Junk files are temporary files that were once of immense use to get a job done. However, they have served the purpose and hold no real value. 

These files hide in a dark dorm room where they rarely get noticed. And this is fine until too many junk files begin taking up valuable space on your computer.

So how do you clear this mess?

In this article, we’ll discuss how junk files slowly become a nightmare for your macOS and also serve you with a fine tool to clear off the junk and make your Mac 10X faster.

How Can Junk Affect the Performance of Mac? 

Having junk files on your Mac isn’t your fault. In fact, you may never know when you have accumulated tons of junk on your Mac.

But allowing them on your PC when you’re aware of them could be your worst decision.

You may ask why? 🤔

A chunk of junk on your Mac is one of the many reasons why your OS gets slower over time. Sometimes, it can even lead to unresponsive apps or frequent system lags. 

These junks compile caches, logs, leftovers of already removed applications, unused localizations, duplicate files, and so on.

They are often left unbothered, but as these junk files accumulate on your system, problems can arise.

After all, where will your OS store these files? On your Mac’s internal disk space, correct?

Once these files are stored, they take up a lot of storage space, and as your storage fills up, your device may get slower or experience other performance issues. 

And you can always find these chunks quickly and delete them? Nah!

It doesn’t matter how old or type or size these files are; they look identical to other files on your storage. And considering the possibility of deleting something important, users generally avoid cleaning junk.

This makes the chunk bigger and stronger. So how do you resolve this problem? It’s by using a tool like CleanMymac.

CleanMyMac is a popular tool used by most Mac users to clean megatons of junk and make their computers run faster. 

What is CleanMyMac?

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CleanMyMac X, by MacPaw, is an all-in-one tool that replaces dozens of optimization tools for Mac. It can be anything you tell it to be:

✅ MacOS Cleaner

✅ Performance Monitor

✅ Malware Remover 

Precisely, you can call it your personal Mac genius!

CleanMyMac X speaks 11 languages making it a versatile tool for Mac users worldwide. It’s a buzz around industry experts like TechCrunch, iMore, VentureBeat, and more.

The question you might ask is – Can I use it for your Mac?

Well, it depends if your macOS version is 10.12 or higher with 210 MB minimum RAM, CleanMyMac will function like butter.

How Can CleanMyMac Help?

MacPaw’s CleanMyMac is much more than just a junk cleaner. Besides helping you improve speed and performance, it provides all-around protection from malware and helps in application management. 

Let’s dive deeper and explore some key features of CleanMyMac:

Key Feature

#1. Cleaning

CleanMyMac 4.12.1 (launched in November 2022) is 17X faster and more powerful than its previous versions.

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Its special algorithm can detect gigabytes of chunks in all corners of your Mac, from system folders to age-old files and apps such as iTunes, Photos, and Mail.

Furthermore, CleanMyMac offers a whole bunch of filters and an AI-driven smart assistant to arrange the files and review them before sending them to the graveyard.

That’s quite rare of a feature!

Besides, the graveyard is not very far. You only need to click a big Smart Scan button to clear out the junk, optimize your Mac, and eliminate potential vulnerabilities.

You can even trust the app to shred any sensitive data on your system; it deletes unwanted files and the digital footprints attached to them when you surf the web.

#2. Improvement In Speed 

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CleanMyMac offers various tools to improve performance and speed up your macOS like when you bought it.

Login Items

Use this to see the list of startup programs running in the background so you can switch them on and off or eliminate unwanted, broken, or hidden login Items.

Doing this automatically lessens the load on your processor and results in a 4X faster boot time for your macOS.

Free Up RAM

Some apps like video editors or browsers are memory-demanding. The longer they run on your system, the more memory they try to consume. Leaving just a bit of RAM for the Mac.

To prevent this, you can enable Free Up RAM whenever your Mac slows down while running heavy applications.

Maintenance Scripts

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You initiate several in-depth optimizations by running maintenance scripts, like removing and rotating old log files, rearranging databases and system libraries, and running other general maintenance tasks.

Moreover, the tool also helps you verify and instantly repair broken disk permissions to help your Mac perform better.

Heavy Consumers

Using this, you can make all the memory hoggers appear on your list. And from there, you can either shut down unwanted programs or quit hung apps to free up some well-needed memory with just a click.

Launch Agents

Launch agents are granular applications that support the launch of heavy apps on your Mac. 

These small supporting apps somehow slide into your background processes and stay hidden while consuming a significant portion of your memory.

CleanMyMac X lists all the launch agents you can disable – they will no longer compete for your Mac’s memory. This will result in your Mac getting snappier.

#3. 360° Protection

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CleanMyMac X comes along with anti-malware protection for your Mac. It intelligently scans your Mac folder by folder to block all harmful or risky activity. 

Moreover, it fights adware, ransomware, and cryptocurrency miners, including the very recent malware and threats happening in MacOS.

Besides, you can use CleanMyMac to sweep all your browser history, old chats, and other sensitive yet old details from the web.

As a preventive measure (not necessary), you can also use the app to delete unwanted cookies, downloads, outdated wifi connections, and other digital footprints.

#4. Application Management

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CleanMyMac is a control room for all your apps; you can remove or update an app with a click.

To make your Mac orderly and organized, CleanMyMac comes with an incredible duo of Uninstaller and Updater. 

The former entirely remove unwanted apps (even the junk it leaves behind), and the latter instantly checks for new versions, even those not part of the Mac App Store.

