05-10-2021

Get more free storage space by removing junk files cluttering your device. Delete logs, caches, mail attachments, trash, and localization languages. Remove digital junk without putting important files at risk of being deleted. Receive timely reminders when it’s time to clean up again. Read how it works Download. What is the best Mac cleaner? All you want is a fast, secure way to keep your Mac clean and free of junk — AVG TuneUp for Mac delivers. Run this world-class Mac cleaner software on a regular basis to keep your computer sharp and ready for anything.

So what can you do if your Mac starts slowing down? A free Mac cleaner is definitely a great place to start! Before we get onto that, here are 5 things that can slow down your Mac and what you can do to fix it. Let's begin.

Download CCleaner for free. Clean your PC of temporary files, tracking cookies and browser junk! Get the latest version here. Some of the junk cleaners are available for free but not all the advanced features will be available in it. It can be downloaded by using the link and the file can be installed after unzipping the folder. If more features are required then the premium version can be downloaded after purchasing it.

A full hard drive

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 drive is too full. If you find some files you think you can remove to free up more space, keep in mind that macOS doesn't delete everything once you delete a file, but CCleaner for Mac actually has a way to sort this out which can benefit both your privacy and security.

Unneeded startup programs

Macs are brilliant for online browsing, communicating with friends, family, or for work. These activities can sometimes cause Macs to collect lots of apps and programs competing for processing power - this could spell trouble for you. Some of these apps, if not most, could be set to launch automatically each time you start up your Mac. This can definitely slow it down, a situation that might be completely unnecessary, especially if you don't need or use most of these particular apps and programs very often. The trick is to disable these apps during startup. We think we've made this quite easy thanks to a feature included in our free Mac cleaner.

Programs you don't need

Related to the point above, the programs that could be clogging up your Mac's startup process could also be the same ones that are taking up valuable room on your hard disk, particularly if you don't really need or use them anymore. If your Mac's running slow, this is something else to consider. It's a good idea to see if there are certain apps you could do without, bearing in mind that some may be needed by the operating system. While dragging and dropping these apps into your Mac's 'Trash' folder is certainly an option, doing this won't necessarily remove everything. Plus, there are easier ways to remove apps without the need to jump between different folders.

Missed or forgotten updates

Updates can sometimes be annoying to manage and easy to forget about. While this might be true, they still play an essential role in maintaining your Mac computer. Why? Updates to your programs and operating system can help with things like performance issues, glitches, add new tools. They can even fix security issues that may be lurking behind the scenes on your system, strengthening your Mac security. This is also partly why CCleaner Professional (Mac) comes with its own automatic updates, keeping the app running at its best while, in a way, contributing to your Mac's overall upkeep and stability at the same time.

Stacked up junk files

Macs easily collect junk files over time just like other computers and operating systems. If you've never tried to clean these types of files or just haven't done it for a while, this could be one cause behind your Mac running slow. What do they look like? These could be certain files from your web browser, broken system permissions, temporary files and more.

We realize trying to find and manage these files yourself might seem more trouble than it's worth, at least on the surface. It's not as if we all have time to become Apple experts, is it? That's exactly why we've developed CCleaner for Mac, complete with a free version, or free Mac cleaner, to give you a much easier way to identify problems like this and cleanse your computer, disable annoying startup programs and more. An improvement in your Mac's performance may be just around the corner.

Why not give our free version a try today?

No.5 Free Mac cleaner: Dr. Cleaner – Free memory, disk, system cleaner. Cleaner is one free Mac cleaning app to offer Memory Optimization, Disk Cleaning and System Monitoring to keep your Mac optimized for the best performance. Smart and accurate selection for duplicates scan and remove on Mac with OS X 10.6.6 or later. How to Clean Mac Hard Drive Manually. If you never performed an automatic or manual system cleaning — it means that your Mac has been collecting unnecessary files and clutter for years. You can quickly clean up your Mac with these easy steps.

Easy Mac Care is undoubtedly the best free Mac cleaning software in 2020. It’s loaded with some powerful cleaning and optimizing tools such as cache manager, Miscellaneous cleaner, logs manager, performance booster, virus protection, and many others. AppCleaner is a free Mac cleaner that every Mac owner should consider. This app doesn’t come with as many features as other cleaning software but that doesn’t mean it lacks the ability to help clean up your computer. AppCleaner works by removing any unwanted files associated with uninstalled apps on your Mac. Download Malwarebytes AdwCleaner for free to remove adware, bloatware, unwanted toolbars, and other potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) from your Windows PC.

