Cleaner Utility?

[LarryJoe33]

Wondering if anyone uses and what they use to scan for bloat, malware, partially removed applications, etc. In my windows days, I used to use ccleaner. There seem to be more than a few out there for Mac OS. Ideally, I would like a utility that can also tell me what's running in the background and at start-up.

 

[akash.nu]

Mac Activity monitor works for me.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

CCLEANER for macOS: https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner-mac

 

[LarryJoe33]

Mac Activity monitor works for me.

Thanks, yes I use that too but was looking for something that could tell me what's in the start up processes (and something that could "clean" uninstalled left overs and files).
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CCLEANER for macOS: https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner-mac

I saw that but it doesn't say it works with High Sierra. Say's it supports up to 10.12 with no mention of 10.13.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

Thanks, yes I use that too but was looking for something that could tell me what's in the start up processes (and something that could "clean" uninstalled left overs and files).
[doublepost=1523270443][/doublepost]
I saw that but it doesn't say it works with High Sierra. Say's it supports up to 10.12 with no mention of 10.13.

Wait for the update for macOS HS...

 

[akash.nu]

Thanks, yes I use that too but was looking for something that could tell me what's in the start up processes (and something that could "clean" uninstalled left overs and files).
[doublepost=1523270443][/doublepost]
I saw that but it doesn't say it works with High Sierra. Say's it supports up to 10.12 with no mention of 10.13.

I think best option is to learn how to clean it manually to be honest. Some of these applications can mess up system files at times as well. Just my 2 cents.

 

[willmtaylor]

Most cleaners do more harm than good. Generally best to avoid them.

 

[LarryJoe33]

Most cleaners do more harm than good. Generally best to avoid them.

That's what I always thought when it came to Macs, but I see some cleaners advertised here and was wondering if they are useful. Thank you.

 

[MacGizmo]

The funny thing I've noticed about every single person who has ever proclaimed how great and useful these Mac cleaning/optimizing utilities are: They all say the same things, generally saying how great they are, and any perceived slow-downs are worth it, and things like "it has saved by behind so many times."

The thing is, I don't use them and never have... and my behind has never needed saving. In nearly 35 years of using Macs, hundreds of them over that time, I've never installed an "Optimizing" or "Cleaning" app and I've never had an issue that those apps claim to prevent or fix.

What will save you most of the time is having a deeper understanding of how the macOS works, learning what types of apps tend to cause incompatibility issues and how to fix them, and which ones are likely virus/malware/adware carriers and just flat-out avoiding them.

All that being said, try running EtreCheck - It will tell you what's installed and where, fix minor issues, clean minor things, but mostly it will give you a better idea of what's going on in your System.

 

[LarryJoe33]

The funny thing I've noticed about every single person who has ever proclaimed how great and useful these Mac cleaning/optimizing utilities are: They all say the same things, generally saying how great they are, and any perceived slow-downs are worth it, and things like "it has saved by behind so many times."

The thing is, I don't use them and never have... and my behind has never needed saving. In nearly 35 years of using Macs, hundreds of them over that time, I've never installed an "Optimizing" or "Cleaning" app and I've never had an issue that those apps claim to prevent or fix.

What will save you most of the time is having a deeper understanding of how the macOS works, learning what types of apps tend to cause incompatibility issues and how to fix them, and which ones are likely virus/malware/adware carriers and just flat-out avoiding them.

All that being said, try running EtreCheck - It will tell you what's installed and where, fix minor issues, clean minor things, but mostly it will give you a better idea of what's going on in your System.

Thanks but I am a little confused. You just went on and on about how you never used these and never will, but you close by recommending what effectively looks like a cleaner? Is this different than what you described as "optimizing or cleaning"?

 

[MacGizmo]

Thanks but I am a little confused. You just went on and on about how you never used these and never will, but you close by recommending what effectively looks like a cleaner? Is this different than what you described as "optimizing or cleaning"?

Yes. EtreCheck isn't a cleaner or optimizer. It's more of a "reporting" app. It tells you what is installed where, what is likely a problem file, and allows you to MANUALLY remove said apps/files easily. It doesn't run in the background, it's more like Apple's Activity Monitor on steroids.

 

[willmtaylor]

That's what I always thought when it came to Macs, but I see some cleaners advertised here and was wondering if they are useful. Thank you.

Advertising is...well...advertising.