Benefits of Using CleanMyMac

  • 🔎 Quickly Identify and Erase Junk: With CleanMyMac’s unique algorithm, it takes seconds to identify, review, and sweep all the junk from your Mac. Moreover, you can use its AI-driven smart assistant to get tips and recommendations and streamline the cleaning process.
  • ⚡ Make your Mac Boot Faster: After using CleanMyMac on your macOS, you can enjoy a 4X faster boot time than usual. It does so by optimizing your background apps and lessening the load on your processor, allowing your Mac to start faster.
  • 💻 More Responsive Apps: Since your Mac is now free from junk and optimized for memory, you can expect 2.5X more responsive apps.
  • ⏳ Save Time and Resources: CleanMyMac prevents you from spending $$$ on servicing whenever your Mac gets problematic. You see, half of the system problems are related to the clogging of junk files and hidden malware that CleanMyMac allows you to solve with a single click and without costing you a fortune.

Next, we will look into the other products offered by MacPaw.

Products Offered by MacPaw

ClearVPN

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ClearVPN is the first VPN app that uses top-tier AES-256 encryption and cutting-edge protocols to provide a secure and effortless online experience.

CleanMyPC

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Like the CleanMyMac app, CleanMyPc helps Windows users clear off the junk and enhance the performance of their system within minutes.

CleanMyDrive 2

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CleanMyDrive 2 is a lightweight drive manager that allows you to copy files quickly to any drive using its drag-and-drop interface. Moreover, it monitors the space on your external hard disk and automatically clears the junk when needed.

Setapp

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Setapp is a subscription-based app store with 230 tools to solve every task on your Mac and iPhone. It takes 10 seconds to write the task and find the right app to solve it on Setapp.

Gemini 2

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Gemini 2 is MacPaw’s intelligent duplicate file finder that lets you find duplicate files and wipe them off the hard disk with a click.

Gemini Photos

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Gemini Photos is a smart AI-driven tool that scans thousands of photos in your iPhone photo library and segments duplicate, blurred, and unopened photos, to be later deleted after review.

The Unarchiever

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The Unarchiever by MacPaw is a leading RAR opener for Mac. It’s quick to install, free to use, and can unarchive any foreign character, even non-Latin ones. It supports 18 global languages, making it a popular tool for Mac users worldwide.

Wallpaper Wizard 2

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Wallpaper Wizard 2 lets you choose from a gallery of beautiful wallpapers built to fit a crisp retina display (like your Mac). It has 25,000 images and 4K wallpapers updated monthly, so you never have to Google “HD Wallpapers” again.

Encrypto

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Encrypto lets you add top-tier AES-256 encryption to your field and folders before sending it to friends or co-workers. And it’s effortless to use; just drag-and-drop a file into Encrypto > Set a password > Send it across.

Alternatives

Here are some alternatives to CleanMyMac.

Avast Cleanup Premium For Mac

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Avast Cleanup for Mac is an innovative tool that scans your hard disk to eliminate wasteful apps and hidden junk on your Mac. Some of its notable features are:

  • App Uninstaller: Use the uninstaller to detect all hidden or leftover data from unused apps and uninstall them thoroughly.
  • Disk Cleaner: Leverage disk cleaner to deep scan your Mac and delete thousands of temporary files (junk) and cache with a click.
  • Photo Cleaner: Automatically segment look-alike photos and blurry photos to review and delete them in a fraction of the time.
  • Duplicate Finder: Easily detect duplicate or cloned files, videos, and other documents consuming unwanted memory of your Mac.
  • Browser Cleaner: Stay protected and private by regularly cleaning your Mac’s browser history.

Avast Cleanup for Mac is the perfect way to keep your Mac running smoothly. Its powerful features can quickly clean up junk files, optimize system performance, and securely delete files, ensuring your Mac is always running at its best.

CCleaner

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CCleaner is another excellent alternative to CleanMyMac. Although the platform can’t match the UI/UX interface of CleanMyMac, its features are similar in terms of work and precision, which are as follows:

  • Scan Photo Gallery: CCleaner scans your hard drive for bad, blurry, poorly lit, or identical-looking photo files within seconds and removes them.
  • Improve Performance: Easily identify redundant apps that eat unnecessary memory and uninstall them with a click.
  • 360° Protection: Boost privacy and security by automatically deleting browsing history and auto-fill sensitive data at regular intervals.

With CCleaner, you can optimize your old Mac to run faster and keep the new one healthier for several years.

Nektony

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MacCleaner Pro, by Nektony, is a leading tool Mac professionals use to make their OS fast, clean and organized. Besides, this tool offers the most detailed disk space analyzer compared to other alternatives. Here’re some of its prime features:

  • Boost Performance: Disables browser extensions, removes unwanted plugins, and more so your Mac can speed up with just a few clicks.
  • Full System Cleanup: Clean your system from top to bottom, from downloads to unwanted email attachments, items in your trash bin, and even unneeded archives.
  • Disk Space Analyzer: Use a single dashboard to deeply analyze Mac disk space usage, identify the largest files and folders, and remove old unused files.

Nektony is a professional Mac cleaner tool that keeps your Mac clean, fast, and organized.

Final Words

The process of clearing junk from a macOS can be a daunting task, but it is well worth the effort. Not only will it help keep your Mac running smoothly, but it will also help protect your data and privacy. 

By taking the time to clear out unnecessary files and applications, you can significantly improve the performance of your Mac. Additionally, you can free up valuable storage space and reduce the risk of security issues. 

All in all, clearing out junk from a MacOS is an easy and important task that can make a big difference in the long run.

Next, you can check out ways to uninstall apps on Mac.