Does Mac Cleaner work on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs?

Yes. Since v1.3.0 the main DMG is a universal binary that runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel Macs. Smaller single-architecture downloads are also available on the releases page.

Will macOS show a Gatekeeper warning when I open Mac Cleaner?

No. Since v1.4.2 downloads are signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple, so the app opens normally on first launch. There is no right-click workaround and no quarantine flag to remove. You can verify with: spctl -a -vvv "/Applications/Mac Cleaner.app"

Yes — completely free and open source under the MIT license. No account, no telemetry, no in-app purchases.

Will Mac Cleaner ever delete something by itself?

No. Scanning is read-only. Deletion happens only for items you selected, after a confirmation dialog and a second server-side validation pass. Risky items require an extra explicit acknowledgment.

How do I clean System Data storage on my Mac?

Mac Cleaner itemizes System Data: old iOS device updates, Time Machine local snapshots, system caches, update payloads and diagnostic reports — each sized and explained. Root-managed paths stay read-only and you get the exact terminal command instead.

Mac Cleaner — free open-source disk cleanup for macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel)

Built for developer machines

Dev machines fill up with gigabytes of regenerable cache. Mac Cleaner scans all of it in one pass and tells you what is safe to remove, why, and how it comes back.

⚡️

Fast parallel scanning

A worker-thread pool walks your home directory concurrently; results stream in live over Server-Sent Events — review while it scans.

🚦

Safety-classified, always manual

Every item is safe, caution or risky — with the reason and the regeneration path. Nothing is ever deleted automatically, and risky items need explicit acknowledgment.

🗄️

System Data, explained

The mystery bar in macOS Storage: old iOS device updates, Time Machine local snapshots, system caches, update payloads, diagnostic reports — sized and explained, with the exact terminal command when root is required.

🧠

Smart cross-checks

Gradle/NDK versions pinned by your real projects are flagged, orphaned iOS simulators detected, recently-touched projects get an active project badge so you don't nuke work in progress.

📦

Project artifact walker

node_modules, build, .next, Pods, target, .venv and ~25 more patterns, clustered per project and gated on sibling files to avoid false positives.

🖥️

App and dashboard

Use it as a native Mac app (DMG download) or run the same code as a local web dashboard with npm start — one codebase, zero dependencies either way.

👯

Duplicate finder

Identical files (same size and checksum) clustered into sets — one click selects every copy except the newest, so you always keep one.

🐋

Biggest files, largest first

Every file ≥ 50 MB across your whole home folder — including Movies, Music and Pictures — in one list, sorted by size. Media libraries are shown but protected.

🏠

Not just for developers

Screenshots piling up on the Desktop, Downloads untouched for months, Mail attachment copies — cleanup for every Mac user, same safety rules.

⏳

Old & unused apps

Spotlight last-used dates, preference-file activity and the running-process list are combined to find apps you stopped opening months ago — plus duplicate installs, old Android Studio / JetBrains version folders, stale Toolbox builds and forgotten 12 GB macOS installers.

👻

Leftovers from uninstalled apps

Dragging an app to the Trash leaves its Application Support and Containers data behind forever. Those folders are matched against every installed app and listed when nothing claims them.

🎬

Creative workflows too

Premiere / After Effects media cache, DaVinci Resolve render cache and proxies, Final Cut backups, Lightroom & Camera Raw previews, Capture One, Sketch, Figma, Logic and GarageBand sound libraries — plus Steam libraries and shader caches.

Security is the whole point

A cleanup tool can delete files, so this one is deliberately paranoid — and open source, so you can verify every claim below.

safe — pure cache, regenerates caution — costs time to rebuild risky — real data loss possible

100% local. Binds 127.0.0.1 only — never reachable from the network, no accounts, no telemetry, nothing uploaded.
Per-boot token. Every mutating request needs a random token injected into the served page — other sites and scripts can't forge a delete.
DNS-rebinding & CSRF defense. Host and Origin headers are validated on every request.
Path validation chain. Only scanner-registered paths are deletable — allow-listed roots, banned-path set (Documents, Keychains, …), minimum depth, realpath + symlink re-check at delete time.
Root-owned = read-only. System paths are displayed with sizes but never deletable from the UI; you get the exact terminal command instead.
Trash-first option. Default flow can move to Trash (restorable) instead of permanent deletion; risky items always require an explicit checkbox.

FAQ

Do I need to install Node.js first?

No. The app ships with its own Node runtime inside the bundle, so there is nothing to install and nothing to configure — download, drag to Applications, open.

Will macOS warn me when I open it?

No. Downloads are signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate and notarized by Apple, so they open normally on first launch — no right-click workaround, no quarantine flag to remove. You can verify it yourself:

spctl -a -vvv "/Applications/Mac Cleaner.app"

Expected: accepted / source=Notarized Developer ID. You can also skip the download entirely and run from source (below) — same code.

Why does it ask for Full Disk Access?

Some locations (Safari cache, Mail, device backups, parts of System Data) are invisible without it. macOS can't prompt for this permission, so the app walks you through the three-step grant and detects it live. It's optional — everything else scans fine without it.

Can I run it without installing anything?

Yes — it's a zero-dependency Node app (built-ins only, no npm install):

git clone https://github.com/eslamfaisal/mac-cleaner.git
cd mac-cleaner
npm start   # → http://127.0.0.1:4545

Will it ever delete something by itself?

No. Scanning is read-only. Deletion happens only for items you selected, after a confirmation dialog, with a second server-side validation pass — and risky items require an extra explicit acknowledgment.

Does it work on Intel Macs and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)?

Yes — the main Mac.Cleaner.dmg is a universal binary: it contains native code for both Apple Silicon and Intel, and macOS runs the right one automatically. Prefer a smaller download? Grab the chip-specific Mac.Cleaner-AppleSilicon.dmg or Mac.Cleaner-Intel.dmg from the releases page. Seeing "Bad CPU type" on Intel? That's a pre-1.3.0 download — update to the latest.

Find what is eating your disk.
Delete only what you choose.

See it work