Like any machine, Macs must be maintained with regular cleaning and maintenance, but finding the right tool can be tricky. CleanMyMac X is a safe, secure, and simple way to optimize your Mac. Here's a deep dive of CleanMyMac X's best features.
The more you use your Mac, the more cruft it collects from apps and the web. Some of this can even be unsafe for your Mac, data, or network.
It is only natural to want to take out the trash occasionally. Doing this manually is time-consuming, and finding software to do it can lead to privacy-invading malware worse than the junk taking up space.
Enter CleanMyMac X. It is a trustworthy app that can deep dive into your Mac's file system to get rid of all of the junk filling your storage and slowing your machine down.
About MacPaw: Creators of CleanMyMac X
MacPaw is a software development company with headquarters in Kyiv, Ukraine. It's also the creator of CleanMyMac X, a celebrated app that has been downloaded more than 30 million times in the past 16 years.
You may also know MacPaw for offering the excellent app subscription service called Setapp. If you're a subscriber to that ultimate app bundle, you already have access to CleanMyMac X.
It is available as a Mac App notarized by Apple and downloadable from the web.
CleanMyMac X has also been recognized by the industry as a safe and trustworthy tool. It is a winner and a finalist of 5+ industry awards, including the iF Design Award 2020 and Red Dot 2021.
CleanMyMac X features
There are over 49 tools packed into CleanMyMac X, and more are being added regularly. It is primarily a junk removal tool and malware scanner, but it can help with other tasks too.
Smart Scan
Smart Scan combines eight essential modules to scan your Mac. After the scan is complete, the user is provided a summary of data to be deleted and tasks that can be initiated for further optimization.
There is a Safety Database that ensures important data isn't deleted by mistake. It is a catalog of data that has been maintained since 2008 and ensures personal files and system data aren't touched.
Simply click the "Scan" button after opening the app to run the tool.
CleanMyMac X Assistant
There is a smart assistant built into CleanMyMac X that can be accessed from anywhere in the UI. It resides in the top right corner and can be clicked for cleaning suggestions and reminders.
If you've got unfinished operations or haven't launched a scan in a while, the assistant will tell you how to run the process. It will also provide tips about using CleanMyMac X via the user-friendly interface.
The smart assistant will also suggest further cleanup tasks, optimization, and security-related options.
Clean-up
System Junk removal can be run separately from the Scan feature. It is the process that targets non-essential files and junk found in the system. It can erase automatically generated junk files and duplicate mail attachments to free up disk space.
Bugs in applications can sometimes be caused by broken or duplicate files. Clean-up helps find and remove such issues as well.
Malware protection
Macs may be known for their resilience to malware and spyware, but that doesn't make them immune.
Thankfully, CleanMyMac X has a malware removal tool. This module is powered by Moonlock engine and it finds and removes all types of threats that put your Macs at risk.
The Malware Removal feature can find vulnerabilities caused by adware, viruses, spyware, and cryptocurrency miners. CleanMyMac X has a database that's updated regularly and helps catch even the newest threats.
Speed
The Optimization tool identifies which apps and programs might be slowing your Mac down. The user is given a list of potentially problematic running applications and given the option of closing them.
It is also able to run regular diagnostic checks to ensure everything is operating as expected. This includes managing login items and launch agents.
Applications
Manage applications from the Uninstaller tool. CleanMyMac X automatically sorts apps into different categories, like suspicious apps or App Store apps.
The user can then go through the apps based on the category and remove the ones that are unnecessary. CleanMyMac X will ensure the unneeded apps are uninstalled in a way that doesn't leave junk files behind.
Space Lens
Another useful feature of CleanMyMac X is the Space Lens. It provides an overview of your Mac's file system. It does so by building a storage map, which the user can use to explore their files and choose ones to delete to free up disk space.
For example, if you're in several active group chats in iMessage, you may see that the Messages storage bubble is quite large. CleanMyMac X surfaces the attachment files that are stored deep in the system, giving the user the chance to back them up by copying them to external storage or deleting them directly.
Menu app
There is a new Menu app for CleanMyMac X that provides information about the user's Mac and network-connected devices. It is a new place to help the user view and manage their Mac.
There are six detailed monitors in the Menu app: storage, state of protection, CPU performance, RAM, battery, and connected devices.
Using CleanMyMac X
CleanMyMac X is a beautiful Mac application that respects the user's time. You can get in, run a scan, optimize the system, and get out in just moments.
The app feels like something that Apple should have built into macOS. Sure, there are built-in utilities, but they can't match the simple and fast systems offered by MacPaw's app.
AppleInsider staff have utilized CleanMyMac X to optimize and clean their systems for years. It is an excellent app, and we recommend running it easily.
Is CleanMyMac X safe?
CleanMyMac X is a safe and trusted application that has been lauded across the tech industry. But you don't have to take their word for it because Apple has verified it as a safe app with app notarization.
It is natural to have some concerns about allowing a third-party app to manage your system files and apps. Providing such unilateral access to a bad actor could lead to serious privacy and security issues.
Does Apple recommend CleanMyMac X?
Having an app notarized isn't an endorsement by Apple, but it does provide some peace of mind that it is safe to run. Users installing notarized apps from outside the App Store have no need to worry about malware or other problems.
Then there's CleanMyMac X on the App Store. The process of getting an app on the App Store is even more thorough than app notarization, so users can rest assured it is safe to run.
Besides, Apple regularly features and adds CleanMyMac to its app collections lists: Tidy up your Mac: App Store Story and Apps optimized for M1 Macs.
CleanMyMac X performance
Cleaning your Mac isn't always about freeing up storage or getting rid of malware; it's also about speed. CleanMyMac X can make your Mac start up faster, run smoother, and show overall better performance.
Free up RAM with a single click in the Maintenance tab, or disable apps that are misbehaving during critical operations. You can even disable specific plugins using the built-in tools to minimize software conflicts.
If you're running a Mac with CleanMyMac X, it could boot up to 4.5 times faster than without. That's because the app can remove junk files and unnecessary startup programs during its scan run.
Some apps will struggle to launch when they're filled with useless plugins and corrupt files. The app can clear those issues and see apps launch up to 2.5 times faster for a performance boost, which can be beneficial if your Mac stalls regularly.
Of course, malware, spyware, and other unwanted programs like crypto miners take up precious resources. Those will all be history after a scan with CleanMyMac X.
CleanMyMac X price
CleanMyMac X is available through an annual subscription or a one-time purchase. The options include single or multiple Mac packages.
If you need CleanMyMac X for one Mac it is $39.95 for one year or a one-time $89.95 purchase. Want to run it on more than one Mac? The plan goes up to $79.90 annually with a paid subscription or $179.90 one-time for two Macs.
There is also a five Mac plan for $199.75 annually. The one-time purchase option is $449.75.
Keep your Mac running like new with CleanMyMac X
CleanMyMac X is an excellently designed app that is easy to use. It is an industry leader that offers many useful features every Mac user should have.
It is a safe and secure app notarized by Apple and available in the App Store. There isn't a better option for cleaning your Mac and keeping it free of unwanted programs and malware.