 2021

Does your Mac feel a little slow and unresponsive?

Or is it displaying a 'Your disk is almost full' error message?

That could be because there are excessive junk files occupying your Mac's storage disk.

Junk files take many shapes and forms. They also have varying sizes (some are tiny files while some may run into gigabytes) and are scattered across several folders on your Mac. Manually locating and removing these unwanted disk-consuming files can be exhausting and futile.

Thanks to Mac cleaning and optimization software, you can give your Mac's storage a clean sweep and free up space within seconds. So, here are our top picks of the best Mac cleaner software in 2021.

Best disk cleaner for Mac

You'll find tons of applications out there offering disk cleanup for Mac. Choosing the best one that matches your needs can get difficult. This is why we compiled this list containing ten of the best cleaning software for Mac.

Free Mac Cleanup Program

The Mac cleaners reviewed in this article all found varying gigabytes of junk files on our test device — a 128GB MacBook Pro running macOS Big Sur. Here’s a result of our findings.

Free Mac Cleaner Programs

• MacKeeper 5 - 8.29 GB of junk files
• CleanMyMac X - 7.18 GB of junk files
• DaisyDisk - 2.10 GB of junk files
• CCleaner - 3.49 GB of junk files
• Cleaner One Pro - 8.20 GB of junk files
• Onyx - 3.80 GB of junk files
• AVG Cleaner - 3.17 GB of junk files
• Mac Cleaner Pro - 4.00 GB of junk files
• Avast Cleaner for Mac - 3.50 GB of junk files
• Disk Doctor - 5.00 GB of junk files

This is the latest version of the MacKeeper software. MacKeeper 5 boasts of improved functionalities, refreshed design, and an easy-to-navigate interface. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Mac newbie or a pro—you’ll get a hang of MacKeeper easily.

MacKeeper is an all-in-one software with a bunch of built-in cleaning tools that’ll get rid of junks and redundant files eating up your Mac’s storage. As a bonus, you also get an antivirus, duplicate finder, an ad blocker, and a variety of other privacy protection utilities.

There’s a 'Find & Fix' section where you can check the status of your Mac's storage, security, and overall performance at the click of a button.

MacKeeper also has an Auto-scan feature that’s enabled by default. So you don’t have to set a reminder or schedule to get your Mac scanned for vulnerabilities — MacKeeper does that automatically in the background.

As a cherry on top, MacKeeper also comes with a built-in 'Update Tracker'. This tool checks your Mac for outdated software and updates them accordingly.

You can also use MacKeeper’s “Smart Uninstaller” tool to uninstall apps and remove their respective leftover files.

• Price: From $14.95 (1-month plan).
• Download: Available here.

CleanMyMac X offers a suite of tools that removes junk files and malware from your Mac. The software has a clean interface and you’ll find everything you need to clean and optimize your Mac on the right sidebar.

There’s also a 'Smart Scan' feature that thoroughly scans your Mac and cleans unneeded junk, neutralizes potential threats, and boosts your system performance.

Like MacKeeper, CleanMyMac X also lets you effectively manage applications on your Mac. You can use the utilities in the Applications module to uninstall applications, remove system extensions, and find outdated apps and update them accordingly.

The Maintenance module will free up disk space on your Mac’s disk, repair broken file permission, and compress the size of your (Time Machine) backup.

CleanMyMac X is a paid cleaning tool but you can use the trial version for free. However, you should note that the trial version comes with a 500MB cleaning limit.

• Price: From $39.95 (1-year subscription).
• Download: Available here.

CCleaner is a household name in the cleaning software industry, and the company has one of the best Mac cleaning software.

CCleaner offers a cleaning utility that analyzes your Mac’s storage to hunt out cache files, browser cookies, and other junk files. It scans both system and third-party applications, leaving no stone unturned.

Asides from cleaning junk files, CCleaner also offers other performance optimization tools to instantly free up Mac memory. For example, you can use the 'Startup' tool to change your Mac's startup programs and optimize your Mac's startup speed.

The built-in “Duplicate Finder” will also help free up extra space by removing duplicate files located in similar or different folders on your Mac.

CCleaner is available for free, but there's a professional version that costs $19.95. The free version has the essential tools you need to get your Mac's storage spick and span. Likewise, it has no limit on the quantity of junks you can clean from your Mac.

However, if you fancy advanced features like automatic erasure of browser history, real-time monitoring of junk files, and automatic updates, you'll need to upgrade to the professional version.

• Price: $19.95 (1-year subscription).
• Download: Available here.

OnyX is free and gets the job done, it's not the most beginner-friendly app to clean up your Mac. The app's functionalities, utilities, and settings aren't out in the open, so it'll take some getting used to. When you get a hang of it, however, cleaning your Mac becomes a breeze.

OnyX has a deep-cleaning Storage management tool. You’ll find this in the Applications tab of the app’s Utilities section. The tool will uninstall unsupported applications, remove TV programmes and shows you've already watched, and delete junk items and cache files — all in a bid to save as much disk space as it can.

You can use OnyX for free, forever. However, make sure you download a version that’s compatible with your Mac’s operating system from the developer’s website.

• Price: Free.
• Download: Available here.

DaisyDisk does away with all the fancy stuff and takes a straightforward approach towards junk removal.

At the click of a button, DaisyDisk will scan your entire Mac disk in less than a minute and categorize your data into an interactive, color-coded map. Data labels are also displayed at the top-right corner of the app for easy identification.

