Think about all the unnecessary files and junk on your macbook. Before you know it, the memory is full and your Macbook runs slower. How does it work? You perform a smart scan and the application automatically searches for unnecessary files that can be deleted. In addition, you can search for large files and have them removed safely and irretrievably. It is also possible to remove any leftover residue immediately while uninstalling programs. Today, developer MacPaw released the latest version of CleanMyMac. Check out the latest version here.
CleanMyMac is owned by MacPaw, a Ukrainian company that also has an office in California. It makes a few iOS apps, but is mainly involved in developing tools. MacPaw's reputation is good, the company is fairly transparent and posts photos of team outings and office events on Facebook, for example. There is sometimes cooperation with the National Technical University of Ukraine. There are no lawsuits or irregularities surrounding the company.
CleanMyMac presents itself as software that helps monitor the technical condition of your Mac and clean up unnecessary files. These claims are being lived up to and the interface is clear. On our Mac, CleanMyMac was able to free up 26GB. The interface shows an overview in general, but it is also possible to disable individual components and see which folders and files are being cleaned up.
The interface is full of comforting words like “safe clean-up” and “smart optimizations.” We had CleanMyMac run all possible optimizations every day for a week, and our Mac still works. Technically, nothing can go wrong either, as the software mainly deletes temporary and old files (caches). Think of temporary internet files, old iTunes backups, log files and language files. The bin is also emptied for you. It is a tried and tested recipe where little can go wrong.
Deleting temporary files and emptying caches provides a lot of extra disk space in the short term. In the long term, the benefit is not permanent. When using applications, caches are refilled and temporary files are created again. After all, apps are designed to work as quickly as possible using temporary files.
The only actions that permanently increase disk space are deleting language files and iTunes backups. That actually leaves 2GB of the 21GB. Deleting temporary files and emptying caches can also temporarily slow down your Mac, after all, temporary files have to be created again. In the long term, CleanMyMac cannot be more effective than regularly deleting temporary internet files and emptying the recycle bin.
In addition to cleaning up files, CleanMyMac also offers a number of maintenance tools. There are scripts that promise to optimize the system, speed up the OS X Mail app and search by doing the indexing again, and a number of features that monitor the hard drive. For all of them, OS X can and does it by itself if necessary. There's no reason to perform these maintenance tasks if your Mac is working properly.
Under the menus privacy and extensions there are still some tools available. For example, you can disable Safari extensions in a central interface, control which applications open at startup, and clear browsing history. These are actions that are conveniently grouped in a screen, but can also be performed within Safari or via the Dock with just a few clicks. A final extra is the CleanMyMac menu, which warns you when the trash is full, you're running out of free space, programs crash, or RAM is full. The following also applies: conveniently grouped, but not essential.
CleanMyMac is a well-made application that lets you free up space in a clear way and technically fulfills all promises. However, much of the functionality hasn't been effective for more than a few days, is obsolete, or is also included in OS X. CleanMyMac puts it together nicely and explains what functions do, but it's not necessary.
If you like to throw away a mountain of temporary files at the touch of a button every now and then, the free CCleaner or OnyX apps are also great. They're not as nicely designed as CleanMyMac, but a sleek interface doesn't justify the price of €31.96. Our advice: delete your temporary internet files from time to time, empty the trash bin on time, and above all, enjoy using your Mac without maintenance alerts and monitoring apps like this one.
