Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is CleanMyMac enough?
- Thread starter houssein31
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I like to clean cashes and other unnecessary areas on my system occasionally and I'm very happy with the reliable and free Onyx--recommend this as your best bet for a system maintenance app.
Re. the discussions about "cleaner" tools:
I'm a great fan of Disk Inventory X. It isn't a "cleaner" program as such, but it produces a really helpful visualisation of how your disc space is used, so you can identify the files and directories that are using the most space. Its up to you what to delete (and your responsibility to "do the research" before deleting anything you don't understand) but I find its a great guide as to where to focus your attention when manually reclaiming disc space.
The other tip is, periodically, to go to System Preferences -> Accounts -> Login items and have a check on what is being started automatically every time you log in. Lots of software stuffs "helper" apps here - e.g. to start the app when you plug in a particular USB device, check for updates etc. Again do the research before you delete stuff!
well..
hey all
I bought this a while back - CleanMyMac2 - when I moved from an iMac to a rMBP with 256Gb SSD.
I actually like the product, it has reduced the duplicate rotates etc in iPhoto and freed up a few Gb here and there.
yes I could do that manually, and maybe OSX doesn't need it like Windows does, but hey, it was a few quid on the Mac App Store.
so there you go. 1 happy user.
lazy and happy
hey all
I bought this a while back - CleanMyMac2 - when I moved from an iMac to a rMBP with 256Gb SSD.
I actually like the product, it has reduced the duplicate rotates etc in iPhoto and freed up a few Gb here and there.
yes I could do that manually, and maybe OSX doesn't need it like Windows does, but hey, it was a few quid on the Mac App Store.
so there you go. 1 happy user.
lazy and happy
That's a good tip, and there's a few other locations to check.
Check the following locations for apps that automatically launch on startup and delete any you don't need/want:
- System Preferences > Accounts > yourusername > Login Items (Lion and ML users: System Preferences > Users & Groups > yourusername > Login Items)
- /Library/LaunchAgents/ (Lion and ML users: In Finder, click Go > Go to Folder > then enter the path above)
- ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ (Lion and ML users: In Finder, click Go > Go to Folder > then enter the path above)
- /Library/StartupItems/ (Lion and ML users: In Finder, click Go > Go to Folder > then enter the path above)
There are several options how you can do that manually:
Option 1:
1) Find All auto-rotated pictures in iPhoto Library bundle that has master and copy images.
2) Replace Master with copy image.
3) Reset auto-rotation flag in picture metadata.
4) Use LightSQL to reflect this changes in iPhoto database.
5) Update faces metadata in iPhoto database.
6) Repeat operation for all other found images.
Option 2:
1) Find All auto-rotated pictures in iPhoto Library that has master and copy images.
2) Export rotated image to some folder.
3) Remove picture from iPhoto library.
4) Reset auto-rotation flag in picture metadata.
5) Import picture back to the iPhoto Album and add previous metadata.
6) Repeat operation for all other found images.
Using CleanMyMac2:
1) Hit scan to find all auto-rotated pictures in iPhoto Library.
2) Hit Clean to remove redundant copies.
Yes, you can also do that manually, But in CleanMyMac2 you have it in one place:
Just go to CleanMyMac2 -> Extensions Manager -> Login Items
And besides we protect system and dangerous login items from modification to prevent user mistakes.
Just wanted to give you guys my 0.2 cents :
In my opinion, if you do have a small SSD you should clean your Mac once in a while (let's say once every couple of months) with apps like CleanMyMac or Onyx so you can clear up a few GB of cache and logs.
If you don't care about disk space (let's say you have a 1TB drive or bigger) I say let OS X do it's job.
Carry on now, this is not the post you are looking for.
In my opinion, if you do have a small SSD you should clean your Mac once in a while (let's say once every couple of months) with apps like CleanMyMac or Onyx so you can clear up a few GB of cache and logs.
If you don't care about disk space (let's say you have a 1TB drive or bigger) I say let OS X do it's job.
Carry on now, this is not the post you are looking for.
See the latter part of post #8 for information about deleting caches. Not only is doing so worsening performance, the effects are only temporary. Caches exist to improve performance. There are better ways to free up space, and most don't require 3rd party apps.Just wanted to give you guys my 0.2 cents :
In my opinion, if you do have a small SSD you should clean your Mac once in a while (let's say once every couple of months) with apps like CleanMyMac or Onyx so you can clear up a few GB of cache and logs.