To preview the content of the category, click on a data label or its corresponding color on the map to preview the content of the category. If you find a suspiciously large file consuming your Mac’s storage, all you need to do is drag the file to the Delete queue located at the bottom-left corner of the app.

This is one of the best apps to perform a disk cleanup on Mac. The simplicity and disk-scanning speed are two of its highlight features.

The only downside is that DaisyDisk isn't beginner-friendly. It shows you things eating up your Mac's storage but it doesn't tell you which ones are junk files or malware. You'll have to find and delete them yourself.

• Price: $9.95 (One-time payment).
• Download: Available here.

Formerly known as Dr. Cleaner, Cleaner One Pro (developed by Trend Micro) is another reliable app to clean up your Mac, particularly if you have a lot of duplicate photos.

It deep-cleans your Mac's storage by removing junk files, duplicate files, similar photos, and so on. There’s also a 'Big Files' tool that lets you preview and delete big files (between 10MB and 500MB) consuming excessive disk space.

The Smart Scan feature will check for vulnerabilities affecting your Mac’s performance and suggest actions to get them fixed.

Cleaner One Pro also comes with a menu bar tool that displays a quick overview of your Mac's CPU usage, memory usage, network status in real-time.

• Price: $14.95 (1-year subscription).
• Download: Available here.

Best Free Mac Cleaner 2020

Avast is renowned for its antivirus software but its Cleanup tool for Mac is just as good.

The app will clean up your Mac by removing junk files, duplicate documents, and applications that you barely use.

Avast Cleanup uses a unique image-detection technology to scan your photo gallery for bad images that are under-exposure, over-exposed, or blurry.

Everything you need to declutter your Mac is clearly spelled out on the app's dashboard. There are no hidden tools or menus. Simply launch the app, grant it access to your Mac's disk, scan for unwanted files, and choose what you want to keep or delete.

You can download Avast Cleanup for free but there’s a catch: the trial version works in scan-only mode. To clean your Mac with the app, you’ll need to sign up for an Avast Cleanup Premium subscription; Avast may provide a 60-day subscription-free trial period.

• Price: $47.99 (1-year subscription).
• Download: Available here.

This Mac system cleaner offers two main tools: a Disk Cleaner and a Duplicate Finder.

The former will scan the nook and cranny of your Mac for hidden files (application caches, junk files, unnecessary downloads, and so on) taking up disk space. The Duplicate Finder, on the other hand, will dig out identical files and folders.

The overall disk cleaning process is simple and effortless. The Duplicate Finder supports a drag-and-drop functionality that lets you find duplicate files in specific folders on your Mac. Simply drag the folder to the Duplicate Finder section and leave the rest to the AVG Cleaner.

• Price: Free.
• Download: Available here.

Disk Doctor is one of the few junk cleaners that removes a wide variety of unnecessary files from your Mac: application caches, message attachments, temporary files, application leftovers, partial or uncompleted downloads, application log files — you name it.

The app automatically scans your disk and groups unneeded files into 20 different categories. You can preview the files and choose what to keep and what to delete.

The app ships with a light interface by default but you can switch to a dark theme if you want. Disk Doctor is strictly a paid app; it costs $2.99 and is available on the App Store.

Mac Cleaner

We advise that you download and use the Free Demo version of the app before making a purchase. That way, you can easily decide if it’s worth the investment or not.

We should mention that the Free Demo version only allows you to scan your drive. You cannot use it to remove junk or optimize your Mac's storage.

• Price: $2.99 (One-time payment).
• Download: Available here.

Think of MacCleaner Pro as a full-fledged file manager with disk cleaning and system optimization capabilities.

Free Mac Cleaner Program

On the app’s dashboard, you’ll find an overview of your Mac’s storage color-coded into several file types and categories: system files, duplicate files, applications, documents, movies, and so on. Click on any of the categories to view the items occupying significant disk space.

In addition to removing junk files, there are additional tools that can help you fix issues affecting your Mac’s performance. The Speedup Tool, for example, will rebuild the Spotlight index, disabling startup apps, and free up RAM.

The built-in App Cleaner will also reset malfunctioning apps, manage browser extensions, remove unwanted/unused applications and delete their leftover files.

MacCleaner Pro’s junk cleaner and system optimization tools are available to all users. On the other hand, you’ll need to purchase the app to use pro tools like the duplicate finder, app uninstaller, and disk analyzer.

• Price: $44.99 (One-time payment).
• Download: Available here.

FAQ

What is the best Mac cleaning software in the market?

MacKeeper does a pretty good job. It is lightweight and you need not have any technical knowledge to use it. The interface is easy to understand and you can swiftly find junk files at the click of a button. It also comes with performance-optimization features that allows you to monitor your Mac.s memory and other resource-intensive processes in real-time.

Do Mac cleaners really work and won't slow down my Mac?

Yes, cleaning software really does help to declutter your Mac. We tested all ten applications in this article and they performed brilliantly. A cleaning software may consume CPU resources and slow down your Mac if it’s registered as a Login Item — an app that opens automatically when you boot up your Mac.

We should also mention that Mac cleaners will not slow down your Mac while scanning for junk files. If a Mac cleaner slows down your Mac's speed or performance, you may have too many apps open and running in the background. Close apps that you aren't using and try again.

Are Mac cleaner apps safe to use?

Mac cleaner apps from trusted developers are safe to use.

However, some malicious Mac cleaning software has a history of stealing users' data. Therefore, make sure you perform your due diligence and only use cleaners from reputable software companies.