We clean our rooms and clothes so why not our Macs? But who can waste the entire day digging through folders and files? There are so many places like music, videos, apps and email downloads, and countless more locations on your Mac where junk and clutter accumulates. In 2020 cleaning your Mac is easier than ever. Which is why millions of people download free and low-cost Mac cleaning software.

To start off, we've made a quick comparison chart about best Mac cleaners for Mac.

RatingNameFeaturesInfo
1CleanMyMac X Best cleaning and antimalware functionality in one toolLink
2Disk DoctorQuick scan and deep cleaning of all kinds of junkLink
3Gemini 2Finds duplicate and similar files everywhere on your Mac, including Photos, iTunes, and external drives.Link

A handy cleaner may prove that your Mac is still alive and can actually perform at its best. In this article we’ve brought together some of the best Mac cleaning solutions around to clean, optimize, and maintain Macs that are available in 2020.

Top 10 best cleaners for Mac: Free and premium versions

1. CleanMyMac X

CleanMyMac X takes the first place with good reason — this cleaner combines features of both cleaning software and antimalware tool. Its Smart Scan promises a “nice and thorough scan of your Mac.” It does what it says, detecting junk like user cache files and system logs, checking your Mac for malicious software, and speeding up your MacBook. Looks like, there is a threat in my system, that I need to get rid of:

Frankly speaking, CleanMyMac X is Tesla Roadster among other Mac cleaners. And it does a great job revealing your junk and other clutter, uninstalling unneeded apps and their leftovers, and keeping your Mac’s system clean and optimized. Another pro is that CleanMyMac X is Apple-notarized, which means it’s safe for your Mac. You can download its free version right here.

Price: $39.95
Free version: Available here

What is the best free junk file cleaner

2. Disk Doctor

Disk Doctor is developed in the UK and was awarded the 'Mac Gem’ award by MacWorld in 2013. CNET and other tech journalists also praise functionality. As of 2020, it still looks like a useful tool for Mac cleaning that removes junk slowing down and reducing the computing power of your Mac.

Price: $2.99
Free version
: N/A

3. Gemini 2

Gemini 2 is the duplicate finder that allows you to free up gigabytes of storage and organize your files. In just a few minutes.

It quickly scans every corner of your Mac and weeds out useless copies. No matter what type of file it is: a photo, music track, or a doc… Gemini will definitely find it. And once the scan is done, you can remove the duplicates in a click. Or review results to make sure nothing important gets deleted.

If you remove something by accident, it takes just a click to put it back. And to make sure things like that never happen again, you can exclude specific files and folders from scan. Try out the free version right here.


Price
: $19.96
Free version
: Available here

4. Onyx

OnyX is a french Mac cleaning solution developed by Titanium software. It weighs only 5 MB but that doesn’t mean its capabilities are limited. OnyX is a tool that programmers will have a lot of fun with. With it, you can peek under the hood of your macOS and automate a whole list of jobs, like disk cleanup and cache removal. You can even tweak the color of folders on your Mac, and even make them invisible. Deservedly, it's among the best free Mac cleaners.

OnyX is one of the best Mac cleaners because it cleans many specific under-the-surface files, like inner databases and logs. If you know what is XPC cache is, you’ll probably like this app. But for us, ordinary Mac users who came here for the design and glossy buttons, OnyX will require some learning time.
Those who use OnyX say it is stable and reliable. There is no dedicated customer service (because OnyX is free software), but you shouldn’t be worried. The only likely damage is you accidentally deleting files by yourself.
Price
: Free cleaner

5. DaisyDisk

DaisyDisk gives you a visual representation of your Mac folders, making it easy to see what is taking up space and delete the folders you don't need. All you need to do is select a drive, DaisyDisk will scan it, then you can delete everything that is wasting valuable space. It comes with a free and premium version.

Free

Price:$9.99
Free version
: Trial version available

6. AppCleaner & Uninstaller

If you only need to uninstall apps on Mac, AppCleaner is a good pick. AppCleaner only removes applications, plugins, and widgets, which are again, small apps. AppCleaner works in a familiar drag & drop mode. Its interface is also clean and easy to understand for a newbie.

After feeding the apps to AppCleaner, you should visit the Leftovers section of the app to erase their remains. Why we place AppCleaner & Uninstaller among free Mac cleaner tools? Because it is 100% free. Whether you will fully clean your Mac using it, is a different question.
AppCleaner & Uninstaller is created by FreeMacSoft, also the makers of LiteIcon, an icon customizer for Mac.
Price
: Voluntary donation

7. Smart Mac Care

If you launch Smart Mac Care, it will look hauntingly familiar to other free Mac cleaner apps. Not only features will be called the same, everything up to the fonts, will be identical to some other app you’ve just used. That’s not a minus, though. You can still free up a lot of space with Smart Mac Care.

