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Is CleanMyMac X safe?

BR4DOKYBrazil

BR4DOKYBrazil

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 25, 2018
863
2,159
Londrina - PR / Brazil
I grew up using Windows and ended up realizing my dream: I acquired a Macbook Air.
After using iPhones since the 7 Plus model, I decided to join the world of MacOS too. I'm really enjoying it, but I have the following question:

On Windows, I used CCleaner to clean up some junk and make the system more optimized. I don't know if MacOS needs this type of tool, but I would like to know if CleanMyMac is really useful and, above all, safe to use.

I appreciate the help!
 
BR4DOKYBrazil said:
I grew up using Windows and ended up realizing my dream: I acquired a Macbook Air.
After using iPhones since the 7 Plus model, I decided to join the world of MacOS too. I'm really enjoying it, but I have the following question:

On Windows, I used CCleaner to clean up some junk and make the system more optimized. I don't know if MacOS needs this type of tool, but I would like to know if CleanMyMac is really useful and, above all, safe to use.

I appreciate the help!
Click to expand...
I know that it is considered cool to rag on apps like CleanMyMac, but I've been using it for years with great success.
Contrary to popular belief, Mac OS can accumulate cruft over time.

My Mac OS systems have run lean and clean for years and there is a noticeable difference compared to my systems that don't have it. On my Windows systems, I use CCleaner and Glary Utils (along with some of my homegrown .bat files to perform regular maintenance)
 
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BR4DOKYBrazil said:
I don't know if MacOS needs this type of tool, but I would like to know if CleanMyMac is really useful and, above all, safe to use.
Click to expand...
MacOS does not need those "cleanMy" apps, and is not affected by "junk", so it's simply not a thing to "improve performance" by "getting rid of junk". You might need to delete files if you're running out of space on disk, but that's a different thing. IMO, those "tools" are gimmics that plays on the imagined feeling of having a "better" mac after doing the tidying up.

Onyx, on the other hand is a good tool for diagnosing and checking for problems, but you should know what you're doing. I used it a lot before, but haven't felt the need to have it anymore. MacOS pretty much takes good care of itself.
 
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There are several useful apps for "cleaning" OSX, such as the aforementioned ONYX, but all of the heavily bannered and pop up-ed ones are not. You can tell an app should be steered clear of when you search for a Mac issue, click on a link that purports to be written by an expert and goes on for a few paragraphs about the standard things any 13 year old knows to do, and then ends with a suggestion to buy a particular Mac cleaning app :) Avoid, avoid, avoid.
 
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Unsure if they are still around but you might want to investigate Onyx software. It uses the tools mostly that Apple's OS provides and a few scripts. Thoughts?
 
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sracer said:
I know that it is considered cool to rag on apps like CleanMyMac, but I've been using it for years with great success.
Contrary to popular belief, Mac OS can accumulate cruft over time.

My Mac OS systems have run lean and clean for years and there is a noticeable difference compared to my systems that don't have it. On my Windows systems, I use CCleaner and Glary Utils (along with some of my homegrown .bat files to perform regular maintenance)
Click to expand...

Which Macs/Mac systems do you run? Some benefit has been discussed with older intel systems… but not on newer Apple Silicon Macs with modern APFS on ssd’s.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
If you think your Mac has slowed down recently, check your used ssd space. You should try and keep 20% of the ssd free.

In my opinion, cleaner apps are not needed on MacOS.
Click to expand...
There is no slowness in my system. I have 198Gb free.

I used these cleaning apps on Windows and I got this question on MacOS, but, apparently, there is really no need to use it.
 
  1. Clean install macOS.
  2. Don't install hundreds of pointless apps you don't need.
  3. Use App Cleaner to help you understand over time where apps scatter their data.
  4. Use Onyx if you must.
Anything other than the above probably installs more problems than it fixes. IMO.
 
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sracer said:
I know that it is considered cool to rag on apps like CleanMyMac, but I've been using it for years with great success.
Contrary to popular belief, Mac OS can accumulate cruft over time.
Click to expand...

I second that kruft can build up, but I'm too paranoid to allow a utility to do the sweep for me. What kind of things does CleanMyMac find for you?

My typical routine is to use App Cleaner when I want to clear out a program and all resource files. I use an app like Disk Care 2 to find caches and logs I may have forgotten about. I'll use the built in Storage utility in MacOS to identify huge files that may not be needed anymore.

Last I'll use Omni's Disk Sweeper once in a while to find directories that are eating up a surprising amount of space. I've found some huge obsolete storage dumps and ginormous old database index files and poorly structured programs that inexplicably saved working files to your Library's preferences folder.

Would CleanMyMac make such a routine less of a headache?
 
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smirking said:
I second that kruft can build up, but I'm too paranoid to allow a utility to do the sweep for me. What kind of things does CleanMyMac find for you?

My typical routine is to use App Cleaner when I want to clear out a program and all resource files. I use an app like Disk Care 2 to find caches and logs I may have forgotten about. I'll use the built in Storage utility in MacOS to identify huge files that may not be needed anymore.

Last I'll use Omni's Disk Sweeper once in a while to find directories that are eating up a surprising amount of space. I've found some huge obsolete storage dumps and ginormous old database index files and poorly structured programs that inexplicably saved working files to your Library's preferences folder.

Would CleanMyMac make such a routine less of a headache?
Click to expand...
Your maintenance regimen is sound and necessary. I used to do those things manually myself.

Yes, CleanMyMac makes that routine very easy... that includes a "user review" step that displays what it is going to do and gives the user an option to cancel or proceed. There are some things that it does beyond those things that you listed that helps keep things clean and lean.

Using CleanMyMac allows me to maximize the internal storage on my base 256GB M2 Mac Mini and 256GB M1 Macbook Air.

My response in this thread is NOT to "sell" anyone on CleanMyMac but to provide helpful first-hand experience for those who are already using it or thinking of using it. It doesn't matter to me what someone decides to use (if anything) to keep their system clean and lean... I know what works for me.
 
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If you're just running maintenance scripts and maybe tweaking a few parameters, why not just use the free and excellent OnyX? It's been out there and well maintained for easily a decade or more, and it's always been free.
 
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