 

[MIKX]

I totally agree with MacGizmo. Try uninstalling MacKeeper .. check this out https://www.imore.com/avoid-mackeeper

If you're that worried then install the free "Malwarebytes" https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/
If you are not visiting obvious malware sites and have "LittleSnitch" installed https://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html . . . . and . . in the latest Firefox or Safari version have throughly set the relevant privacy / security preferences and turned "COOKIES to OFF you will have a nice, safe, secure system.

You simply do not need any of these so called"cleaners". You might regret it. Many do, including myself.

PS : EtreCheck https://etrecheck.com/ is also nice and safe.

 

[willmtaylor]

I totally agree with MacGizmo. Try uninstalling MacKeeper .. check this out https://www.imore.com/avoid-mackeeper

If you're that worried then install the free "Malwarebytes" https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/
If you are not visiting obvious malware sites and have "LittleSnitch" installed https://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html . . . . and . . in the latest Firefox or Safari version have throughly set the relevant privacy / security preferences and turned "COOKIES to OFF you will have a nice, safe, secure system.

You simply do not need any of these so called"cleaners". You might regret it. Many do, including myself.

Let’s be realistic though. If the OP is installing these “cleaners,” he most likely won’t be comfortable managing Little Snitch. I know I’m not.

 

[jbarley]

I would like a utility that can also tell me what's running in the background and at start-up.

Take a look at "EtreCheck", it finds and reports just about everything, and then some!
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/48217/etrecheck

 

[LarryJoe33]

All good, I am pretty adept at managing the OS and trouble shooting. I guess I was pinging the audience to see if there was actually something useful out there and more importantly, not detrimental. I'll give EtreCheck a look.

 

[Fishrrman]

Agree with post 7 above.

If you want to "clean" I recommend the utility "App Cleaner", small and free:
https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

For adware/malware, use MalwareBytes:
https://www.malwarebytes.com
(the free version is all you need)

Any other "cleaning" can be "done by hand".

 

[iMi]

I personally don't use any type of cleaners. They seem to make things worse.

What I do instead is maintain simplicity. I only download and use the software I need. All documents are in iCloud. Nothing of significance lives on the machine itself and when the bloat gets to big the entire computer gets a clean re-install.

Log into iCloud. Load key apps. Done.

Edit to add that clean instal usually happens for me annually with new macOS releases.

 

[akash.nu]

Does anybody actually install Mac keeper these days?! I thought that’s old news.

 

[Voenix Rising]

I've been using Clean My Mac for the past ten years.

 

[dianeoforegon]

Here are links on Apple Discussions you might find interesting.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8841

https://discussions.apple.com/message/23958406#23958406

https://discussions.apple.com/message/26347679#26347679

 

[LarryJoe33]

Here are links on Apple Discussions you might find interesting.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8841

https://discussions.apple.com/message/23958406#23958406

https://discussions.apple.com/message/26347679#26347679

Thanks, very interesting, especially the first link. All of this feedback confirms what I always heard about Mac OS. I actually keep my system at a bare minimum. I have only a few third party apps installed - Office, CCC5, Adobe Reader, 1Password and VLC. I don't use Chrome on my Mac, all safari and the only extension I have is 1Password. I don't have Flash or Silverlight installed at the moment. I don't save anything locally, all in iCloud, so space is not an issue. I recently did my first clean install (last week) so my system is pretty "clean".

My hunt for the clean install and maybe trying a utility was/is driven by my MBP burning through my battery while sleeping with the lid closed. I have tried everything within my power and resources to troubleshoot it. I am just going to have to live with it and the 12%-14% I lose overnight. I thought maybe a utility could tell me what is running in the background while "sleeping". Trust me, I have tried EVERYTHING.

I love this machine and the fact that my upgrades make it on par with brand new MBP's in terms of speed. The battery thing though will most likely result in me getting a new Macbook Pro when they release a new model.

 

[GGJstudios]

You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Most only remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process.

These apps will not make your Mac run faster or more efficiently, since having stuff stored on a drive does not impact performance, unless you're running out of drive space. In fact, deleting some caches can hurt performance, rather than help it, since more system resources are used and performance suffers while each cache is being rebuilt.

Many of these tasks should only be done selectively to troubleshoot specific problems, not en masse as routine maintenance. macOS does a good job of taking care of itself, without the need for 3rd party software. Among other things, it has its own maintenance scripts that run silently in the background on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, without user intervention.

Five Mac maintenance myths

Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on macOS, and there never have been any since it was released over 17 years ago. The only malware in the wild that can affect macOS is a handful of trojans, which can be easily avoided by practicing safe computing, such as being careful about what apps you install. 3rd party antivirus apps are not necessary to keep a Mac malware-free, as long as a user practices safe computing.