Smart Mac Care operates by a logic of “scans.” There is a Junk Scan, Malware Scan, Privacy Scan, etc. Just like Mac Booster, Smart Mac Care removes duplicates scattered in various locations on your Mac. There’s also a Memory Optimizer feature that promises to free up RAM on your Mac. In a word, Smart Mac Care resembles every other generic product whose only difference is in packaging. This is supported by the fact that we couldn’t find any credible third-party reviews for this app.

On another skeptical note: to uninstall Smart Mac Care you have to enter your admin password. This is not the case with other Mac cleaners we’ve used.
Price
: $56.62 per year
Free version
: Demo available

Mac Junk File Cleaner Free

8. Drive Genius

Drive Genius is labeled a “Mac monitoring software.” It’s a whole suite of tools that provide powerful disk diagnostics. It’s hard to list a thing that this software doesn’t do. You can scan for malware, secure-erase files, customize icons — it’s dozens of apps in one body. What makes Drive Genius unique is, probably, its search for corrupted files and inconsistencies on your drive. If your Mac is an old one, keeping it in good health will be easier with Drive Genius.

In a free version, you can use just a fraction of tools, notably a DiskPulse utility. This is an automatic Mac health checker that notifies you before your hard drive fails. Unlike Mac cleaners that merely scan, it is able to repair damage on your disks, which makes it a real deal. Be prepared that hard drive scan may take some time, but the results are worth it. Also note that Drive Genius is not available for macOS Catalina (as of the beginning of 2020).

Price: $299 for Professional edition
Free version
: Limited Lite edition is available

9. CCleaner

Originally created in 2004 by Piriform, CCleaner comes with a free and professional version, focusing on businesses and business customers. CCleaner is a cross-platform tool, for PCs, Macs, Android, and it has a Cloud, Network and Technician tool, depending on what you need and the platform/software you use.

The premium version comes with a lot more features, including real-time alerts, free updates, and dedicated support. Although created for PCs in the early days, CCleaner does well to identify unwanted files on a Mac, so that users can select and delete the files and folders they don't need to free up space. As a cleaner for Mac, customers are pretty happy with the results of CCleaner.
Price: $19.95
Free version
: Available

Cleaning Mac For Free Mac

10. Sensei

The Sensei app is a relatively new app on the market, but it can be another useful tool for your Mac. The Sensei software developers call the app “Pro Mac Cleaner” on their website. I would call it a performance controlling tool.

Sensei presents a detailed picture of how your Mac performs. In the Dashboard, you can find out information about your MacBook, check your CPU’s current temperature, and see how much of your RAM is used. Cooling gives you exact information on your Mac’s fans' speed.

How To Clean Junk In Mac

Its Clean option helps to get rid of user cache, logs, large files, etc. The Uninstaller feature allows you to delete apps from your Mac and remove their traces. It doesn’t list pre-installed apps from Apple, such as Safari or Calendar, but it shows every app you have installed on your Mac.

Surely, you can clean up your Mac manually, but using dedicated software will save you tons of time.

Price: $29 per year
Free version
: Available

Frequently Asked Questions

Cleaning A Mac For Free

Can’t my Mac clean itself?

Your macOS also has a built-in Mac cleaner, which Apple called Optimized Storage. Though its capabilities are limited, it gives you basic directions on where to start the cleanup. But for a thorough system cleanup and removing malware, you’ll need a dedicated Mac cleaner app.

Can Mac cleaner apps delete my important files?

Typically, best Mac cleaner apps have a protection built-in. They will usually select only those files that are safe for deletion.

File

Will Mac cleaners slow down my Mac?

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Some cleaners try to get into your Login items, thus creating an extra burden on processor. On a flip side, the reliable Mac cleaner apps might even speed up your Mac. They remove all the outdated junk files giving your Mac an extra boost.

Mac cleaning apps you should avoid

Cleaning My Mac For Free

Above we've touched the trusted Mac cleanup solutions but there are many that work on the dark side. Malwarebytes lists Advanced Mac Cleaner Pro and similar tools as unwanted applications. Here are some signs that should warn you against using scam Mac cleaners.
Signs of Mac cleaner scam:

Cleaning Mac For Free

Best Free Junk File Cleaner For Mac

  • 'Your Mac is infected' intrusive message
  • An app is installed as part of different app
  • An app finds 2323 (the number is an example) threats on your Mac
  • Mac cleaner redirects your search page

Be safe and happy cleaning.

Apple Cleaner Free

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