If you don't care about disk space (let's say you have a 1TB drive or bigger) I say let OS X do it's job.
Carry on now, this is not the post you are looking for.
Freeing up drive space in Mac OS X
Caches indeed are designed to improve applications performance. And removing them will only temporary increase disk space and may slow down active applications. But this is perfect world scenario!
I can show you dozen of cases when some corrupt info was stored in cache files causing slow down of the whole system and could even make it Unbootable!
When you don't use some apps very often they will anyway store really old data in cache. Take Google Earth for example, it can cache several gigabytes of maps, but you may launch it only once a year. Do you really need that all the time?
Also there is another problem with caches. Some Applications store cache in huge number of small files (like Safari did previously). When the number of files in one directory grows(>10k), you will notice how your file system will start to lag, trying to traverse such directories. And instead of speeding up the App you will notice slow down of the whole OS!
This is exactly why apps like CMM are not recommended. Cache files should only be deleted if there is a specific problem, and then only the particular cache files involved should be deleted. Deleting cache files en masse as a part of "routine maintenance" or space savings should not be done at all.
Again, a specific app and specific cache file involved. 3rd party apps are not necessary to delete a file in Finder, and in the hands of a novice user, some of these apps, like CMM, can delete far more than what was intended, potentially causing more severe problems than simply needing to save some space.
And yet another example where deleting only specific cache files is appropriate, not blindly deleting them all. When troubleshooting problems, only those factors that contribute to the problem should be addressed. It's foolish to delete all cache files when deleting a single file would do the job.
Also, due to the marketing hype, many buyers of such apps are misled into thinking they need to routinely delete all cache files or "clean" or "maintain" their systems, even when there isn't a specific problem being addressed.
You can keep trying to justify the need for your app, but the fact remains that many of its functions are either ineffective, counter-productive and at best, unnecessary. The marketing of such apps plays on the "Windows mentality" of many users who migrated to OS X from older Windows systems where routine maintenance was necessary to maintain good performance. Many uninformed users believe they need to do the same things on OS X, not realizing it is a completely different platform that doesn't share the same maintenance requirements as those Windows PCs they left behind.
So you recommend ordinary users to do it manually, right? How well must the user know the system to remove "right" cache or do the "right" maintenance?
It is our responsibility to prevent users from doing something harmful! And we help the users to make quick and safe maintenance easily without knowing all that technical staff!
Tell it to our users that we really helped! Everything needs maintenance and care, and believe me, Mac users want it to be quick and easy, without doing anything manually!
You see it from the perspective of "Service Center", where people come to solve problems and you might think that all the people have problems and that the software is bad and so on. But think about it that happy customers don't go to forums, they are satisfied with the results and only very few of them will come here telling that everything works great.
I recommend that users not delete anything, unless they know exactly what they're deleting. If they are not equipped to do troubleshooting for themselves, they should seek help from somebody who is qualified. Using an app to automate deletion of files when the user doesn't know what they're doing is a very unwise move and can lead to even greater problems than simply needing some drive space freed up.
Your track record proves that you have not done a good job in that area, as evidenced by so many complaints about things being deleted that shouldn't have been.
There is the fallacy in your argument. Not everything needs the users' involvement for maintenance. You're trying to convince Mac users that they need to "fiddle around under the hood" or use your app to do the same thing, when that simply isn't true. Many of the "maintenance" items you suggest do not need to be done at all.
"Quick and easy" frequently runs contrary to "thorough and effective and accurate". Deleting some things should require more thought and effort, so only those users who know what they're doing will attempt doing so. That's the very reason Library folders and system files are hidden by default in OS X.
You're posting here because you want to defend your app. I'm posting here, as I've been doing for over 5 years, because I want to help Mac users solve and avoid problems and get the most out of their Mac experience. My best recommendation is that users avoid your app. Either they should know what they're doing before deleting items, or not attempt deleting them at all.
Last edited:
I have been using cleanmymac (and cleanmypc on my gaming pc) for 2-3 years now. I have never had a problem with it deleting any data that I didn't want it to.
