CleanMyMac reviews

CleanMyMac is considered by most of the experienced contributors to these forums to be akin to malware. That being said, there is no reason to ever install or run any 3rd party "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus, VPN or security apps on your Mac.  This user tip describes what you need to know and do in order to protect your Mac: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community.  

There are no known viruses, i.e. self propagating, for Macs.  There are, however, adware and malware which require the user to install although unwittingly most of the time thru sneaky links, etc.   

Anti Virus developers try to group all types as viruses into their ad campaigns of fear.  They do a poor job of the detecting and isolating the adware and malware.  Since there are no viruses these apps use up a lot of system resources searching for what is non-existent and adversely affect system and app performance.

There is one app, Malwarebytes, which was developed by a long time contributor to these forums and a highly respected member of the computer security community, that is desshoigned solely to seek out adware and known malware and remove it.  The free version is more than adequate for most users.  

Also, unless you're using a true VPN tunnel, such as between you and your employer's or bank's servers, they are useless from a privacy standpoint: Public VPN's are anything but private.  

Therefore unistall CMM and another other of the types of apps mentioned above according to the developer's instructions.

It interferes with the operating systems ability to mange the computer. It may uninstall needed system files. It will slow down your computer. It uses system resources while providing no benefit. ...

Read the thousands of posts in these communities about what it does.

Its fundamental premise is brain-damaged. Your Mac does not accumulate filth that needs to be cleaned.

If it did, a third-party App is extremely unlikely to have the magic that somehow Apple, who built your Mac hardware and software, has overlooked.

It is complete wallet-emptying Nonsense.

Effective defenses against malware and ot… - Apple Community

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Do not install any third party apps that claim to clean, protect, boost performance, etc.

Uninstall CleanMyMac.

Shadowcat1953 wrote:

I've only had it in a week a or so, and have launched it, let it do it's thing, and quit it. Are the caveats as avid doing this, or do they pertain more to when one has it 'chronically' running.

Are you saying it maybe only did a little corruption because you only ran it for a little time? Running is running it does not matter how long it runs.