It gives clear information about what data can be deleted under the detailed results page. The most useful feature for me has been the app uninstaller, it lets you see app size and date last accessed, it also often clears up associated files that have been left behind after deleting an app.
It gives clear information about what data can be deleted under the detailed results page. The most useful feature for me has been the app uninstaller, it lets you see app size and date last accessed, it also often clears up associated files that have been left behind after deleting an app.
You claim to be a newbie. In your very "first" post, you endorse a utility that newbies should not use. Why should we not be suspicious?
While you may not have had problems, enough people have that caution is advised. As the app is unnecessary to keep a Mac running well, it's not worth the risk of something going wrong.
It doesn't do a thorough job of finding and removing files/folders related to deleted apps, sometimes leaving behind files that are larger than the ones deleted. For more information, read this and this. If you just want to delete the app, drag the .app file to the trash. No other software needed. If you want to completely remove all associated files/folders, no removal apps will do the job.
The most effective method for complete app removal is manual deletion: Firstly, I am not claiming to be anything. That is the designation that this forum has given me as I joined earlier today. I am not a newbie to using a mac either. You can be suspicious all you want, you can even go and buy some foil to make yourself a hat if that makes you happy
Second, who says it is not an app that newbies should or shouldn't use? It is their choice at the end of the day, yes you can go ahead and warn them of potential issues that other people may or may not have had, but it is their choice to make, not yours. In my personal experience, the app works just fine and I have never encountered any issues, hence my initial contribution to this thread.
Prior to installing clean my mac I used to drag the app into the trash and was frankly amazed at the ease of which it was deleted. However, coming to OSX from a windows environment, I was skeptical and thought that there may be more to it. I never fully explored app deletion on OSX in any great detail myself, just relying on the knowledge that apps/programs often have numerous files associated/created by them. I came across clean my mac on recommendation from other users, so I began using it myself. It has always worked fine for me, but if there is a better more comprehensive way to delete apps then I am interested of course.
Thanks for the links, they are an interesting read and you have provided evidence that apps such as clean my mac aren't the only way to uninstall apps, and can miss files. I will try the manual search to see if clean my mac got all the files from some apps that I believe to be fully deleted.
Another happy user of CMM2. I've been using it and CMM1 for a couple of years with zero problems. I wouldn't normally post but I like that MacPaw have come on here to answer questions; I think it's commendable of them especially the tone of some replies.
- Using it on 256 SSD
- Not a new user - registered here in 2005
- No connection at all to Macpaw other than paying user
My own experience is the same as yours!
My daughter, who has no interest in maintaining her MacBook Pro 2011, uses her machine to do email, surf the internet for shopping online and THE KICKER....to use iPhoto for her library of photographs.
She is nuts about photos and has over 25,000 in her iPhoto file. However, she had me install an OWC SSD which reduced her hard drive storage capacity to 256 GB. With that many photos and with the OS requirements she has less than 28 GB space left on the SSD. Enter Clean My Mac 2...after initial scan she recovered over 30 GB of space!
No side effects, no computer problems or issues....Clean My Mac 2 did the job in minutes and delivered what it's commercial claim.
I have no relationship with the company except that I paid for a family license and am a satisfied customer.
Clean MyMac Useful
I have used the application for years and found it useful and well designed
While other people may had experienced problems, I would not call it "useless"
I don't work for the company and as other people, I am satisfied customer. I have also used other useful apps from them that detect duplicate files (Gemini) and hide (Mac Hider)
I may say that the price of CMM is quite steep and I did not want to pay it to install it in my other Macbook and that is a disadvantage (I use Disk Utilities or Onyx)
I have used the application for years and found it useful and well designed
While other people may had experienced problems, I would not call it "useless"
I don't work for the company and as other people, I am satisfied customer. I have also used other useful apps from them that detect duplicate files (Gemini) and hide (Mac Hider)
I may say that the price of CMM is quite steep and I did not want to pay it to install it in my other Macbook and that is a disadvantage (I use Disk Utilities or Onyx)
im using CleanmyMac for several years, over time the programm is getting better and better in automated cleaning.
I never had any issue with it, and saved over time 90 Gb
Use it wisely and you can gain profit with it
Currently using the beta on 10.10 and works like it should
I never had any issue with it, and saved over time 90 Gb
Use it wisely and you can gain profit with it
Currently using the beta on 10.10 and works like it should
Last edited: